Band 8b Practitioner Psychologist - Cancer Psychology Service

Band 8b Practitioner Psychologist - Cancer Psychology Service

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

A unique opportunity has arisen for a Practitioner Psychologist to join the Cancer Psychology Service as part of University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust.

The Cancer Psychology Service works with patients receiving cancer care across UHB offering an integrated service into a large specialty. The service is currently prioritising patients with the highest level of need whilst we continue to seek expansion to meet the level of demand. In addition to contributing to the clinical service, the postholder will have the opportunity to contribute to scoping of needs and business case development to support the advancement of the service. The postholder will be working under an 8C Cancer lead.

The applicant will ideally have experience of working in cancer care and physical health settings (particularly acute medical settings), but our principal aim is to recruit a psychologist with the right passion and skills to support the development and delivery of a gold-standard service.

There are large regional and national networks of psychologists working in cancer care and you will be well supported and connected in this regard. You will also be a valued colleague in our Clinical Health Psychology Service and the Psychological Professionals workforce at Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Main duties of the job

You will need to be able to demonstrate a highly developed understanding of the psychological aspects of cancer care and how this may interact with pre-existing vulnerabilities and mental health.

In addition to patient-facing work (across a range of modalities/settings), you will be working closely with doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals to provide high-quality care, and you will need strong skills in consultation, supervision, and teaching as part of our multidisciplinary teamwork.

Our mission is to provide excellent psychological care and support for patients and staff, which is compassionate, inclusive, and committed. If you thrive on challenge, creativity, and a dynamic and supportive work environment, in which psychological thinking is highly valued in the wider multi-disciplinary teams, along with the opportunity to shape the future of the service, this is the job for you.

This is a 37.5 hours per week post and our preference would be for a single postholder, but we would consider job-shares if practical.

About us

Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing, and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.

Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive, and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people's lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.

Job responsibilities

For further information about the main responsibilities, please view the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Training and Qualifications

• Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling/Health Psychology. The completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies, and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Registered as a Clinical/Counselling/Health Psychologist with the Health and Care Professionals Council.
• Post-doctoral training in two or more highly specialist areas of psychological practice that are relevant in a Clinical Health Psychology setting.
• Significant management and or leadership training.

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience, knowledge, and skills in working with people with physical health conditions.
• An understanding of the specific needs and difficulties of people within the speciality the post is based with.
• Substantial post-qualification experience of working with a variety of client groups of working age with wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.
• Relevant post-qualification experience, and formal training in supervision, enabling the post holder to independently supervise clinical psychology trainees in accordance with relevant criteria adopted by local University Clinical/Counselling Psychology Training Course criteria.
• Experience of teaching, training, and/or supervision.
• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
• Experience of working in acute physical health settings and particularly life-limiting illness (if relevant to the post).
• Experience of adapting psychological therapy to physical health conditions and settings.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of service development and quality improvement.

Skills

• Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups.
• In-depth knowledge of clinical governance and clinical risk management.
• Evidence of continuing professional development consistent with expected standards of the HCPC and the British Psychological Society and relevant subdivisions (Division of Clinical Psychology, Division of Counselling Psychology, etc.) and other relevant professional bodies.
• Highly developed skills, commensurate with doctoral level training and/or post qualification training and experience, in the formulation of highly complex problems from a psychological perspective and in the implementation of highly specialist psychological therapies, interventions, and management techniques that are appropriate for use with highly complex presenting problems. Able to deliver established/evidenced based psychological therapy to fidelity.
• Experience of effective redesign and improvement methodologies.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Acting Lead for Clinical Health Psychology

£62,215 to £72,293 a year, per annum, pro rata