Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist – Sickle Cell Disorder/CASGEVY

Job overview

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a part-time psychologist to support people with sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia. The postholder will have a specific remit to support people undergoing CASGEVY® gene-editing therapy using ground-breaking CRISPR-Cas9 technology, with the opportunity for wider input, including with patients pursuing other disease-modifying and curative therapies.

Main duties of the job

• To provide a qualified clinical health psychology service to users of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust generally, and with a priority focus on those patients undergoing CASGEVY® CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited therapy (hereafter referred to as ‘gene-therapy’) for severe sickle cell disorder or transfusion-dependent thalassemia, including highly specialist psychological assessment, treatment, planning, implementation, and monitoring of outcomes. •    To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment. •    To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a specialist in psychological services for people treated with sickle cell disorder/thalassaemia.  •    To undertake service evaluation, audit and research. •    To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters. •    To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.

Our values and commitments:  At CNWL, our core values include compassion, respect, empowerment, and partnership. These values represent the way in which we care for those using our service, and for each other.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification on this advert for further info.

Key Responsibilities:  KR 1    Clinical and Client Care •    To provide specialist psychological assessments and formulation of service users based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the service user’s care. •    To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred service users when required. •    To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans. •    To inform the research and transplant teams, and input to the wider National Haemoglobinopathy Panel, as to whether a patient is suitable, prepared and supported for gene therapy or transplant, from a psychological perspective, and what actions would be required to prepare and support the patient through the transplant process.

KR 2    Contributing to team or service clinical functioning •    To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically informed framework for the service. •    To contribute to the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities. •    To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services. •    To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of service users. •    To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with service users in order to develop and review care plans. •    To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

KR 3    Policy and service development •    To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes. •    To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects. •    To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.

KR 4    Care or management of resources •    To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources. •    To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.

KR 5    Management and supervision •    To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychologists with support from a more senior psychologist. •    To supervise trainee applied psychologists within own area of specialism. •    To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychologists, as appropriate. •    To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychologists, as appropriate. •    To provide supervision for the psychological work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.

KR 6    Teaching and Training •    To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychologists and specialised training to other professions as appropriate. •    To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the sickle cell and transplant/gene therapy service by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and by implementing knowledge gained in practice. •    To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

KR 7    Record-keeping and Information Governance •    To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures. •    To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.

KR 8    Research and development •    To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits. •    To initiate and carry out appropriate research which will contribute to the well-being of the patient group, directly or indirectly •    To provide expertise in a specialist research area which will contribute to the sickle cell service. •    To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.

KR 9    Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development •    To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines. •    To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC ‘Standards for Continuing Professional Development’. •    To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies. •    To comply with the HCPC ‘Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics’ and ‘Standards of Proficiency’, and ensure professional development in line with these. •    To adhere to the BPS’s Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.

KR10    General •    To travel to community events and other meetings as appropriate and across the Trust when required. •    To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the service user group, and follow trust policies relating to its management. •    To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations (such as challenging behaviour, abuse etc) and to support others involved in such situations.