Job Title: Clinical Psychologist

Department: Therapy – Clinical Psychology

Salary Grade: Band 7 - £45,745 – £58,038 per annum (dependent on experience)

Contract: Full Time Fixed Term Contract - 12 Months (Maternity Leave Cover)

Hours: 37.5hrs per week 

Responsible to: Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Therapy 

Responsible for: Clinical psychology and neuropsychology input

Closing Date: 12th April 2024

Scope

The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in Putney is a leading national centre of excellence for acquired brain injury and complex neuro-disability. RHN provides a range of different services, including:

• Brain Injury Service (BIS) - a large NHS England-funded Level 1 neuro-rehabilitation service
• Neurobehavioural service
• Respiratory service
• Young adults service
• Continuing Care Service (CC), which is a specialist nursing home for adults with short-term complex placement needs, or longer-term neuro-disability care needs

The postholder will gain expertise in assessing cognition, behaviour and emotional functioning with people with a range of physical, sensory and communication difficulties. They will learn how to apply their psychological and neuropsychological formulation and intervention skills to help our clients adapt to change and achieve personally meaningful goals. Having a good understanding of complex behavioural presentations in people with cognitive difficulties is an essential part of the role, and candidates with be expected to have sound knowledge of behavioural management strategies within a positive behaviour support framework.

Most of our clients lack the mental capacity to make a range of decisions. The postholder will gain experience in conducting complex decision-specific mental capacity assessments and contributing to best-interests decisions. They will have the opportunity to contribute to ethical discussions and advocate for clients and families around potentially sensitive issues such as discharge planning, unwise or risky decisions, and treatment escalation plans. You will also receive SRCN supervision on site.

Having a relative with a complex neuro-disability can understandably impact on family functioning – whether it is due to a sudden-onset acquired brain injury, or to a progressive neurological condition. The successful applicant will therefore have opportunities to apply their clinical psychology skills to support our patients’ and residents’ families.

Effective MDT working is a vital and valued part of the role. The postholder will gain a thorough understanding of different roles within the MDT by forming close working relationships with colleagues from all disciplines, including speech & language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, medical, nursing, social work, dietetics and music therapy.

They will be part of a large and dynamic clinical psychology team. The team contributes to hospital-wide teaching and training and the postholder will be able to gain skills in presenting to clinical and non-clinical staff from many different occupations. RHN has a commitment to service-based research and quality improvement and the postholder will have opportunities to contribute to this. Supervision will be provided by a senior clinical psychologist.

Apply now and please send a cover letter separately to recruitment@rhn.org.uk. Your cover letter should clearly explain how you meet the person specification described above. You can also email Dr Alexandra Rose, Principal Clinical Psychologist (arose@rhn.org.uk) or Rupert Norfolk, Head of Therapy Services (rnorfolk@rhn.org.uk) for informal enquiries.

Main Objectives of the Role

1. Provide a clinical psychology/neuropsychology service, working with clients, families and teams.
2. Provide psychological and neuropsychological assessments, formulations and interventions.
3. To work closely with the MDT including therapy, medical, nursing, and social work colleagues.
4. To contribute to the general professional activities of the discipline of clinical neuropsychology, and to engage in audit, research and continuing professional development (CPD).
5. Demonstrate an awareness of RHN’s values and contribute to achieving them appropriately.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Practice

1. To carry out specialist assessments of cognitive, behavioural and emotional functioning with clients with complex neuro-disability and develop clear psychological formulations based on these assessments.
2. To carry out functional analyses of any challenging behaviours and develop appropriate guidelines and intervention plans.
3. To make recommendations for interventions and care on the basis of the psychological formulation. To deliver and monitor interventions, e.g. cognitive rehabilitation strategies; psycho-education to patients, families and carers; CBT or other psychological interventions; behavioural interventions, as guided by the formulation.
4. To conduct decision-specific complex mental capacity assessments and/or contribute to joint capacity assessments with other members of the MDT as needed. To contribute to best interests decisions and meetings for relevant decisions when patients are assessed to lack capacity to make these decisions for themselves. 
5. To provide information, support and advice to patients’ families and carers as appropriate. To support the MDT in working with families as needed.
6. To work collaboratively within the multi-disciplinary team, respecting the knowledge and expertise of all team members, whilst providing a psychological perspective on the clinical and service issues.
7. To provide appropriate and prompt input to documentation and formal reports. To participate in monitoring of standards and performance, including timely completion of outcome measures.
8. To participate in improvements for clinical practice and support the development of policies and procedures, as directed.
9. To adhere to professional codes of conduct and practice guidelines, and be aware of legislation relevant to practice, e.g. the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Education, Training and Development

1. To contribute to teaching and training commitments relating to psychology at RHN. This may include teaching on the staff-wide induction programme and on training programmes for nursing, HCA and therapy assistant staff.
2. To be self-aware about the limits of own competence, and proactive in improving competence, e.g. by making effective use of clinical supervision.
3. To focus CPD around improving knowledge of clinical neuropsychology, particularly the needs of this specialist client group, taking advantage of both internal and external training opportunities.

Research and Evaluation

1. To contribute to and/or undertake audits and service evaluations within the service area.
2. To engage in and support research projects as required.

Person specification: Clinical Psychologist Band 7

Qualifications and Education - Essential:

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent overseas qualification, or due to qualify in the near future.
• Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), or imminently eligible to register. 

Qualifications and Education - Desirable:

• Training in clinical neuropsychology.
• Ability to demonstrate clinical neuropsychological knowledge relevant to this specialist client group.

Skills and Knowledge - Essential:

• Good knowledge of clinical psychological assessment techniques and clinical interventions.
• General knowledge of approaches to neuropsychological assessment and behavioural and cognitive interventions.
• Able to interact effectively with clients, relatives and carers and provide psychological support as indicated by the clinical formulation.

Skills and Knowledge - Desirable:

• Knowledge of neurological disorders
• Knowledge of research design, conduct and analysis.
• Knowledge of relevant guidelines and legislation, particularly the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Experience - Essential:

• Experience of working clinically with adults with acquired brain injury and/or other relevant presentations (e.g. progressive neurodegenerative disorders).
• Experience of conducting standardised neuropsychological assessments.
• Experience of working with clients presenting with challenging behaviour.

Experience - Desirable:

• Previous experience of delivering psychological assessments and interventions with clients with severe and complex neuro-disability.
• Experience of conducting decision-specific mental capacity assessments
• Experience of working systemically with families and staff teams.

Personal Qualities - Essential:

• Able to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to the RHN’s values.