Senior Practitioner Psychologist

Job overview
In line with NHS England's vision for improving adult gender dysphoria services through increased capacity and patient choice, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) is working with a number of key partners to provide the Sussex Gender Service Pilot (the pilot).
The pilot provides a new regional service for the provision of gender services, in line with the national service specification for gender identity services for adults. This new service delivers additional, local specialised gender service capacity in Sussex for adults registered with a GP in Sussex and already on a Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) waiting list. I
The number of people in Sussex currently waiting for these services is incredibly high, and the new provision aims to significantly reduce waiting times.
The pilot is led by SPFT in partnership with the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Healthcare (NCTH), one of the seven established GICs operating across England. It will also work closely with primary care and community & voluntary sector organisations to both design and deliver the service; prioritising patient experience and choice.
The pilot launched in autumn 2023 and is now almost fully staffed in key clinical and non-clinical roles within the service.
Applications are particularly welcomed from Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex (TNBI) community members.
Main duties of the job
To work as a member of the Sussex Gender Service (SGS) clinical team, providing a high quality, specialist applied psychology service to clients, their families or carers. Working within the specialist field of transgender, non-binary and intersex (TNBI) health, in-line with the NHSE Service Specification: Gender Identity Services for Adults (Non-Surgical Interventions).
In addition, to support psychological practice within the team through consultation, supervision, formulation and training.
To participate in systematic clinical governance and to offer clinical supervision to any assistant or trainee psychologists or students that may join the service. To utilise research skills for audit, service development and research within the area served by the service.
Working for our organisation
The Sussex Gender Service pilot will be the fifth adult gender service pilot commissioned by NHS England. You will be joining a supportive, creative and positive multi-disciplinary team, dedicated to providing high-quality, patient centred, primary & community care led gender dysphoria services. This is an exciting opportunity to develop and deliver a new service and to make a positive difference to the lives of the local trans, non-binary and intersex (TNBI) community.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide a qualified, high-quality specialist psychology service to individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams, in line with best, evidence-based practice and trust care pathways.
• To undertake assessment for gender dysphoria and make recommendations for treatment (including commencement of sex hormones and surgery)
• To be responsible for holding and managing a clinical caseload and to exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the planning and prioritising of own workload and the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients, within the bounds of the service operational policy.
• To use analytical and judgment skills and be responsible for taking clinical management decisions in complex clinical issues.
• To clinically supervise assistant psychologists, trainee psychologists junior psychologists, psychological therapists, counsellors or students that may join the service, and other staff as appropriate.
• To professionally supervise and, when appropriate, manage, any assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists that may join the service.
• To provide consultation, mentorship, supervision and advice about psychological issues to other members of the team/service and other professionals working with service users, across a range of agencies/ settings as appropriate.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service/team.
• To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team's operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit, and to advise both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing.
• To utilise research skills to undertake service evaluation, audit and research as appropriate and disseminate the results in the service and nationally.
• To propose and implement policy changes within the area served by the service.

Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained before 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

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in-patient settings
• Demonstrate specialist experience gained postqualification of working as an applied psychologist with evidence of having received a substantial amount of clinical supervision (normally in the region of approximately 50 hours)
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical 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 teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of the application of applied psychology in different cultural contexts and experience of working within a multicultural framework
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care
• Experience, knowledge and / or a commitment to being trained to work with the particular client group served by the team/service.
• Knowledge of guidance and legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc)

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.