Consultant Practitioner Psychologist in Cancer Services - QE Hospital
Please note that this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Job overview
A unique opportunity has arisen for a Consultant Practitioner Psychologist to lead the Cancer Psychology Service as part of University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust. The role is for a 12 month fixed term period.
The Cancer Psychology Service works with patients receiving cancer care across UHB offering an integrated service into a large specialty. The service is currently prioritising patients with the highest level of need whilst we continue to seek expansion to meet the level of demand.In addition to some clinical input, the priority for the role will be continued business case development to advance the necessary service growth. The postholder will be supported by the Clinical Health Psychology Consultant lead, who is also experienced in cancer psychology leadership.
The applicant will ideally have experience of working in cancer care and physical health settings (particularly acute medical settings), but our principal aim is to recruit a psychologist with the right passion and skills to support the development and delivery of a gold-standard service.
There are large regional and national networks of psychologists working in cancer care and you will be well supported and connected in this regard. You will also be a valued colleague in our Clinical Health Psychology Service and the Psychological Professionals workforce at Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Main duties of the job
You will need to be able to demonstrate a highly developed understanding of the psychological aspects of cancer care and how this may interact with pre-existing vulnerabilities and mental health. In additional to patient-facing work (across a range of modalities/settings), you will be working closely with doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to provide high quality care, and you will need strong skills in consultation, supervision and teaching as part of our multidisciplinary teamwork.Strong service development skills are also desirable, in light of the business case development component of the role.
Our mission is to provide excellent psychological care and support for patients and staff, which is compassionate, inclusive and committed. If you thrive on challenge, creativity and a dynamic and supportive work environment, in which psychological thinking is highly valued in the wider multi-disciplinary teams, along with the opportunity to shape the future of the service, this is the job for you.
This is a 37.5 hours per week post and our preference would be for a single postholder, but we would consider job-shares if practical.
Working for our organisation
Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally.We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.
Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community.If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further information about the post.
Person specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential criteria- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical / counselling psychology (or its equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Training in clinical supervision and professional supervision of doctoral trainees &, psychological professionals
- Professional registration with HCPC.
- Evidence of continuing relevant professional development sufficient to ensure continued professional registration.
- Post-doctoral training in one or more highly specialist areas of psychological practice
Experience
Essential criteria- Substantial assessed experience of working as a registered psychological professional in the service area with which this post is concerned.
- Experience of the professional management of registered and pre-registered Psychological Professionals, Psychology Assistants, graduate and undergraduate students and other grades of staff within a psychology service
- Experience of representing the profession in policy and planning forums.
- Experience of highly specialist psychological assessment and individual and group-based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including primary and secondary/ specialist care and inpatient/residential, outpatient and community team settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for the psychological care and treatment of referred clients,and of working within a multidisciplinary context wherein carries responsibility for the psychological aspects of a multidisciplinary care plan.
- Formal post qualification training in relevant management or healthcare leadership skills.
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Experience of the multiprofessional management of teams or services within the designated speciality.
Skills/knowledge
Essential criteria- Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of psychology/psychotherapy consistent with doctoral level (or equivalent) professional training and further post qualification study, training and supervised experience as a registered psychological professional.
- Ability to provide plan, organise and provide teaching and training on relevant psychological topics, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Knowledge of relevant legislation, policy and implementation guidelines, and of the implications of such documentation for clinical practice and professional management, in relation to Reviewed & updated June 2022 mental health in general and the client group with which this post is concerned,
- Advanced skills, in the formulation of highly complex problems from a psychological perspective and in the implementation of highly specialist psychological therapies, interventions and management techniques that are appropriate for use with highly complex presenting problems.
- Highly developed and advanced knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific ’difficult to treat’ groups (e.g. personality disorder, challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
Our Trust is committed to treating individuals fairly and ensuring they have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential, even if this means doing things differently for different people sometimes. We are working hard to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity within Birmingham and Solihull and that our services meet the needs of all diverse service users and carers.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of our safe recruitment practice pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.As part of the selection process you may be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, however all cases of criminal record history are dealt with on a case by case basis.
Please note, if applicable for your role you will be required to cover the cost of your DBS certificate. This will be deducted from your salary over 3 months. You will also be required to sign up to the DBS Update Service before commencement with the Trust.The Trust will reimburse this. You will be contractually obliged to maintain your subscription.
All successful applicants will be required to complete the Trust’s induction programme. The Fundamental (Statutory and Mandatory) training will be in an e-learning format. You will be required to complete training modules online (approx. 9-14 hours depending on post) by the end of your second week with us.
If you are successful at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process we may contact you via email to advise you of the interview details. Please ensure you access your email account from which you applied regularly once the position has closed.
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