Highly Specialist Clinical / Forensic Psychologist
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 looking for a highly motivated and inspirational Practitioner Psychologist for the role of Team Psychologist and Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist at Broadmoor Hospital, in our High Secure Services in West London NHS Trust.This role will involve working alongside other clinicians to provide psychologically informed care and to deliver high quality evidence-based psychological interventions in the high secure setting. It is an exciting time to be in a position to make an important difference for patients in high security care in our newly built hospital: to improve outcomes and to offer systemic interventions supporting colleagues to promote Trauma-informed approaches within a national flagship service.
Main duties of the job
This role champions excellence in the delivery of psychology and psychological therapies within the high secure setting, leading within the clinical team on psychologically informed practice, professional supervision of psychological interventions, and standards of professional behaviour for junior contributors to the psychological professions within Broadmoor Hospital.
The post-holder will be in a position to contribute to audit, research and training programmes that will implement standards and policy in order to ensure high quality psychological practice. They will work alongside and involve Experts by Experience in initiatives of clinical benefit to the service, care and treatment of all those referred to Broadmoor Hospital.
The Team Psychologist role carries responsibility for the psychological care and treatment for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams, adjusting and refining psychological formulations to draw upon different explanatory models to assist those on Intensive Support and Assertive Treatment (ISAT) wards.There has not been a more exciting time to develop skills in teamwork, formulation and compassionate care and to shape the immediate future of those referred to our wards.
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 Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached.
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Good honours degree (2:1 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); or forensic psychology equivalent, as accredited by the BPS.
- Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
- Other related academic qualifications
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of at least 6 month’s work in either a severe and enduring mental disorder or a forensic setting either in a training placement or as an Assistant Psychologist or an Health Care Facilitator or equivalent
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts
Knowledge
Essential criteria- Highly developed specialist knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of psychology applied to clinical practice, particularly in respect of adults with severe and enduring mental health disorders (including psychosis and personality disorders)
- 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 complex facts or situations, which require the evaluation of a range of options (eg the assessment of specialist clinical conditions and the determination of treatment options).
- Able to plan, prioritise and organise own patient caseload, treatment programmes involving other staff, and other aspects of the work such as research activity
- Able to complete PMVA training
- Able to use database, word processing and test administration/scoring software
- Post-graduate level knowledge of research design and methodology
- Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of psychology applied to forensic issues
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for work with mentally disordered offenders
- Knowledge of SPSS
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Skills
Essential criteria- Able to function in potentially traumatic circumstances and in highly emotionally distressing circumstances on a frequent basis (e.g. in dealing with patients with serious mental illness, histories of homicide and serious violence, self-harm, sexual abuse)
- Able to provide services in a secure environment with patients who are disturbed and sometimes violent and where the awareness of the risk of assault must always be maintained
- Able to “hold” the stress of patients compulsorily detained in a secure hospital
- Able to respond adaptably to rapidly changing service demands
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Record of having published in either peer reviewed or academic or professional journals and/or books
Other Requirements
Essential criteria- Knowledge of the professional code of conduct of the BPS
- Must be capable of being guided by precedent, clearly defined policies, procedures and codes of conduct
- Able to reflect on own professional practice through the clinical supervision process
- Willing to participate actively in CPD in line with BPS guidelines
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.