Lead Practitioner Psychologist in Cancer and Palliative Care

London North West Healthcare NHS Trust; Southall; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Lead Practitioner Psychologist to join their dynamic team in Cancer and Palliative Care. This role offers a unique opportunity to blend hospice and oncology work, allowing for professional growth in leadership and clinical practice. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality psychological services, working closely with a diverse patient population. Join a supportive environment that values teamwork and innovation, where your contributions will significantly impact patient care and the development of future clinicians. If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of patients and families, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical or Counselling Psychology.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.

Responsibilities

• Develop and coordinate psychological services for hospice and cancer services.
• Provide highly specialist clinical input across palliative care and cancer services.

Skills

Psychological Assessment

Clinical Supervision

Leadership Skills

Palliative Care

Oncology Knowledge

Multidisciplinary Teamwork

Education

Doctoral Level Training in Clinical Psychology

Masters in Health Psychology

Job description

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Lead Practitioner Psychologist in Cancer and Palliative Care

Band 8b

Main area Practitioner Psychologist Grade Band 8b Contract Permanent Hours 22.5 hours per week (Part time - 22.5 hours per week (0.60 FTE)) Job ref 337-NP-8728DG

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) cares for the people of Brent, Ealing, Harrow and beyond.

Our team of more than 8,200 clinical and support staff serve a diverse population of almost one million people.

• Northwick Park Hospital: home to one of the busiest emergency departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including the country’s top-rated hyper-acute stroke unit and one of only three hyper-acute rehabilitation units in the UK.
• St Mark’s Hospital: an internationally renowned specialist centre for bowel disease.
• Ealing Hospital: a busy district general hospital providing a range of clinical services, as well as 24/7 emergency department and urgent care centre, and specialist care at Meadow House Hospice.
• Central Middlesex Hospital: our planned care site, hosting a range of surgical and outpatient services and collocated with an urgent care centre.

We are a university teaching NHS trust, in recognition of the important role we play in training clinicians of the future and bringing the benefits of research to the public.

Find out more about our Trust and why you should join us#WeAreLNWH

Our vision at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust is to put “Quality at our HEART”. Find out more about our ambitious strategy.

We are clear that our vision can only be achieved by our staff, who are our most valuable asset.

Our vision is driven by our HEART values and behaviours which were developed together with our staff.

• H onesty
• A ccountability
• T eamwork

These values describe how we interact with each other and our patients and must underpin everything we do to achieve our vision.

LNWUH is a flexible working friendly organisation, we want you to be able to work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Please speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s job share, part time or another flexible pattern. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Job overview

This role offers a rare and exciting opportunity to combine an interest in both hospice and broader oncology work, across a single hospital site.

It will suit someone with good experience in cancer / palliative care, and a desire to further develop their leadership skills.

The successful applicant will join the Macmillan Psycho-oncology Service, deputise for the consultant psychologist and provide leadership for Ealing services: Ealing Hospital and Meadow House Hospice.

The role is integrated into the wider Psycho-oncology Service and receives additional support from the very active clinical health psychology network.

Direct clinical work will include outpatient oncology clinics within the main hospital, and within the hospice, psychological services work with both patients and families.

This is a highly stimulating area of work, enhanced by the cultural diversity of the population we serve. Colleagues within hospice and cancer services are friendly and demonstrate a persistent commitment to delivering high quality care.

Informal enquiries or visits are very welcome. Please contact Dr Mark Barrington, Head of Psychological Services, on 07946 621 218 or email: [e-mail]

Main duties of the job

• Develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of psychological services to Meadow House Hospice and cancer services at Ealing Hospital.
• Personally provide highly specialist clinical input across palliative care/cancer services at Ealing hospital (including highly specialist assessment, treatment planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes).
• As required, deputise for the Consultant Practitioner Psychologist and contribute to management/leadership/provision of MPoS.
• Initiate and collaborate in service evaluation, audit and research.
• Provide clinical supervision, consultation and training.
• Ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychological specialists within MPoS.
• Provide line management to less senior psychological specialists.
• Work as an autonomous professional within the guidelines and policies of the BPS, HCPC and LNWH, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
• Undertake policy development in collaboration with other senior clinical/operational colleagues.

Working for our organisation

LNWH provides cancer services to the London boroughs of Harrow, Brent and Ealing across three hospital sites, Northwick Park, Ealing Hospital Central Middlesex (including St Mark’s Hospital). The Trust provides surgical and chemotherapy services, including specialist treatment for Head and Neck and Complex Colorectal Cancer under St Marks Hospital. We have links closely with the local and regional cancer centres for radiotherapy and other specialist services.

Meadow House Hospice situated alongside Ealing Hospital, provides specialist palliative and end of life care for patients with life limiting illness who live in the boroughs of Ealing or Hounslow.

The Macmillan Psycho-oncology Service (MPoS), operates within a model of stepped care and is therefore well integrated into the wider staff team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To view the main responsibility, please see the attached the Job Description and Person Specification.

Person specification

• 1. Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical or Counselling Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS. Eligible for BPS Chartered Psychology Status and registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• 2. Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS and HCPC.
• 3. Registered with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist.
• 4. Completion of formal training in clinical supervision.
• Masters or other post graduate training in health psychology or models of psychological therapy relevant to the health setting.

Knowledge and experience

• Advanced knowledge of complex methods of psychological assessment including the theory, evidence base and application of psychological approaches and interventions for people with physical health conditions including cancer and under palliative care.
• Highly-developed knowledge in approaches to consultation provided to multidisciplinary services and other professional/non-professional groups.
• Well-developed knowledge of the use clinical governance to support and maintain good clinical practice.
• Well-developed knowledge of the needs of individuals from diverse social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and experience of applying clinical health psychology within this context.
• Substantial experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist within a multidisciplinary team with adults presenting with physical health problems, presenting problems that reflect the whole life span, full range of clinical severity and full range of care settings including inpatient, outpatient, community, and residential care settings.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership skills in relation to exercising clinical responsibility for service users psychological care and treatment and for professional actions within the roles of clinical psychologist, keyworker/care co-ordinator and within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Compassionate, flexible, sensitive and committed with an enthusiasm for multi-disciplinary working and a thoughtful approach to developing psychological services within this context.
• Experience of developing and facilitating staff teaching and training for psychologists, the wider multidisciplinary service. Experience of representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care and actively working to promote effective team working. Experience of representing psychology within the wider organisation.

HEART values

• Demonstrate commitment to Trust HEART values: honesty, equity, accountability, respect, and teamwork.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We promote the wellbeing and safety of all our patients and carers by acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively and sharing information appropriately, according to the standards determined by our policy and procedures. All posts working with vulnerable groups will be subject to an enhanced criminal records check upon appointment and staff will need to give their consent for the Trust to receive regular updates on their criminal records status throughout their employment.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive for certain posts, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. After the closing date we strongly advise you check the email account which is registered. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Our employment checking processes require that all shortlisted applicants provide the contact details of their current HR Department. If shortlisted you will be sent an email reminder to present the contact details of your HR Department at the interview.

Please note the Trust uses identity checking software for verifying the authenticity of identity documents provided by candidates.

As part of our commitment to the Equality and Diversity at LNWUH, we are encouraging applications from BME (Black, Minority Ethnic) candidates as we seek to ensure our workforce structures are representative of the diversity of the communities we serve.

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.