Clinical Psychologist / Neuropsychologist

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a Clinical Psychologist / Neuropsychologist to join our growing Clinical Health Psychology (CHP) team providing a specialist Neuropsychology Service. One of the most exciting aspects of this role is the breadth of clinical work, spanning acute, rehabilitation and community pathways, offering a unique opportunity to develop extensive and varied neuropsychological experience.

The post-holder will work with adults who have been affected by Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and /or neurological conditions undertaking neuropsychological assessment, helping people to manage their symptoms, and provide neurocognitive rehabilitation. This is alongside utilising indirect work including consultation, supervision and training to other healthcare professionals such as Community Rehabilitation Team, rehabilitation and stroke wards. There will be opportunities to contribute to service development. Supervision and CPD will be supported.

We are keen to hear from Psychologists with a specialist interest in Clinical Neuropsychology. We will consider applications from newly qualified individuals who are hoping to begin the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology (QiCN) process and join the Specialist Register of Clinical Neuropsychologists (SRCN) and those already on this pathway.  Supervision will be provided by a Clinical Neuropsychologist on the SRCN. Banding will be based on experience and level of training.

Main duties of the job

• To enhance psychologically informed care through the direct delivery of specialist clinical neuropsychological assessment to adults with ABI and Neurological conditions and their carers/families. And indirectly through providing interventions such as teaching, training and consultation with teams and non-psychologically trained practitioners.
• The service operates a hybrid model of on-site and home working.
• To work autonomously, within the Trust’s and the HCPC’s and the BPS’s professional guidelines, as well as liaise and work closely with colleagues and other staff who work internal and external to the Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationships

• Maintain effective communication in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, and build effective working relationships with a range of health and social care staff across all levels, both within and outside of the organisation
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to ensure that any correspondence is of a high standard
• Provide excellent, professional communication when representing the service
• To liaise and work collaboratively with colleagues within the department. To be respectful and value the people you work with
• To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, highly complex, sensitive or contentious condition specific information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients, where there may be barriers to acceptance and within highly emotive environments, tailoring information to meet cognitive need.
• To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers to ensure co-ordination of work in the Clinical Health Psychology service

Analytical and judgement

• To monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care
• To make skilled and complex assessments, formulations and decisions about diagnosis and treatment options considering a range of options which draw on both theoretical and therapeutic models
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management
• To provide clinical consultation to other health and social care staff and foster reflective practice in teams

Planning and organisation

• Under guidance from supervisor or line manager be able to plan and organise daily workload
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills to meet an ever-changing workload
• Be responsive to change and able to work in an environment which has constant interruptions
• Help to plan and organise any service improvements, teaching/training, seminars, workshops under the direction of service lead

Patient care

• To make highly skilled assessments, formulations and decisions about diagnosis and treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management

Responsibility and accountability

• Act with integrity and professionalism, ensuring that you are demonstrating responsible professional behaviours at all times, in accordance with our Trust values
• To be accountable for own professional actions and to fully observe the BPS Code of Conduct (2021) and HCPC Standards of Conduct (2024).
• To make highly skilled assessments and decisions about diagnosis and treatment options considering both theoretical and therapeutic models
• To formulate and implement plans for the psychological assessment and management of a client’s health problem, employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings. Psychological interventions may be for individuals, carers, families and groups
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for relevant individual clients and to provide both general and specialist advice for psychologists and other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management
• To provide psychological consultation and advice to staff working with this client group within health, education and social services, both at a policy and individual client level
• To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients
• Ensure that all work is of a high standard and meets regulatory compliance
• To observe the requirements of government legislation, local and national policies and associated initiatives

Policy and service development

• To participate in developments within the services, the wider organisation and community to facilitate the appropriate provision of services
• To contribute as appropriate to service evaluation, research and audit
• All staff have a responsibility to ensure that the needs of the service are met in a timely and efficient manner
• Encourage and welcome feedback to ensure that we as individuals, and as a collective team, learn and continually improve

Finance, equipment and other resources

• This post does not hold budgetary responsibility
• Everyone has a responsibility to ensure effective and conservative use of resources
• Maintain electronic patient records (excluding where any statutory duty may exist). Do not print/ photocopy unless necessary
• Ensure conservative use of stationery, not using equipment to excess
• Ensure that any stationery or resource needs are reported to the appropriate person for future orders

People management and training

• Where applicable and qualified to do so, to supervise the work of less experienced members of the Clinical Health Psychology team, e.g., to assist in assessing and evaluating trainees’ skills and competences
• To provide advice, consultation, training and clinical supervision to other members of the team for their provision of psychological care
• To receive supervision from Lead Clinical Neuropsychologist
• To provide teaching to the wider system, including local Clinical Psychology training courses as appropriate
• Work flexibly to ensure the department collectively achieves its goals
• Work with colleagues, seeking or offering support as required

Information Technology and administrative duties

• To ensure information governance is adhered to in all aspects of your work
• To ensure you are adhering to GDPR regulations/Data Protection Act 2018
• To be proficient in use of trust IT systems
• To keep up to date with patient related admin (e.g. patient records and letters) and be able to co-ordinate and communicate well with the admin team

Research and development

• ·       To contribute as appropriate to service evaluation, research and audit