Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KR 1    Clinical and Client Care

Strategic leadership

·       The post holder will provide advice, consultation and teaching on assessment, formulation, care planning, risk management and treatment to team members, to colleagues working as part of the CEN pathway within the 3 Trusts as well as to other professionals within multidisciplinary and multiagency systems.

·       To strategically lead and plan the psychology response for service users referred and supported by the SLP Complex Care Programme taking forward recommendations from the EUPD Task and Finish Group. To report back findings to the Complex Care Board.

·       To provide highly developed psychological expertise, advise, and support for a consistent and evidence-based approach to provision for complex emotional needs and related difficulties, based on a comprehensive, detailed and up to date understanding of the relevant theories and models, research and evidence, as well as extensive experience of applying this knowledge in clinical work with the client group.

·       To supervise and support the implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions, making highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options, taking into account a range of complex models for care, psychological formulations and provisional hypotheses, and monitoring outcomes to ensure effectiveness.

·       To develop eligibility criteria for those with CEN to the Programme based on NICE Guidance and good practice.  This will determine the need for specialist inpatient provision, length of stay.

·       To plan and organise the integrated delivery of services with other agencies and service providers and ensure co-ordination of psychology and psychotherapy services and intervention with other services.

·       Work in collaboration with clinical leads, managers, and partner agencies to ensure consistent, high quality clinical provision and the systematic measurement of outcomes for CEN provision.

Expert clinical intervention

·       To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients in the Complex Care Programme, including service-specialist items, e.g. for assessing/working with psychosis, learning disabilities, personality disorders, offending behaviour, etc., at levels expected of a psychologist who has achieved the equivalent of a PG Diploma-worth of post-qualification specialist development.

·       To select and administer and interpret a broad range of assessment measures (and neuropsychological tests when required), requiring skilled manipulation of test materials, and interpretation and integration of complex data.

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

·       To provide psychological reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions in order to inform referrers and other relevant key stakeholders.

·       To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans, identifying actions needed to facilitate discharge.

·       To communicate skilfully and sensitively information with service users and their families, where relevant and appropriate, and in accordance with national and local guidance and taking account of sensory and cultural barriers to communication

·       To ensure that all services provided are acceptable and accessible to the diverse communities which make up the SLP Complex Care Programme.

·       The post holder will be responsible for making expert recommendations to multidisciplinary teams on additional assessment or interventions and skills required from the multidisciplinary team to deliver the plan of care and expected health/social outcomes which are evidence based and lead to recovery and minimise risk.

Commissioning

·       To pilot and evaluate the use of personal health budgets in supporting people to avoid the need for specialist inpatient treatment or to facilitate discharge.

·       To be responsible for commissioning and reviewing clinical governance standards in relation to psychology intervention for service users in complex care placements, thereby assessing provider quality and raising any concerns with the Clinical Director. This will include analysis of:

o   An overview of general quality i.e. staffing level, policies and risk management

o   An assessment of the environment

o   An analysis of whether the provider offers value for money (on occasions the post holder will negotiate costs of care)

KR 2    Responsibilities for team or service clinical functioning

·       To work with the leads/managers of other SLaM/Oxleas and SWLSTG services and of other agencies’ services to plan and deliver joint services that are integrated

·       To co-ordinate and chair team, service, Trust wide meetings for the SLP Complex Care Programme to ensure effective functioning and review of those with complex care needs when appropriate

·       To support a  psychologically informed framework for the Programme

·       To take a lead in ensuring the ability to deliver and commission 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 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 interpret policies and guidance for application in the SLP Complex Care Programme and be responsible for policy development and implementation

·       To initiate, implement and ensure appropriate service developments to improve the quality and delivery of services in the SLP Complex Care Programme and in partner services.

·       To ensure the consultation and engagement of service users and families in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.

·       To participate in, or lead when appropriate, SLP, Trust and CAG strategic development and implementation of new initiatives (e.g. national guidelines), through membership of committees and/or working parties.

·       To take a lead role in ensuring that services to clients are of a high quality and are managed efficiently, according to the overall requirements of the Trust, NHS and government guidance and standards.

KR 4    Care or management of resources

·       To be responsible for the management of psychology and psychotherapy resources in the SLP Complex Care Programme. This will take the form of personal health budgets and liaison with other agencies to develop bespoke packages of care.

KR 5    Management

·       To deputise when appropriate for the Clinical Director or Programme Director of the Complex Care Programme

·       To give expert advice to psychologists, psychotherapists and other professionals across the 3 MH Trusts.

KR 6    Teaching and Training

·       To be responsible for planning, organising, and the delivery of teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychologists and specialist training to other professions as dictated by the Programme on behalf of the Complex Care Programme.

·       To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the Complex Care Programme by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology 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 management or leadership responsibility.

KR 8    Research and development

·       To ensure the planning, initiation and completion of research, service evaluation and audits relevant to the Complex Care Programme and the CAG research agenda

·       To provide expertise in a specialist research area which will contribute to the Complex Care Programme

·       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 according to HCPC, BPS 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.

KR10   General

·       To travel to home visits, community placements, inpatient settings, meetings, MH Trust wide meetings as appropriate