Cluster Psychologist

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Lancaster

On-site

GBP 49,000 - 75,000

Part time

7 days ago

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Job summary

Practice Plus Group is seeking a Cluster Psychologist to lead high-level psychological assessments and oversee trauma-informed care across a cluster of prisons in the North West. The role includes clinical supervision, policy development, and regional service improvement.

You'll work with multidisciplinary teams to deliver complex interventions, ensure NICE-aligned practice, and provide reflective supervision to mitigate staff secondary trauma while coordinating with regional leadership to

Qualifications

Qualified clinical, counselling or forensic psychologist
Postgraduate training in at least one mode of psychological therapy
Experience delivering evidence-based psychological interventions to adults
Experience in forensic mental health settings
Knowledge of governance, NICE guidelines and clinical risk management

Responsibilities

Provide highly specialist psychological assessments using complex data
Lead training and supervision for prison healthcare staff
Develop and implement trauma-informed psychological therapies across the cluster
Oversee psychology services across multiple sites and monitor service targets
Engage in CPD, research, audits and policy development

Skills

Clinical assessment

Leadership

Training & supervision

Trauma-informed care

Policy & service development

Education

Doctoral degree in Psychology

HCPC registered psychologist

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Cluster Psychologist to join our integrated Mental Health team in the North West region. This role will be based at HMP Lancaster Farms a category C prison based in Lancaster, and will also oversee the services at HMP Preston a category B prison, and HMP Kirkham a category D prison. The sites are based a short drive from the Lake District, and are close to the M6 for commuters. Within this role you will work collaboratively with the Integrated Mental Health teams on each site developing the psychological services, including data and performance reporting, clinical supervision and delivering clinical assessments and sessions for patients. Hours 9am-5pm, we are flexible regarding which 3 days Monday-Friday this role will be worked., As a Cluster Psychologist, your responsibilities will vary. You will:

Provide highly specialist psychological assessment of patients based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data
Contribute to proposals and implementation of policy and service development changes in relation to psychology and psychological therapies;
Advise the Mental Health lead and/or Heads of Healthcare on those aspects of the service where psychological matters need addressing in line with best practice and service objectives;
Provide training and supervision for members of the service (healthcare and prison) in the delivery of psychologically, trauma informed care and treatment;
Be responsible for planning, delivery and clinical supervision of a specialist psychology training placement for trainees on the postgraduate doctoral courses in clinical/counselling and/ or forensic psychology;
Attend regional and national Psychological Therapies meetings, service development and other relevant meetings
Be aware of, adhere to, and where appropriate, contribute to the formulation and review of Practice Plus Group policies and procedures;

It doesn't stop there we also offer:

Discounts on shopping and leisure activities
Support to grow in your role and continue your professional development
24/7 employee assistance helpline and financial assistance when you need it,

The Cluster Psychologist will oversee psychological services across a cluster of more than two prisons and/or IRCs, focusing on providing clinical oversight and supporting the integration of trauma-informed practices within each facility. With a minimum of five years of experience, this role will involve leadership in the delivery of psychological therapies that align with the Practice Plus Group's service model, ensuring high-quality, evidence-based interventions are provided in accordance with NICE guidelines. By working closely with multidisciplinary teams and overseeing the work of the qualified psychologists, the Cluster Psychologist will ensure the delivery of high-quality mental health care, lead the development, support the implementation and evaluation of trauma informed and evidence-based treatment programs in line with the Psychological Therapies Services (PTS) model, and contribute to the formulation of policies and practices that promote psychological wellbeing. The Cluster Psychologist will monitor service targets and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of psychological inputs, while also delivering clinical interventions for complex patients and facilitating complex case discussions within the teams. Additionally, the role will include offering reflective practice sessions to help mitigate the effects of secondary trauma among staff. By fostering strong collaboration with prison and community stakeholders, the Cluster Psychologist will support rehabilitation efforts and empower individuals in secure settings to address and minimize the impact of trauma. This position will involve close work with regional and national senior leadership colleagues to review and enhance service quality, driving improvements in psychological service delivery across the cluster.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical - To provide highly specialist psychological assessment of patients 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 patients, family members (when appropriate) and others involved in the patients care. To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to patients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan; To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models, and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses; engage in structured and dynamic risk assessments; To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking in to account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors including historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group; To contribute directly and indirectly to a trauma informed, psychologically-based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, promoting the psychological mindedness of staff; To contribute a psychosocial, trauma informed perspective within the multidisciplinary team including for those patients not directly on the psychologists caseload and attend individual patient reviews and risk management meetings where appropriate; To attend ACCT reviews and segregation reviews in the prison as appropriate and to offer psychological opinion about management and appropriate referrals in that context and, offer psychological understanding into CSIP plans to support management of patients within the wing by prison staff; To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, highly complex/sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans to the patient, appropriate professional colleagues and to family members, as appropriate, and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of multi-disciplinary discussions; To be able to complete and interpret formal psychometric assessments; To maintain accurate clinical records and keep the PTS dashboard up to date with outcomes data for patient/service and staff outcomes; To contribute to the development of specialized individual treatment plans or packages of care for patients with complex psychological problems and who may present a risk of harm to themselves or others; To be able to manage the emotional impact of working, often one-to-one, with people who can be in crisis, who can show high levels of arousal and can be actively self-harming or suicidal; To work jointly with other psychologists/therapists, to plan and hand over the psychological assessment and treatments of patients that may continue after either transfer to other prisons or released in the community or other recovery-based settings. In liaison with Mental Leads and/or Heads of Healthcare and the National head of Psychological Therapies, identify opportunities for and conduct service development projects in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team; Participate in and contribute to CPD and peer supervision within the wider healthcare team; Active engagement in appropriate practice supervision.

