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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Clinical
• To provide specialist psychological assessments and diagnosis of adults with learning disabilities referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of 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 the adult with a learning disability, their family, carers and other involved people.
• To develop psychological formulations of presenting problems or situations that integrate information from assessments within a coherent framework that draws upon psychological theory and evidence and which incorporates interpersonal, societal, cultural and biological factors.
• To be able to develop and implement a range of psychological interventions for adults with Learning Disabilities, their families and carers, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
• To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the adult with a learning disability, their family or carers.
• To produce reports in a timely manner, that convey the key findings of psychological assessment, formulation and treatment outcome in a way that does justice to the complexity of the problems described, but that are understandable to the recipients of the reports, and referrers. The post demands periods of concentrated effort both mental (therapy and verbal mediation and written communication) and physical (administration of psychometric assessment, therapy and report writing).
• To manage the workloads of assistant and trainee clinical psychologists, within the framework of the service’s policies and procedures.

Professional

• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of service users, and manage and maintain a caseload in line with service guidelines.
• To provide specialist psychological advice guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to a shared formulation, diagnosis and treatment options.
• To promote psychologically based frameworks of understanding and care to the benefit of the service users, across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
• To communicate, in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, to service user’s information that may be contentious or highly distressing concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care.
• To assist in the management of the team caseload with regard to prioritising cases in terms of appropriateness, urgency and risk.
• To work in partnership with other disciplines and to maintain links with statutory and non-statutory and primary care agencies as appropriate.
• To gain additional specialist experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology and/or the service (as agreed with the Lead Psychologist) in line with hcpc  policy on CPD.
• To maintain skills and knowledge of child and adult protection procedures from the Local Safeguarding Board.
• To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staff’s psychological work as appropriate. To organise and deliver teaching and training to clients, carers and others as appropriate.
• To provide professional and clinical supervision of assistant psychologists and to act as placement supervisor for doctoral clinical psychology trainees, taking clinical responsibility for the supervisee’s work.
• To be able contribute to the pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical and other applied psychologists, as appropriate.
• To undertake, within NCH&C’s  PDP and Clinical Governance policies, CPD through teaching, clinical supervision, discussions, visits, study days, courses and relevant reading as agreed with  Lead Psychologist  and  Health Team Manager.
• 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 post holder’s professional and service manager(s).
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
• To undertake appropriate research including, where appropriate, making ethics and/or funding applications.
• To undertake service orientated and clinically relevant research as agreed by NCH&C and Lead Psychologist.
• To provide advice to other professionals as required on research design and methodology including complex audit and clinical and service evaluation to help develop service provision.
• To prepare research reports for dissemination in peer-reviewed journals or at local or national conferences, as appropriate.
• To contribute to the development and promotion of best practice in psychology across the service, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.
• To maintain and develop the profile of psychology within the Trust, regionally and nationally as appropriate during all professional contacts with families, carers, colleagues and the public.
• To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to adults with learning disabilities, mental health/learning disability.
• To work in accordance with Trust policies and procedures, The BPS Code of Conduct and DCP Professional Practice Guidelines and to be aware of changes in these. To maintain an up to date knowledge of all relevant legislation and local policies and procedures implementing this.
  Research & Development
• May be required to undertake surveys or audits, as necessary to own work; may occasionally participate in R&D, clinical trials or equipment testing.