Job summary
- Main area
- Psychologist
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- 18 months (Fixed term until March 2026)
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-6643668-A
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Croydon Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Service
- Town
- Croydon
- Salary
- £59,490 - £66,239 per annum inclusive of HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/03/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Clinical / Counselling Psychologist / Psychotherapist / Therapist
NHS AfC: Band 8a
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has become available for an enthusiastic and experienced Highly Specialist Psychological Practitioner to join the Multi-Disciplinary Team in a newly created role with the Croydon Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Service. The service operates from a Community Centre on Whitehorse Road and at Croydon University Hospital.
Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia are red blood cell diseases which are passed from parent to child through genes. People affected mainly come from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, Mediterranean countries, Eastern Europe and the Middle and Far East. When one unusual gene is passed on it is a healthy carrier state. When two unusual genes are passed on the individual can have chronic and life-threatening problems.
The Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Service offers fully integrated dedicated care for patients with haemoglobinopathies. Specialist Nurses, Consultant Haematologists and other Medical Staffing offer advice and support in the sickle cell clinics at Croydon University Hospital as well as at the Community Centre. The unique set up of the service to include community and hospital-based care provides excellent continuity of care.
Main duties of the job
· To provide a specialist psychological service and interventions according to discipline to adults with sickle cell disease or thalassaemia including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes, as well neuropsychological assessment if within the post holder's competencies
· To hold a focus on the identification and treatment of psychological issues which have negative impact on symptoms, adherence to treatment plans, and on more general physical and psychological well-being.
· To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
· To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist.
· To promote service evaluation, audit and research.
· To provide support to junior colleagues.
· o agree outcomes/results with operation/clinical/professional leads and to decide how they are best achieved.
· To be active in the provision of staff support within their area, including but not limited to Critical Incident Staff Support and Reflect-Support-Resolve. To participate, as a recipient, in staff support work when appropriate.
Working for our organisation
The Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre offers screening, advice on current treatments and counselling for affected individuals, their families and carers. There is a special group for parents of newly diagnosed babies and antenatal counselling for women at risk of having a child with sickle cell disease and Beta Thalassaemia. The Centre also offers home visits, a drop-in service for advice from nursing staff, welfare and benefits advice, education and training support, public awareness of sickle cell and thalassaemia.
The Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Community Centre works closely together with the local voluntary Croydon Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Support Group. It also works closely with the paediatric team based at Kings College London.
Croydon University Hospital is a specialist care centre for haemoglobinopathies and operates under the umbrella of the South Thames Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Network. The services offer full outpatient, emergency and inpatient care for patients with Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassaemia. Outpatient services include full Annual Reviews, Hydroxycarbamide treatment and TCD clinics. Pathways are available within the network for automated exchange blood transfusions and iron overload monitoring and treatment. All patients have access to the network’s multidisciplinary team approach.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The available guidelines recommend the following considerations for the role of a psychologist in adult sickle cell services. Psychological interventions are advised to be offered as standard care and as an adjunctive to medical treatment and nursing care in both hospital and community-based settings:
- Provision of psychological assessments when indicated or at least annually,
and including an evaluation of subjective estimates and objective measure of emotional well-being and pain; physical and social function i.e. participation/non-participation or reduction in activities e.g. work, social (subjective estimates and objective measures); coping strategies and sources of support.
- Use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy including ongoing one-to-one work and group work.
- Neuropsychological assessment and management:
- Neuropsychological evaluation can establish the extent of cognitive damage, map this over time and offer treatment strategies.
- Support for patients who had an overt or silent stroke.
- Support for those without magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of disease - cognitive impairments have been highlighted in adults with sickle cell disorder who have normal MRIs, suggesting the importance of neuropsychological assessments (Rawle et al., 2015; Vichinsky et al., 2010).
- Consideration of comorbidity with other health or mental health conditions as well as neurodevelopmental difficulties or neurodiversity i.e. Autistic Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Disorder of Intellectual Development, Developmental Delay.
- Pain management interventions.
- Interventions to help people build resilience and to enhance coping strategies.
- Interventions to develop ways to manage symptoms such as anxiety, depression and anger.
- Support for individuals to be able to engage in valued activity and roles and improve their quality of life.
- Support for patients seeking health-related behavioural change such as quitting smoking.
- Identification of severe mental health issues and referral to secondary mental health services.
- Psychological support fort patient and carer support groups.
· Community workshops/education/teaching and liaison with third sector and other community organisations.
· Offering support to multidisciplinary teams including:
-
- Training
- Consultation
- Reflective Practice
- Supervision
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- • To have undertaken a recognised qualification in one of the core mental health professions, e.g. psychiatric nursing, clinical psychology, medicine, social work and occupational therapy OR to have equivalent relevant experience and demonstrable competence to work in the mental health field in the NHS.
- • Entry-level qualification in applied psychological therapy/mental health/social welfare profession or equivalent and demonstrable practice in this field (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level/supervised practice/additional training) that has been accepted for the purposes of professional registration.
- • Additional training beyond entry-level qualification in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses and/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice–based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by a registered body and/or an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher.
- • Completed training course in clinical supervision and/or accredited to supervised qualified psychological practitioners in relevant discipline.
- • Registered with professional body as appropriate to discipline HCPC/APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP/ADMP-UK.
Desirable criteria
- • Specialist training/CPD in Sickle Cell Disorder.
- • Specialist training / CPD in Physical Health Conditions.
Experience
Essential criteria
- • Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision.
- • Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature.
- • Experience of supervising assistants and trainees having completed the relevant training.
- • Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
- • Experience of carrying out post-qualification research, audit or service evaluation projects.
Desirable criteria
- • Experience in working within the Sickle Cell field / a Physical Health Conditions role.
- • Experience of working with an adult age population in relation to the above.
- • Research experience in relation to the above.
- • Relevant lived experience in relation to sickle cell disorder and/or other physical health conditions.
- • Experience of cognitive/neurological assessments and report writing.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- • Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
- • Advanced knowledge of the theory of psychological therapy and it’s therapeutic application. Associated awareness of assessment and clinical psychometrics.
- • Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
- • Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
- • To deliver psychological/psychotherapeutic therapy across cultural and other differences.
Desirable criteria
- • Knowledge of the Sickle Cell field.
- • Knowledge of the psychological application to Physical Health Conditions.
- • Knowledge of the Croydon Borough.
Skills
Essential criteria
- • To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
- • To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers (and for meetings such as CPA and case reviews where appropriate).
- • To plan allocation of tasks to assistants/trainees as appropriates.
- • Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.
- • Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.
Desirable criteria
- • The administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
Abilities
Essential criteria
- • The administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials.
- • Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
- • Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
- • Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
- • Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour.
Desirable criteria
- • Valid driving licence
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Clark Davison
- Job title
- Head of Psychology and Psychotherapy
- Email address
- [email protected]
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