Clinical Lead Psychologist Southwark Intensive Support Service (MHLD)

The multi-disciplinary IST team provides intensive support to adults with Learning Disabilities, whose behaviour places them at risk of hospital admission, or placement breakdown. The team sits within community Mental Health in Learning Disability (MHLD) department in South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and works closely with the community learning disabilities team and other agencies in the borough. The Lead IST role is full time and involves the coordination of clinical delivery of the IST MDT and will lead the provision of a psychological and behaviour support service., · To develop, co-ordinate and oversee the provision of a MDT service at the Southwark Intensive Support Team (IST) and provide highly specialist clinical input in terms of psychological and behavioural support.
· To contribute to enabling 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 in working with adults with learning disabilities who require an intensive support provision.
· To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychological practitioners within the IST.
· To promote service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
· To work as an autonomous professional within registration body guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
· To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
· To support the coordination of staff support within their area, working closely with Corporate Psychology and Psychotherapy to support colleagues and ensure all staff in SLaM have access to evidence based support., Clinical and Client Care
· To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a highly specialist MDT service.
· To provide and lead a highly specialist psychological and behavioural support service to the Southwark Intensive Support Team in the Mental Health in Learning Disability Service.
· To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for adults with learning disabilities at levels expected of a psychological practitioner who has achieved the equivalent of a PG Diploma-worth of post-qualification specialist development.
· To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
· To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
· To provide culturally appropriate psychological or psychotherapeutic interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
· To provide reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions, in order to inform referrers and, where appropriate, service users and their families.
· To select and deliver evidence-based specialist therapeutic interventions, drawing from a spectrum of ideas and models, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions as necessary, based on the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, couple, family or group.
· To promote psychological support for carers, families and networks of referred clients.
· To act as carer co-ordinator taking responsibility for overseeing multi agency care plans.
Responsibilities for team or service clinical functioning
· To co-ordinate (and chair) meetings for Southwark IST to ensure effective functioning and review, when appropriate.
· To take a lead in ensuring a psychologically and psychotherapeutically informed framework for the Southwark IST
· To take a lead in developing the team or service's delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
· To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
· To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
· To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
· To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
· To liaise with the service/s MDT and other professionals.
Policy and service development
· To implement policies and procedures in own area of work.
· To identify any aspects of Southwark IST which could be improved and propose changes to practices or procedures that affect Southwark IST and may also affect other services.
· To initiate and implement service development projects, as agreed with clinical/professional lead
· To participate in the ongoing implementation of new initiatives (e.g. national guidelines) across IST, MHLD and relevant services.
· To lead the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
Care or management of resources
· To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust's equipment and physical resources.
· To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.
· To ensure the cleanliness and safe functioning and use of equipment that will be used by clients or other persons.
· To monitor and advise clients on the safe use of materials and processes.
· To ensure adequate confidential and safe storage for artefacts produced during the therapy process in line with professional guidelines.
· To be responsible for obtaining, storing and maintaining all necessary materials and equipment for the provision of therapy in work setting within budgetary constraints.
· To hold a delegated budget for / take responsibility for purchasing supplies or equipment (if required).
Management and supervision
· To provide clinical leadership to more junior psychological practitioners and other professionals, as appropriate.
· To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychological practitioners.
· To supervise trainees within own area of specialism having completed the relevant training.
· To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychological therapists as appropriate.
· To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychological practitioners as appropriate.
· To provide professional and clinical supervision to more junior psychological practitioners, trainees and honoraries for all aspects of their work.
· To provide management supervision to less senior psychological practitioners.
· To provide supervision for the psychological work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.
Teaching and Training
· To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post-qualification psychological practitioners and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.
· To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the service by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
· To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.
Record-keeping and Information Governance
· To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
· To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry, in those parts of the service for which the post-holder has leadership responsibility.
Research and development
· To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits
· To initiate/carry out appropriate research.
· To complete quarterly reviews of clinical data and outcomes for presentation to stakeholders.
· To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.
Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
· To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychological practitioners according to professional and Trust guidelines.
· To maintain own Continuing Professional Development in line with registration body and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the professional Standards for Continuing Professional Development.
· To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
· To comply with registration body Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics/Standards of Proficiency.
General
· To travel to home visits, other clinical sites and teams as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
· To travel to out of borough placements when necessary.
· To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
· To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations such as adults with learning disabilities who may display behaviour that challenges, and to support others involved in such situations.
· To work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to late clinics within the overall Job Plan.
· To work closely with Corporate Psychology and Psychotherapy to ensure consistent and timely delivery of staff support within their area across all disciplines. Contributing to the development of the staff support offer in line with relevant quality improvement projects.
The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:
+ Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
+ Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
+ We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity
Please note:
+ That all applications for this post will need to be made online
+ That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
+ That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
+ That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
+ That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
+ That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
+ That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
+ That we are a smoke-free Trust
SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe'

Band 8b
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., South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.
By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels.