Job Title: Principal Clinical/Counselling Psychologist Band: 8b
Responsible to: Area Mental Health Manager North
Department: Stepped Care Therapy Team - Peterborough
Directorate: Older People and Adult Community Services
Job Purpose To provide clinical leadership to the locality older people’s therapy service, responsible for the systematic provision of high quality evidence-based psychological, psychosocial and occupational therapies for older people. To take a key leadership role in the locality mental health service, in conjunction with the area mental health lead and other senior clinicians and to be part of the leadership group for the locality. To ensure that the older people’s therapies service works collaboratively with other parts of the locality mental health team, neighbourhood teams, inpatient units and other teams to provide seamless care for older people with mental health problems and people with physical health problems with associated psychological needs. To work with colleagues in neighbourhood teams to deliver a programme of screening for anxiety and depression in the older population. To provide a highly specialist clinical psychology or counselling psychology service to clients referred to the Older People’s Therapies Service in the in the relevant locality. This is across all sectors of care (in outpatient, inpatient, residential care and domestic settings) working with people with functional and organically based mental health problems, according to the agreed stepped care procedures. To ensure the systematic provision of supervision and guidance for staff within the service including clinical psychologists, psychological therapists, occupational therapists, trainee clinical psychologists, trainee cognitive behavioural therapists and mental health practitioners where appropriate. To work alongside neighbourhood team Advanced Practitioners to triage referrals arriving into Mental Health services from external and internal To ensure that effective systems are in place for the management of referrals to the service and workload of team members to ensure timely and appropriate care is provided. With the support of the Consultant Clinical Psychologist for Older People to develop and provide innovative services to meet the psychological needs of patients of the Older People’s Therapies Service, in accordance with evidence– based practice. The post’s budgetary or management responsibilities include the appropriate use of the Trust’s resources and the day-to-day management of mental health practitioners under the advice and guidance of the Area Mental Health Lead and the Consultant Clinical Psychologist for Older People With agreement of the Area Mental Health Lead to carry out delegated managerial aspects of the role such as appraisals, recruitment and selection of staff within the older people’s therapies service. To ensure accurate record keeping for the referral process and interventions from all practitioners using the agreed information systems. To work with the other senior clinicians to provide relevant information and data to the service managers and professional leads as required. To work within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological and therapeutic practice within the service. To provide relevant teaching, training and supervision within the service and where appropriate across the Trust. As agreed with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist for Older People, Area Mental Health Lead and service managers to take part in and where appropriate lead such meetings as are necessary for the effective planning and coordination of the overall service. To lead on audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the Older People’s Therapies service and the mental health service, and to disseminate this information widely. To deputise where necessary for the Consultant Clinical Psychologist for Older People or locality lead clinical psychologists in other localities
In return we will offer you:
· Excellent rates of pay
· Access to exclusive vacancies
· Support and expert advice from an approachable, dedicated and friendly team
· Experienced and dedicated compliance consultants
· Flexible hours to meet your needs, part or full time
· Recommend a Friend bonus scheme*
*Recommend your friends to The Locum Agency and in return we will pay you £150 per recommendation, once they have worked 150 hours.
Please apply now if you would like to be considered for this position.