Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The postholder will be expected to fulfil the following:-

Clinical Duties

• To provide a specialist Clinical Psychology service to patients as part of the multidisciplinary team(s)
• To undertake a range of evidenced-based psychological interventions, drawing on a range of psychological models and employing a range of modalities (individual and family) adapted and tailored to the needs of the individual and the context and the ongoing evaluation of the outcomes of the intervention.
• To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of the patient’s condition, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of their difficulties, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
• To establish rapport and build effective working relationships with patients and all those involved in their psychological, emotional and behavioural well-being.
• To evaluate and make specialist decisions about psychological treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual and/or family.
• To ensure accurate clinical and audit records are maintained.
• To respect diversity. To treat everyone with dignity and respect and act in ways that acknowledge and recognise people’s expressed beliefs, preferences and choices.
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual patients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.
• To communicate complex and potentially contentious information in a skilled and sensitive manner, in situations with patients who may be highly emotional, requiring the highest level of communication skills.
• To identify, provide and promote appropriate interventions / means of support for parents or carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours.
• To carry individual accountability for all clinical decisions and exercise responsibility and autonomy for the treatment and discharge of patients, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and treatment, communicating with the referral agent, members of the multidisciplinary team and others involved with the patients’ care.
• To provide highly specialist psychological guidance and consultation to patients, their carers and families and also with other Allied Health Professionals who are directly involved with the care of individuals.
• To follow appropriate local Safeguarding Adults and Children policies in all clinical work, including close liaison with all relevant agencies.
• To maintain up to date knowledge of national and local policies.
• Uphold the privacy and dignity of the patient and respect the equality of patients at all times.

Professional Duties

• To implement and work within the framework of departmental and Trust wide policies, procedures and guidelines.
• To maintain registration with the Health & Care Professions Council as a Clinical Psychologist
• To work within the Code of Ethics and the relevant professional practice guidelines of the HCPC, the British Psychological Society and the professional guidance framework of the Trust.
• To seek and maintain regular formal supervision as a method of quality assurance on own casework and that of professional colleagues in the department.
• To seek high quality learning opportunities to meet continuing professional development requirements.
• To have completed recognised professional training in clinical supervision
• To be responsible for relevant data collection on work activities, as required, and to maintain a high standard of clinical record keeping, providing regular and timely information on work undertaken and on service activity to allow accurate reporting of the overall service to their manager.
• To participate fully in supporting the activities of long-term conditions services within the geographical remit, including attending relevant meetings.
• To participate fully in supporting the activities of the Clinical Psychology profession within the Trust, including attending relevant meetings
• To continue to develop psychological expertise through Continuing Professional Development, including service specific professional development.
• 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.
• To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to the specific patient group, mental health, clinical psychology and health psychology in general.
• To undertake other duties as required for the effective delivery of the service. To carry out such other duties as the Clinical Lead for the Clinical Health Psychology Department may reasonably request.
• To assist in determining priorities and developing service provision within existing and across potential clinical areas.
• To use theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
• To participate in the evaluation of the service by initiating, designing and implementing service-related audit, research and evaluation projects ensuring the incorporation of psychological frameworks for understanding and provision of high-quality care.
• To participate in the routine collection of patient data for purposes of outcome evaluation
• To remain informed of and critically evaluate current research to support evidence-based practice in own professional work and to contribute this perspective in the multi-disciplinary team.
• To undertake appropriate research and audit and provide research advice to other staff as requested.
• Identify aspects of the service which need to be improved and implement appropriate changes in conjunction with the MDT/CHFT clinical leads and Clinical Health Psychology Department Lead.

Managerial duties

• To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for assistants, trainees and less experienced qualified clinical psychologists.
• To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team, specialty and department operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit.
• To advise both the service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
• To carry out duties in relation to local, regional and national initiatives in developing services in the specialist area as opportunities arise. 

Evaluation/Research/Development/Teaching

• To play a lead role in reviewing and developing clinical health psychology services, identifying service priorities and initiating developments in service provision within existing and across potential clinical areas.
• To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a Principal Clinical Psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
• To provide specialist clinical placements for Doctoral level trainee Clinical Psychologists, contributing to the assessment and evaluation of competencies as required by the training course.
• To supervise other non-psychology colleagues.
• To continue to gain wider post-qualification experience and skills relevant to clinical psychology, and the specialist area of this psychology post.
• 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 provide teaching on the Doctoral Clinical Psychology course, as agreed with clinical lead.
• To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with patients in the children’s service across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.
• To disseminate knowledge and skills on good practice in the psychological aspects of patient care by setting up teaching opportunities for nursing, medical and other health care staff and also parents/carers. Collaboration with local and national professional psychology organisations and speciality specific groups and networks.
• Duty of care towards careful and efficient use of equipment and resources.

This job description is an outline only and is not definitive or restrictive in any way.  It will be regularly reviewed and may be amended in the light of changing circumstances following consultation with the post holder.