NHSJobs.com

Job overview

The Intensive Support Team offers comprehensive, therapeutically-informed assessments for individuals with dementia who reside in care homes. The IST is guided by the principles of Positive Behaviour Support and offers evidence-based approaches to promote the wellbeing of people with dementia. To succeed in this role, you will have the confidence to engage with a range of stakeholders, including the person, relatives, professionals, and care home staff.

You will draw on your professional skills and knowledge to assess/respond to behaviour that challenges in dementia, as part of a stepped-care service by delivering interventions that focus on unmet needs of people using services. You will offer specialist training, supervision, and share ideas informed by psychological theory and practice. There is an emphasis on partnership working and engaging with people working across statutory/voluntary sectors to facilitate a whole-system approach to care delivery for people with dementia.

You will be co-located with the CMHTOP (9-5, Mon-Fri), in the North West Surrey hub in Chertsey two days (0.4 WTE) a week, & the Surrey Heath hub in Frimley one day (0.2 WTE) a week.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is passionate about delivering excellence in dementia care. We provide a supportive and nurturing team environment where colleagues learn from one another, celebrate diversity, and openly share experiences, difficulties, and new ideas.

Main duties of the job

• To be responsible for the systematic provision of specialist assessments for people with dementia who present with complex presentations or behaviour that challenges.
• To deliver high quality direct (assessment and therapeutic) and indirect (consultative, advisory, and evaluative) specialist psychological interventions by making autonomous clinical decisions about own professional practice.
• To act as a person-centred leader and role model at all times to inspire others to deliver high quality, dignified care for people with dementia.
• To ensure the clinical effectiveness of your own practice and the functioning of the service by undertaking audit, research, and service development activities relevant to the service area.
• To operate as part of a multidisciplinary team and work closely with primary care services, statutory/voluntary agencies, and service users & carers.
• To work autonomously within the clearly defined boundaries of the role, as well as carrying out specific clinical tasks and responsibilities that may cross professional demarcations of care.
• To offer clinical supervision to CMHTOP Care Home Pathway colleagues (non-psychologists) and Assistant Psychologists.
• To take a leadership role within defined sectors of the Trust (NW Surrey and Surrey Heath) and work collaboratively with the Care Home Pathway Lead within the CMHTOPs to ensure the care home pathway functions well within those regions.

Working for our organisation

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the leading provider of health and social care services for people of all ages with mental ill-health and learning disabilities in Surrey and North East Hampshire. We also provide social care services for people with a learning disability in Croydon and ASD and ADHD assessment services in Hampshire.

We actively seek to engage people who use our services and our communities in improving the mental wellbeing of the local population. We work closely with other NHS and voluntary sector organisations who provide services and support people who use services and carers.

Surrey is a beautiful county lying just 30 minutes away from Central London and from the South Coast.

Our historic market towns and bustling districts are enveloped in wonderful countryside, and our excellent road and rail networks bring the rest of the country within easy reach.

For international travel, both Gatwick and Heathrow airports are nearby.

Please note that we reserve the right to close posts as soon as sufficient applications are received.

Home Working Contract Only - Eligibility to high cost area supplement is conditional upon candidates residence and will be discussed on offer. 

We look forward to receiving your application!