Senior Psychologist/Specialist Psychologist

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a passionate Psychologist to join our thriving Older Adult Psychology Team within CTM UHB, on a permanent basis. The successful candidate will join the new Dementia Intensive Support Team (DIST). The team will provide rapid assessment and intensive support for people with dementia / or those with a working diagnosis of dementia and their carers or care providers, to manage a period of acute distress and avoid further deterioration.

The service will be provided in the community, wherever individuals call “home”, including their own home, care homes (residential and nursing), and will also inreach into identified day centres. Working across CTMUHB, the successful post holder will experience the breadth and diversity of clinical work that this specialty has to offer.

We are in the position to recruit Psychologists who already have the competence and experience relevant to an 8a position, or Psychologists who meet the qualification, training and competence for a band 7 post. In the case of the latter, we are able to offer a professional knowledge and skills-based development programme that will provide you with the opportunity to acquire the appropriate skills and competencies to enable your progression into the 8a role within an appropriate timescale.

The successful candidate will be well supported by senior Older Adult colleagues, and provided with a range of opportunities for career development.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work within the new Dementia Intensive Support Team (DIST), providing specialist psychological services to people living with dementia, wherever they call home.

They will promote the use of psychological formulation and intervention (Newcastle Model) in the care provided to people living with dementia. Their work will include psychological assessments, interventions and consultation to clients and their carers when living with or supporting complex presentations (behavioural and emotional expressions of need) in the context of dementia. It also involves providing training and supervision to other disciplines in psychological approaches. This post holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service’s policies and procedures.

The post holder will supervise the work of less experienced psychologists, nurses, or other therapists in the provision of psychological interventions.

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.

The post holder will support the Multi Disciplinary Team to meet the service objectives of:

• Reduce avoidable disruption to care that occurs as a result of behavioural and emotional expressions of need;
• Support individuals living with dementia to remain at home as long as possible;
• Reduce unnecessary hospital admissions for individuals living with dementia;
• Support the understanding and management of behaviours that occur as a result of behavioural and emotional expressions of need (BEEN) in the setting where the behaviours are being exhibited;
• Support the understanding and management of psychiatric symptoms that occur as a result of dementia;
• Work collaboratively with others to improve the wellbeing of individuals living with dementia and those providing their care.
• Promote the use of psychological formulation and intervention in the care provided to people living with dementia.

This post is advertised as Welsh to be Learnt on Appointment. This means that Welsh language skills are not required when you apply. However, successful candidates will be expected to develop the Welsh language skills needed for the role following appointment. We will support you to achieve this through our free and flexible in-house learning opportunities and our partnership with Welsh language training providers. This is an excellent opportunity to gain a valuable professional skill, support patients and colleagues through their language of choice, and contribute to strengthening our bilingual organisation.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Welsh language skills need to be learnt when appointed to the post