Practitioner Psychologist
Welcome to Swansea Bay University Health Board. We welcome applications from people who share our values: caring for each other, working together and always improving.
Swansea Bay University Health Board reserve the right to close this vacancy after 24 hours if a large number of suitable applications are received. Therefore we encourage early applications to ensure consideration for this post.
Prior consideration for this vacancy will be given to staff currently awaiting redeployment and we therefore reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any stage.
Please be advised that there is a temporary top up for Bands 2 and 3 to reflect the incorporation of the top up to the living wage of £12.60 per hour - £24,638 per annum.
This temporary top up will be in place until the annual pay uplift for 2025/26 is confirmed.
Applications may be submitted in Welsh. Applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
Job overview
We are seeking an enthusiastic Practitioner Psychologist to work in the OPMH service in Swansea as part of Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB). This full-time permanent post is being advertised at band 8a/7 dependent on experience, giving more newly qualified psychologists the potential for career progression in post.Preceptorship support will be in place to enable this. This is also open to consideration by trainees coming up to graduation.
The Health Board supports a range of CPD opportunities including opportunities to those who are newly qualified to undertake sessions in areas outside their main post for the purpose of gaining experience and skill development at the outset of their qualified career.The health board actively encourages and supports research and Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The post holder will have access to regular clinical supervision, reflective practice and training (to be jointly agreed upon following commencement of the position).
The OPMH service provides to older people and families coping with mental health difficulties and dementia. The service is MDT focused, supportive and collaborative.
Main duties of the job
The post is based within the Swansea OPMH Community Teams. The teams value psychology input and through close working relationships with the other OPMH Psychologists, it will be possible to gain support and supervision.
The post holder will be expected to provide a specialised practitioner psychology service to OPMH, providing specialised psychological and neuropsychological assessment and therapy to service users and support to their care partners.
Psychologists in the service have close links with local clinical and counselling doctoral courses and regularly offer trainee placements. There are also opportunities to link with wider psychology colleagues across Swansea Bay Health Board who work in mental health, forensic, primary care, health psychology and neuropsychology settings among others.
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; English and/or Welsh speakers are equally welcome to apply.
Working for our organisation
We believe staff are our best asset and we want you to be happy and confident about starting your career here in Swansea Bay University Health Board.
As one of the biggest healthcare groups in the UK we can offer a wealth of professional training and development opportunities in an innovative, forward-thinking organisation.
You might be a nurse or doctor, maybe you specialise in a health science/therapy or can offer skills in one of our support services - we have a job for you.
There are also apprenticeships, work placements and volunteering roles available.
We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from everyone whatever their sex; religion or belief; race; age; sexual orientation; gender identity or, whether they are pregnant or have recently been on maternity leave, married or are in a civil partnership; or, whether they are disabled.
Our values - Caring For Each Other, Working Together and Always Improving, show that our commitment to equality is at the heart of everything we do.
If you want excellent career and training opportunities while living on the doorstep of some of Europe's most spectacular scenery, with all the benefits of a thriving and cosmopolitan city - look no further.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click “Apply now” to view in Trac.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Doctoral level/ advanced knowledge of practitioner psychology theory and practice, psychological therapies and their application, neuropsychological and psychometric assessment and interpretation. Doctoral/advanced level knowledge of research design and methodology, including multivariate data analysis as practised within Clinical Psychologist
- Good honours Degree in Psychology. Eligibility for British Psychological Society Chartered status. Post-graduate Doctorate/Qualification in specialist area of (Clinical/Counselling/Forensic) Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or for those trained overseas, as accredited by the British Psychological Society or its equivalent allowing registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist.
- Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist. Clinical supervision training for Doctoral Trainee Practitioner Psychologist. Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management. Evidence of Continuing Professional Development as recommended by the BPS and HCPC.
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult-to-treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses and people with additional disabilities).
Experience
Essential criteria- The ability to demonstrate competence to work within the designated speciality. Well-developed skills in the ability to effectively communicate very complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information, both orally and in writing, to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- The ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of multidisciplinary colleagues.
- Capable of maintaining a high degree of maintaining a high degree of professionalism and safe clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Ability to use a variety of complex multi-media materials for a range of purposes such as teaching and training. Capable of effective workload management when faced with competing demands.
- Basic IT skills.
- Welsh Language Skills are desirable levels 1 to 5 in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Welsh
Swansea Bay University Health Board is committed to supporting its staff and processes to fully embrace the need for bilingualism thereby enhancing service users experience. In our commitment to increase the number of staff able to communicate in Welsh with patients and professionals, we would particularly welcome applications from Welsh speakers.
Equality remains at the centre of the Health Boards policy-making, service delivery and employment practices. We value the diversity of our staff and welcome applications from people from protected groups under the Equality Act 2010, this specifically includes age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, race, religion, disability, pregnancy and maternity and marriage and civil partnership.
We are a Disability Confident Employer and applications are welcomed from persons with disabilities. A disability will not prejudice your application. If you are unable to submit your application in the requested format because of a disability please contact the Recruitment Team, who will agree a more suitable way for you to apply.All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification will be invited to interview.
To work in the UK, all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship to obtain either a Health and Care visa or Skilled Worker visa, unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply should self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship by visiting Work in the UK.If you are eligible for the Health and Care visa, application costs are lower and you do not need to pay the annual Immigration Health Surcharge.