Lead Counsellor for Adult Counselling and Patient Support Services

Moorfields Eye Hospital, London; London; Hybrid; GBP 61,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking healthcare organization as a Lead Counsellor in Adult Counselling and Patient Support Services. This pivotal role involves leading a team to deliver exceptional counselling for adults facing lifelong ophthalmic conditions. You'll be instrumental in shaping the integrated patient support services strategy, ensuring holistic care and wellbeing for patients. With a commitment to excellence, equity, and kindness, this role offers a chance to make a significant impact in a dynamic and innovative environment. If you're passionate about patient support and have the leadership skills to guide a team, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

NHS Pension Scheme

Free 24/7 Independent Counselling Service

Learning and Development Opportunities

Free Pilates Classes

Flexible Working Options

Access to NHS Discount Schemes

Attractive Benefits and Discounts

Qualifications

• BACP accredited with a degree in counselling or psychotherapy.
• Proven leadership and communication skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead the adult counselling service and manage other counsellors.
• Provide individual counselling and emotional support to patients.

Skills

Leadership Skills

Communication Skills

Counselling Skills

Negotiation Skills

Audit and Research Application

Education

BACP accredited/registered

Degree in Counselling/Psychotherapy

Recognised qualification in Ophthalmology

Job description

We have vacancies in the following sectors

If you want to be part delivering world-class eye health services and you share our values: excellence, equity, and kindness, then we would love to hear from you!

Lead Counsellor for Adult Counselling and Patient Support Services

Band 8a

Main area: Counselling
Grade: Band 8a
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Some agile/hybrid working from home)
Job ref: 273-DC-6864097

Site: City Road, London
Salary: £61,927 - £68,676 Per Annum, Inclusive of HCAS
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 19/01/2025 23:59

Moorfields - A global leader in Ophthalmology

We are Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Founded in 1804, Moorfields Eye Hospital is a world-class centre of excellence for eye health services, ophthalmic research, and education.

With more than 2,300 staff, we are proud to be supported by one of the most diverse workforces in the NHS. Every year we treat more than 700,000 patients at City Road in central London and at our 22 satellite sites, and, in partnership with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, we lead one of the most impactful ophthalmic research programmes in the world.

This is an exciting time to join Moorfields. The pandemic fast-tracked a huge amount of innovation which is changing the way we work and deliver care. Construction is underway on Oriel, our new eye care, research, and education centre being built in Camden. The new centre will be flexible and modern, enabling us to bring together healthcare, eye research, and education under one roof for the first time.

Job overview

This is a very exciting opportunity to join the team at Moorfields as we continue to develop our integrated patient support services strategy to shape how we deliver holistic care and wellbeing to our patients. Our core purpose is People's Sight Matters, driven by our values of Excellence, Equity, and Kindness.

The role of lead counsellor for the adult counselling service will be an integral leadership role not only in the provision of specialist counselling for adults with lifelong ophthalmic conditions and sight loss but also in leading the implementation of the strategy across the services that work together to support the psychological wellbeing of our patients.

Main duties of the job

1. To lead on the provision of the adult Counselling service as a key member of the Integrated support services.
2. Provide line management to other counsellors/staff members within the service ensuring team members are supported and developed in their roles.
3. Lead the wider development of the patient support services.
4. Promote the service by working with the multidisciplinary team to identify appropriate patients/clients requiring counselling and support.
5. Case manage and provide patients/clients and their families with individual counselling and emotional support according to their individual needs and requirements.
6. Collaborate on new innovations and developments to provide excellence in care and experience for our patients.
7. Develop a learning environment in the service to provide clinical placements for developing counsellors.

Working for our organisation

At Moorfields, we provide more than just an excellent career and great colleagues to work with. We also offer:

• Salary including High-Cost Area Supplement
• Opportunity to join the NHS Pension Scheme
• Free 24/7 independent counselling service
• Learning and development opportunities
• Easy and quick transport links
• A range of attractive benefits and discounts
• Access to Blue Light Card and other NHS Discount Schemes
• Free Pilates classes
• Full support and training to develop your skills
• Flexible working friendly organisation

And so much more! To see the full range of benefits we offer please see our Moorfields benefits document.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

1. Case manage and provide ongoing counselling to patients, and support for patients in matters regarding their treatment options and choices.
2. Provide counselling for patients with ocular cancers, life-threatening conditions, and facial disfiguring/sight-threatening conditions in line with current local and national policy initiatives.

Safety and Quality

1. Lead on the development and implementation/maintenance of BACP Organisational accreditation to develop a learning environment for clinical placements for developing counsellors.
2. Ensure that the service continues to develop utilising key data including but not limited to:
   • Patient experience
   • Patient outcomes
   • Capacity and demand for the service

Leadership / Professionalism and Integrity / Teamwork

1. Represent and promote Moorfield’s world-class values of Excellence, Equity, and Kindness.
2. Adhere to the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) or UK Council of Psychotherapy (UKCP) guideline requirements on training by attending relevant training and courses.

Communication

1. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of people across the organisation and externally.
2. Use complex negotiation skills with a wide range of people to support positive outcomes when introducing new developments and improving existing ones.
3. Utilise a range of communication skills to explain strategy and organisational decisions to all staff working within the Trust.

Person specification

Qualifications

• BACP accredited/registered
• Degree level qualification in counselling/psychotherapy
• Recognised qualification in ophthalmology or equivalent experience.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working in the NHS
• Demonstrable post-qualification experience as a counsellor or psychotherapist
• Experience of business planning including utilising capacity and demand modelling

Skills

• Proven leadership and communication skills both oral and written including ability to communicate with a wide range of organisations and individuals
• Experience of undertaking and contributing to audits and applying research to practice

Due to the nature of this position, employment is subject to proof of eligibility to work in the UK, completion of a satisfactory DBS disclosure and two references. We do not offer visa sponsorship for roles unless clearly stated in our adverts, so please consider this before applying.

Our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion is at the heart of our organisational culture. As part of our pledge to take positive action in recruitment, we encourage applications from under-represented candidates including BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) and Disabled candidates as we work towards a representative workforce that is able to provide quality, dignity, and respect and to deliver above and beyond.

Moorfields is a flexible working friendly organisation, and we are committed to helping our employees achieve a work-life balance that is beneficial for health and wellbeing, motivation levels, and job satisfaction. Every employee of the Trust has the right to request to work flexibly. Please speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

If we receive sufficient applications, we will close this ad prior to the closing date. You are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.

If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying or would like an accessible version of any recruitment documents, please contact the recruitment team at [e-mail].

https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/work-for-us

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.