Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist Band 8A

West London NHS Trust  provides a full range of mental health, community  and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

We are seeking a passionate Clinical, Forensic or Counselling Psychologist to join the inpatient service at West London Forensic Service (WLFS). This is full-time post (1.0wte) which can be appointed at Band 7 or Band 8a depending on experience and with responsibilities adjusted accordingly. For Band 7, this will be a preceptorship towards an 8a role.

The post will be attached to an admission ward in the male low secure service. The successful candidate will be responsible for the provision of a highly developed and comprehensive psychology service to culturally diverse service-users with enduring mental health difficulties and offending histories.

A relocation allowance may be available to a successful candidate.

OTHER POSTS ARE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE SERVICE; INTERESTED CANDIDATES ARE WELCOME TO GET IN CONTACT WITH YVONNE LINNEY FOR DISCUSSION: Yvonne.Linney@westlondon.nhs.uk

Main duties of the job

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK. It provides a broad range of forensic mental health care in adult male and female services, across high, medium and low security settings, as well as in a community and court diversion setting. The post is based in the low secure service, which provides 72 beds across assessment, rehabilitation, and pre-discharge wards. West London Forensic Service has been rated as outstanding by the CQC.

The psychological therapies department, which comprises a team of over 30 psychologists and psychological therapists, is well-established and supportive with high standards of clinical supervision and excellent opportunities for continuing professional development.

We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and   Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m. 

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will undertake clinical and risk assessments within a multi-disciplinary context, and will provide psychological advice and consultation to others involved in service user care. The post holder will have a key role in defining the psychological care pathway for individuals admitted to the unit through conducting Highly Specialist psychological assessments. As well as individual ward-based work, the post holders will contribute to a well-established cross-ward group therapy programme. There will be excellent opportunities to further develop skills of complex case assessment, formulation and application of evidence based psychological interventions. There will also be opportunities to gain experience from across the varied settings found within West London Forensic Service.

The main duties and responsibilities will include:

• Providing specialist psychological assessments of service-users who present with enduring mental health difficulties and offending behaviour.
• Formulating and implementing plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a service-users mental health and high risk behaviours
• Delivering a range of evidence-based psychological interventions for individuals and groups
• Evaluating and making decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models
• Exercising autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, initiation and termination of psychological treatment
• Providing specialist consultation, advice and support on psychological approaches
• Undertaking on-going risk assessment and risk management, and providing advice to other professions on psychological aspects of forensic risk assessment and risk management
• Communicating the outcome of assessment and therapy to the referrer, the multi-disciplinary team and the wider health, social care and criminal justice system, as appropriate, including the production of formal written reports
• Supporting psychological practice within the team and the wider service through consultation, supervision, formulation and training
• Providing line management and supervision to qualified, trainee and assistant psychologists as delegated by the lead psychologist
• Utilising skills in research, service evaluation and audit to improve the understanding and effectiveness of services
• Upholding the Trust values of Togetherness, Responsibility, Excellence and Caring

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Good honours degree (2:i minimum) in Psychology. Eligibility for graduate membership of BPS.
• Post-graduate doctorate in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or those in lateral transfer), Forensic Psychology, or Counselling Psychology, as accredited by the BPS
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council

Desirable criteria

• Training in clinical supervision for Doctoral, and equivalent, trainees
• Other related academic qualifications
• Evidence of post-doctoral training in psychological therapy techniques

Skills

Essential criteria

• Able to provide and receive highly complex, highly sensitive or highly contentious information, where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere
• Able to make judgements involving highly complex facts or situations, which require the evaluation of a range of options (e.g. the assessment of Specialist Clinical conditions and the determination of treatment options), Where expert opinions may differ
• Able to plan, prioritise and organise own service user caseload, treatment programmes (individual or group) involving other staff, and other aspects of the work such as research activity Keyboard skills
• Post-graduate level knowledge of research design and methodology

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of SPSS

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working as a qualified (specialist) psychologist for a minimum of one year in a forensic clinical setting (or equivalent) (or 6 months for Band 7)

Desirable criteria

• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
• Experience of having facilitated/co-facilitated psychological therapy groups
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Advanced specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of psychology applied to forensic clinical practice
• Completion of at least 1 year’s supervised practice in specialist forensic clinical practice (or 6 months for Band 7)
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for work with mentally disordered offenders

Desirable criteria

• Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of the assessment and treatment of personality disorder

Other Requirements

Essential criteria

• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Psychomotor skills necessary to administer complex psychological tests and video equipment
• Able to complete satisfactorily breakaway training
• Able to use database, word processing and test administration/scoring software

As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution.

We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to West London NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment checks which can take between 4-8 weeks . After which your  information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system (ESR ).

Please ensure you include email addresses for your referees which MUST be at supervisory or managerial capacity covering the last 3 years of employment to date to avoid delay in the recruitment process.

The regulations mandating vaccination for in-scope roles in the NHS have now been removed. The Trust does however continue to encourage and support staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID19. Vaccination data will be collected by our recruitment team during your on-boarding if you are happy to provide a copy of your COVID pass.

West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

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.

Documents to download

• Candidate Pack (PDF, 1.0MB)

Further details / informal visits contact

Name - Dr Yvonne Linney

Job title - Psychology Lead for Low Secure & Community Service

Email address - yvonne.linney@westlondon.nhs.uk