Bank Principal Practitioner Psychologist

Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity for a Principal Psychologist to join the newly developed West Sussex Stroke Early Supported Discharge (ESD) pathway. The post offers you the opportunity to develop the neuropsychology provision within the ESD services based on current models and best practice.
The Stroke Early Support Discharge Service is a key part of the pathway for stroke survivors and their carers. Our team support people to leave hospital earlier than they may have otherwise and provides intense Stroke rehabilitation at home to maximise their independence, for between 4-6 weeks.
Our team includes Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Psychologists, and Therapy Assistants. You will be working as an integral part of the interdisciplinary rehabilitation team, providing consultation and advice as well as individual support to clients. You will work closely with the Acute Stroke wards and the Community Neurorehabilitation Teams. You will also be part of the wider Neuropsychology Service and Clinical Health Psychology Service within SPFT.
Main duties of the job
As part of the neurorehabilitation interdisciplinary team you will:

• Offer specialist neuropsychological assessments for clients presenting with cognitive impairment due to a variety of neurological causes.
• Offer interventions for people presenting with complex needs due to cognitive impairment.
• Develop and provide evidence based neuropsychological interventions to support a client's mental health and psychological adjustment
• Implement a range of complex neuropsychological interventions for carers and families,
• Provide clinical placements for trainee psychologists
• Work closely with the interdisciplinary team in providing advice and support around neuropsychological assessment, formulation and consultation.
• Contribute to multi-disciplinary training sessions to support the knowledge and skills of all staff within the service
• Engage with regular service development meetings to initiate and support clinical and organisational quality improvements
• Use research, audit and service development to continue to improve and develop the service in line with the current evidence base.

Working for our organisation
Sussex Partnership Trust provides mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire. We'd love you to join our organisation that is rated good overall and outstanding for caring by the Care Quality Commission. Other key staff survey results include:

• 70% highlighting flexible working opportunities as a key point for satisfaction at work
• 79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work within their team
• 77% identifying the opportunities to show initiative in their roles

Clinical Health Psychology
You will be part of the Trust wide Clinical Health Psychology Team, providing the opportunity for continuing professional development and promoting the role of neuropsychology within the Trust.
Working in Sussex:

• Working in Chichester there is the opportunity to travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns- there's always new experiences to be enjoyed.
• You will be based within the Community Neurorehabilitation Team, seeing clients at home and on the acute stroke ward. The role offers the opportunity for flexible working.
• There is a well-established and supportive Neuropsychology Peer Supervision group in Sussex spanning 3 NHS Trusts, offering CPD opportunities and supports to complete the QiCN.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Job responsibilities
You will be a member of Chichester Early Supported Discharge pathway, and leading on the psychology provision for the West Sussex ESD pathway, which is embedded within the interdisciplinary Community Neurorehabilitation team and spans the Acute Stroke wards. You will be part of SPFTs wider Clinical Health Psychology team which comprises of Practitioner Psychologists, neuropsychologists, CBT therapists, allied health professionals and medical professionals working in a range of services across Sussex. Furthermore, there is the SPFT Neuropsychology Professional Network group, which brings together neuropsychologists from across different care pathways within SPFT, and provides excellent opportunity for sharing ideas, CPD and service development. To join our team, you will:

• Be enthusiastic about promoting the value of neuropsychology within health services, particularly community neurorehabilitation
• Confident working with a range of clinical professionals and communicating complex psychological and neuropsychological concepts in an understandable way
• Be compassionate and passionate about supporting an individual and their family and carers in their adjustment to living with an acquired brain injury.
• Be up to date with the latest evidence base and national strategies on the provision psychological support to people with acquired brain injury

Knowledge/Experience - Essential
You will have completed post-graduate/ doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or outside the UK] as approved by the HCPC

• You will have experience of working with a range of models including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• You will have experience of working in a range of neuropsychological settings, including: completing neuropsychological assessments, delivering psychological and cognitive interventions and working as part of an interdisciplinary team
• You will have experience of taking full clinical responsibility for a client's psychological care plan and intervention

Desirable

• Prior experience of community neurorehabilitation is desirable.
• Completion of the PGDip in Applied Clinical Neuropsychology is desirable but not essential

See JD and PS for full details. For further information please contact Dr Jane Vinnicombe, Consultant Neuropsychologist. Clinical Lead for Neuropsychology, Clinical Health Psychology Jane.vinnicombe1@spft.nhs.uk.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or outside the UK] as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Professionally registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC)

Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria

• Significant assessed experience of working as a qualified psychologist.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group specific difficult to treat groups.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.
We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.
In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.
Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.