Registered Practitioner Psychologist

North West Borough Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Multidisciplinary team

Job summary

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Clinical Psychologist to join the Adult Autism Assessment Service. You will contribute to high-quality, neuroaffirming, person-centred assessments and formulations for adults seeking autism evaluation, working within a dedicated multidisciplinary team.

The role includes risk assessment, complex case management, and providing specialist consultation, with opportunities for teaching, supervision and service development within the CYP &

Qualifications

• Doctoral level training in psychology with HCPC registration or eligibility.
• Experience in specialist psychological assessment across care settings.
• Strong skills in formulation and risk assessment for complex cases.
• Ability to deliver supervision and training to other staff.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessment and formulation for adults with autism.
• Develop and implement treatment plans based on evidence and clinical frameworks.
• Offer consultation and support to multidisciplinary colleagues on risk and care planning.
• Contribute to service development, teaching, and CPD activities.

Skills

Complex assessment

Formulation

Risk assessment

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Doctoral level training (HCPC)

HCPC registration eligible

Job description

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.

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Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Adult Autism Assessment Service for an experienced Clinical Psychologist to join our multidisciplinary team.

We are seeking a motivated and compassionate psychologist committed to improving outcomes for adults seeking an autism assessment through high-quality, neuroaffirming, person-centred practice.

Working within a dedicated multidisciplinary team, you will play a key role in the assessment and diagnosis of Autism in adults.

You will undertake comprehensive assessments integrate information from multiple sources and develop formulations that reflect individuals strengths, needs and life experiences.

You will lead and contribute to complex assessments where neurodiversity co-occurs with mental health difficulties, trauma, learning disability, physical health conditions or other neurodevelopmental differences.

The role includes providing specialist consultation on complex high-risk cases.

You will contribute to multidisciplinary decision-making, communicating outcomes sensitively to individuals, families, carers and professionals, while providing personalised recommendations.

The post holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and Trust policies, supporting service development, quality improvement and the promotion of neuroaffirmative practice.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to a positive, inclusive and supportive team culture.

Main duties of the job

To provide a specialist applied psychology service ensuring the systematic provision of highly specialised psychological services within the designated clinical service.

This includes the provision of specialist psychological assessment, formulation, offering advice and consultation on service users' psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues and other non-professional carers.

To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the CYP & Wellbeing division policies and procedures. To utilise research skills for audit, policy, service development and research within the CYP & Wellbeing division.

Working for our organisation

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

To provide specialist psychological assessment of service users based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources. This may include psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the service user's care.

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a service user's psychological problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the service user's problems, employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

To increasingly exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, and discharge of service users whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans.

To develop specialist psychological interventions, integrated into a multidisciplinary effective care coordination process.

To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to service users' formulation, diagnosis and treatment plans, including risk formulation and risk management

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all service users.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual service users and to provide advice, both general and specialist, to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of service users under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni and multidisciplinary care.

Teaching, Training and Supervision

To engage with regular supervision and management from senior professional colleagues.

To continue to gain wider post qualification experience relevant to the clinical role in line with HCPC and BPS requirements.

To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching and training and to provide supervision to other staff's psychological work, e.g., staff from other designations, as appropriate.

Management, Recruitment and Service Development

To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the psychology team's and wider Trust operational policies and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit as requested by the service lead.

To advise both psychology and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or Organisational matters need addressing as appropriate and requested by the service lead.

Research and Service Evaluation

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

To undertake appropriate research as agreed with the line manager and provide research advice to other team colleagues.

To undertake as appropriate, project management, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within the service to develop service provision.

General

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holder's line manager, in line with the priorities of the service and PACE objectives, and to provide evidence of CPD undertaken, e.g., in the form of the CPD log book.

To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service by continuing to develop the skills of a reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal, and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the fields of clinical psychology and related disciplines relevant to the service area.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record-keeping, including electronic data

Entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.

To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to the specific client group.

To perform other duties of a similar kind appropriate to the grade which may be required by the line manager or head of service.

The post holder will be expected to make full use of IT packages available within the work area, e.g., Microsoft Office, Email, Internet and statistical packages.

Responsibilities for all staff:

All post holders will agree to:

• Commit to the vision of supporting Mersey Care in becoming a leading organisation in the provision of community services, mental health care and learning disability care.
• Role model the values of the Trust - Continuous Improvement, Accountability, Respectfulness, Enthusiasm, and Support - in all activities and interactions.
• Challenge the stigma associated with mental health and learning disabilities.
• Comply with the Duty of Candour, working across professional and organisational boundaries to improve services.
• Uphold and protect the reputation of the Trust both inside and outside of work, ensuring that actions and behaviours reflect the values and standards of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust at all times.
• Value the contribution of the patient and service user's voice, as well as the views of families and carers.
• Maintain their specific knowledge base and develop new skills.
• Observe statutory duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of adults and children.
• Actively participate in creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels equally valued, respected and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives.
• Commit to Mersey Care's mission of being an actively anti-racist health care provider and employer.
• Take responsibility for the accurate and timely collection and recording of data.
• Operate within organisational codes of practice, comply with all health and safety legislation, organisational policies and operating procedures.
• Understand and embrace the role of digital technology in the workplace.
• Comply with the NHS Constitution in relation to staff responsibilities.
• Support the creation of a positive environment and Restorative Just and Learning Culture, participate in related events, share concerns about safety and quality, and speak up against incivility while taking a collaborative approach to improve civility and respect.

Person specification

Qualifications:

Essential criteria

• Doctoral level training (or equivalent) in a professional area of psychology conferring HCPC registration as a practitioner psychologist.
• Registered or eligible for registration with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist.

Desirable criteria

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Experience:

Essential criteria

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of service users across a range of care settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of service user groups, presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
• Experience of maintaining a highdegree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse and utilising supervision systems to manage the impact of this.

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience working with autistic People.
• Experience of teaching and training.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Knowledge:

Essential criteria

• Research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the applied fields of psychology.

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups relevant to the service in which the post is based.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the service user group

Skills:

Essential criteria

• Well developed skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, incorporating a range of methodologies, e.g., clinical interview, psychometrics, structured clinical tools.
• Well developed intervention skills. Including at least one modality- specific clinical training to a high standard.
• Ability to assimilate complex information from a range of sources to complete psychological formulation and clinical risk assessment in order to develop effective treatment plans for service users with complex needs.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively engage service users who may present with significant clinical obstacles to engagement.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain clear and appropriate personal and professional boundaries and to recognise own limitations.
• Well -developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Demonstrated skills in providing consultation to other professional and non - professional groups.
• Knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practised within the field of applied psychology
• Ability to sit in a constrained position when working with service users.
• Ability to sustain intense levels of concentration responding and participating as required.
• Ability to self -reflect and use clinical supervision appropriately.
• Ability to cope and deal with highly distressing emotional circumstances.
• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi -media.