Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical:   

1.     To provide highly specialist neuropsychological and psychological assessments of clients with acquired neurological disorders referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of highly complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.

2.     To administer a range of highly specialised neuropsychological and psychometric tests assessing a range of cognitive functions (eg. intelligence and problem-solving, memory, language, visuospatial and executive abilities); setting up and manipulating test materials, some involving fine motor dexterity; conducting prolonged observations of patients’ cognitive abilities, emotional state and behaviour during neuropsychological examinations and recording assessment results.

3.     To formulate and implement plans for the formal neuropsychological and psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s neuropsychological and mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

4.     To be responsible for implementing a range of neuropsychological and psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining neuropsychological and psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

5.     To evaluate and make decisions about neurorehabilitation and treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning illness, historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

6.     To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the neuropsychological and psychological assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.

7.     To provide highly specialist neuropsychological and psychological advice guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients’ formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan, participating as a member of patients’ treating team and attending Team Update/Ward Rounds.

8.     To contribute directly and indirectly to a neuropsychological and psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.

9.     To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on neuropsychological and psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

10.  To act as care coordinator (Chairperson/Keyworker), where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans under the team Goal Planning Procedure and including clients, their carers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.

11.  To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner information concerning the diagnosis, prognosis, assessment, formulation, and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care. To manage highly distressing and emotive situations and disclosures in the course of working with patients and their families as a neuropsychologist, and support and advise the multidisciplinary team in addressing such issues.

12.  To conduct assessments regarding patients’ capacity and ability to consent to investigations, treatment and other legal matters arising.

Teaching, training, and supervision

1.      In common with all Clinical Neuropsychologists to receive regular supervision from a senior Clinical Neuropsychologist and where appropriate, other professional colleagues, in accordance with good practice principles.

2.      To participate in the Departmental Performance Development Review (PDR) process.

3.      To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staff’s neuropsychological and psychological work, as appropriate.

4.      To provide clinical placements for trainee clinical psychologists and professional and clinical supervision of trainee clinical psychologists and assistant psychologists.

5.      To contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical psychologists, as appropriate.

6.      To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working in neurorehabilitation across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.

7.      To contribute to the departmental training programme, involving organising study days and providing academic presentations to multidisciplinary colleagues. To provide teaching and training to non-psychologist staff within the service, as appropriate.

8.      The candidate should be working towards or intending to complete the required qualifications to enter onto the BPS Specialist Register for Practitioner Neuropsychologists.

Management, recruitment, policy and service development

1.     To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the Department’s operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.

2.     To advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where neuropsychological and psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.

3.     To manage the workloads of assistant psychologists and trainee clinical psychologists, within the framework of the team/service’s policies and procedures.

4.     To be involved, as appropriate, in the shortlisting and interviewing of assistant psychologists.

5.     To work with Service Managers and Head of Department to ensure National targets with regards to patient care and quality of services are met.

Research and service evaluation

1.     To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

2.     To initiate, organise and participate in clinically relevant neuropsychological research and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research.

3.     To undertake project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.

General

1.     To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the Head of Department.

2.     To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in neuropsychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical neuropsychology, clinical psychology and related disciplines.

3.     To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.

4.     To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.

5.      To be competent in the use of Microsoft Office and to be able to establish and manage a database.

6.     To ensure the security of departmental equipment, such as psychometric tests, and notify the Departmental Secretary when equipment and stock require replenishing.