Job summary
- Main area
- Psychosocial Therapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-7007730
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Bethlehem Royal Hospital
- Town
- Bechenham London
- Salary
- £28,622 - £30,225 per annum inclusive of outer HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 21/05/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Psychosocial Therapist
NHS AfC: Band 3
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
This role integrates the provision of day to day care and therapeutic support, whilst providing the opportunity for individuals to be equally and actively involved in supporting the team by providing valuable insight into service users’ risks and progress on the ward, and where applicable supporting their transitions to the community. The nature of our service user’s personality difficulties can present daily challenges and therefore we expect those who wish to work in this environment to have some understanding of the nature of a personality disorder or be motivated to learn where you will be supported in this, and to carry an empathic approach to such interpersonal difficulties, whilst also maintaining professional boundaries.
The service aims to reduce and manage the risk in the least restrictive environment possible; reduce personality pathology and the associated suffering and distress; increase pro-social and adaptive behaviours in the areas of relationships, education and employment, and community integration; promote independence; and improve quality of life. Waddon Ward aims to provide a safe environment, and works in collaboration with patients and other stakeholders (e.g. MAPPA, PCTs, Ministry of Justice) to develop treatment plans incorporating SMART goals that focus on patient care and gradual community re-integration or return to prison on completion of treatment
Main duties of the job
The role of a Psycho-Social Therapist is to work daily as part of the nursing team and the wider Multi-disciplinary team.
You will be working as a security nurse or response nurse day by day.
The post holder will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of working with personality disorder patients within the forensic setting as well as the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway.
There are opportunities for the individual to develop their skills in 1:1 with patients in a therapeutic manner and skills in facilitating groups.
They will report to the Nurse in Charge of the ward and be a part of the nursing team although the ward is a psychological based ward working in a therapeutic community stance.
Working for our organisation
Benefits:
We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It’s important to us that you feel valued and appreciated and that is why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.
Some of our benefits are highlighted here:
· Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
· Work life balance, flexible working and supporting a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
· Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes
· Car lease, our staff benefit from competitive deals to lease cars
· Accommodation, our staff benefit from keyworker housing which is available on selected sites
· NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands through Health Service Discounts website.
Other benefits include:
· Counselling services
· Wellbeing events
· Long service awards
· Cycle to work scheme
· Season ticket loan
· Childcare vouchers
· Staff restaurants
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Your main duties during a shift may involve working as the security nurse for the ward, or to respond to crises within River House.
You will escort service user’s on section 17 leave out on the hospital grounds or in the community, to occupational therapy (OT) groups/activities, medical appointments and or any other required leave of absences, at the discretion of the Nurse in charge
You must be able to physically respond efficiently and confidently to a crisis, i.e. be able to assist in the delivery of First aid, or employ Seni Lewis training techniques which you will have completed or booked into during your induction to the trust.
You will participate in the assessment of service user’s mental and physical health, promptly reporting observations to the Nurse in charge and Provide care in accordance with individual service users care plans.
You will assist in the assessment of service users’ risk(s), feeding back your views to the team
Where appropriate, you will have the opportunity to contribute to psychological interventions under the supervision of a registered professional.
You will be expected to take part in regular monthly supervision and appraisal, and contribute to the well-being of the team by supporting other team members and treating all colleagues with dignity and respect.
I promise to…
Be caring, kind and polite
Do what I say I’m going to do
Take the time and listen to you
Be honest and direct with you
Be prompt and value your time
You will work as part of a team in a professional manner, respecting the boundaries of the relationship with service users, carers, and staff, exchanging appropriate information with service users, carers, and other team members on a regular basis maintaining confidentiality of sensitive information.
You will undertake any other reasonable duties as directed and are responsible for using supplies and equipment cost effectively, and monitoring stock levels on a day to day basis.
An example of something that is NOT a key responsibility:
Confidentiality
Ensure Confidentiality of information is always maintained in accordance with Trust policies and the trust code of ethics and professional conduct
The above is not a ‘key’ responsibility. CPNs may be responsible for confidentially but it does not fit into the 3 core purposes of a job description. Policy requirements that are to be adhered by all staff should be avoided or banded together.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Working within mental health
- Working within an inpatient setting
- Awareness of personality disorder
Desirable criteria
- Training in other specific interventions e.g. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Schema Therapy, Dialectic Behaviour Therapy
Qualification
Essential criteria
- Education to GCSE level or above/equivalent
- Good written and communication Skills
Desirable criteria
- Psychology Degree
Knowledge/Skills
Essential criteria
- Able to participate in the provision of training and feedback to multidisciplinary team on psycho-social issues
- Able to work under times of change and pressure of work
- Self-motivated and able to use supervision sessions effectively
- Ability to set clear, appropriate and predictable boundaries
Desirable criteria
- Some understanding of care planning principles
- Experience of facilitating groups
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Mohamed Kargbo
- Job title
- Ward Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 02032288483
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