TEACHING, TRAINING AND SUPERVISION

To receive regular clinical supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor, in accordance with the BPS and the HCPC guidelines and, where appropriate, from other senior professional colleagues and, to supervise junior psychology colleagues and other therapists and MDT colleagues as appropriate; To provide training and supervision for members of the service (healthcare and prison) in the delivery of psychologically, trauma informed care and treatment; To provide specialist advice and consultation and training to members of other disciplines within the teams and to non-psychology manager of the teams on psychological understanding, interventions and evaluations; To develop and deliver teaching as appropriate for members of staff from other disciplines; Responsible for planning, delivery and clinical supervision of a specialist psychology training placement for trainees on the postgraduate doctoral courses in clinical/counselling and/ or forensic psychology; To develop further post-qualification experience in psychology over and above that provided through training by engaging in a clearly planned CPD programme in accordance with British Psychological Society guidance and in line with service model and needs; To contribute to peer psychology supervision sessions.

MANAGEMENT, RECRUITMENT, POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

To plan and supervise the work of undergraduate psychology students, and trainee psychologists and be responsible for their support in their placements; To contribute to proposals and implementation of policy and service development changes in relation to psychology and psychological therapies; To advise the Mental Health lead and/or Heads of Healthcare on those aspects of the service where psychological matters need addressing in line with best practice and service objectives; Responsible for contributing to the planning, organizing, auditing and developing of policy strategies for the delivery of the psychological therapies service; To contribute to proposals for and implementation of policy and service development changes in relation to psychology and psychological therapies within the service; To take responsibility for representation of the profession at appropriate service development and governance meetings as agreed with their Line Manager and in line with Personal and Professional Development Plans (PDPs); To contribute to recruitment shortlisting and interviewing as appropriate across the service;

RESEARCH, SERVICE EVALUATION & AUDIT

To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual/ group work and work with other team members; To undertake project management, including complex audit, research and service evaluation projects, with colleagues within the service, to help develop service provision; To prepare and present information from audits, evaluations and research to professional audiences within and outside the Organisation; To prepare papers for publication based on audit, evaluation, research and development work; To utilise theory, evidence based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

PROFESSIONAL

To attend regional and national Psychological Therapies meetings, service development and other relevant meetings regularly; To adhere to professional/accrediting body codes of conduct, policies and procedures (e.g. HCPC, BABCP, BPS); To be aware of, adhere to, and where appropriate, contribute to the formulation and review of Practice Plus Group policies and procedures; To maintain and develop high standards of psychology/psychological therapy practice by engaging in continuing professional development and co-operative working/networking with therapists, clinical, counselling and forensic psychologist colleagues; To receive regular line management supervision by the Head of Healthcare; To participate in the organisations annual performance review and personal development planning process with the clinical supervisor and line manager; To keep up to date with legislation, national directives, policies and NICE guidelines in relation to the work delivered.

OTHER

Job descriptions should be reviewed at least annually at the appraisal meeting.

QUALIFICATIONS

Qualified clinical, counselling or forensic psychologist and registered with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist
Qualified clinical, counselling or forensic psychologist and registered with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist;
Postgraduate qualification/training in at least one specific mode of psychological therapy relevant to people with severe and long standing mental health difficulties eg: CBT, Systemic /family therapy, Mindfulness based therapies, CAT, DBT, Mentalisation, Schema Therapy
Experience of providing evidence based psychological interventions to adults with a range of mental health problems;
Experience of working with mental health forensic populations;
Working knowledge of clinical governance, including relevant approaches and tools;
Experience of providing evidence based psychological interventions to adults with a range of mental health problems;
Experience of working with mental health forensic populations;
Experience of working in multidisciplinary teams and supporting psychologically, trauma informed practice;
Evidence of engaging in continuing professional development;
Experience carrying out research, audit and evaluation, Postgraduate qualification/training in at least one specific mode of psychological therapy relevant to people with severe and long standing mental health difficulties eg: CBT, Systemic /family therapy, Mindfulness based therapies, CAT, DBT, Mentalisation, Schema Therapy, Critical awareness of a range of psychological models applicable to delivering psychological approaches across prisons and/or IRCs .
A working knowledge of current good practice and recent government policies relating to health services and professional guidelines;
Knowledge of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice in prison mental health / psychological services.
Working knowledge of clinical governance, including relevant approaches and tools;
Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including data analysis.