Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

KR 1      Clinical and Client Care

·       To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a highly specialist psychology service to the functional neurological disorder (FND) MDT within the Lishman Unit.

·       To provide evidence-based psychological intervention with individuals with complex FND.

·       To lead the MDT in the provision of a whole-team approach to rehabilitation for individuals with FND.

·       To provide whole-team leadership to de-escalate behaviour that challenges and/or manage complex interpersonal dynamics that arise.

·       To provide highly specialist psychological culturally appropriate assessments, formulations and interventions for clients.

·       To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.

·       To lead assessments with the MDT (such as outreach assessments) where appropriate.

·       To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.

·       To act as key-worker for a proportion of specific service users on the unit, taking responsibility for updating the ward round, co-ordination of family meetings, providing point of contact for service users’ family members and contributing to discharge planning

KR 2      Responsibilities for team or service clinical functioning

• To co-ordinate (and chair) fora necessary for the whole-team approach, including formulation meeting and team talk, and lead the psychological approach for service users in the FND pathway, making use of the Band 7 psychologist, Assistant Psychologist and other members of the MDT as appropriate.
• To take a lead in ensuring a psychologically informed framework for the functional neurological disorder MDT within the Lishman Unit.
• To take a key role in admissions process for the Lishman Unit, via participating in outreach assessments, in proportion with the remainder of the MDT.
• To take a lead in developing the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
• To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
• To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
• To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

KR 3      Policy and service development

• To implement policies and procedures in own area of work.
• To identify any aspects of the Lishman FND service which could be improved and propose changes to practices or procedures that affect those services and may also affect other services.
• To initiate and implement service development projects, as agreed with clinical/professional lead.
• To participate in the ongoing implementation of new initiatives (e.g. national guidelines) across relevant services.
• To lead the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.

KR 4      Care or management of resources

• To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
• To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.

KR 5      Management and supervision

• To provide clinical leadership to more junior psychologists, assistant psychologist and other professionals, as appropriate.
• To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychologists.
• To supervise trainee applied psychologists within own area of specialism.
• To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.
• To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.

KR 6      Teaching and Training

• To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychologists and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.
• To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the Lishman Brain injury and FND services by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in neuropsychology and FND and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

KR 7      Record-keeping and Information Governance

• To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
• To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry, in those parts of the service for which the post-holder has leadership responsibility.

KR 8      Research and development

• To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits
• To initiate and carry out appropriate research.
• To provide expertise in a specialist research area which will contribute to the Lishman Brain Injury or FND services.
• To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.

KR 9      Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development

• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.
• To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC ‘Standards for Continuing Professional Development’.
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
• To comply with the HCPC ‘Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics’ and ‘Standards of Proficiency’, and ensure professional development in line with these.
• To adhere to the BPS’s Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.
• To ensure that all psychology and psychotherapy staff for whom the post-holder has leadership responsibility, maintain professional standards and continuing professional development.

KR10     General

• To travel to outreach assessments as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
• To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
• To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations relevant to the Lishman unit MDTs such as aggressive behaviour emerging from brain injury or psychological trauma, or team dynamics elicited by prominent maladaptive personality styles and to support others involved in such situations.