Principal Psychologist for Waltham Forest Psychiatric Liaison Service

An exciting secondment opportunity has arisen to join the Psychiatric Liaison Service in Waltham Forest, within the Acute and Rehabilitation Directorate of NELFT. We are looking for a dynamic Principal Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to take up an innovative and exciting leadership post with the Psychiatric Liaison Service, based at Whipps Cross University Hospital. This will involve working with inpatients across the medical wards, ICU and A&E among other areas., The post holder will lead the Psychiatric Liaison (PLS) team's psychology service, facilitating trauma-informed evidence-based psychological assessment, formulation and treatment with adults and older adults presenting in crisis with a range of mental health difficulties within the context of a physical health environment. The successful applicant will be comfortable working across the acute pathway, including working with carers and specialist services, consulting with multidisciplinary teams both within the medical wards and A&E as well as mental health teams, liaising with services post-discharge. The candidate will use psychological interventions to help reduce levels of risk in service users, to assist with successful discharge and/ or access to further treatment, including frequent attenders to A&E in crisis. Liaison across multiple organisations and agencies is central to the role, as is developing innovative ways to meet the complex needs of service-users and
their families., This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 p.a. pro rata for part time).
High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 p.a. pro rata for part time)., The expectation of this post holder will be to support their team, department and organisation to achieve the Trust's Values in their day-to-day work. These are the 5P's:

• Putting people first


• Prioritising quality


• Being progressive, innovative and continually improve


• Being professional and honest


• Promoting what is possible - independence, opportunity and choice

The post holder will achieve this by:
· Leading a high-quality psychology service within Whipps Cross University Hospital, in line with Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network (PLAN) and CORE 24 guidelines, under the guidance of the Strategic Lead.
· Providing operational management and high-quality clinical supervision to qualified psychologists in Psychiatric Liaison, under the guidance of the Strategic Lead.
· To provide specialist consultation, assessment and formulation for priority cases identified by psychiatric team colleagues.
· Lead on, design and provide brief and longer-term psychological interventions, in line with PLAN, CORE 24 and BPS guidelines.
· Work with the SIM panel to reduce urgent care service use for those identified, using psychological formulation, treatment and care planning interventions.
· Working in close collaboration with the community and mental health and inpatient and crisis psychology services to ensure a smooth pathway for service-users and their families.
· Lead on the development of clear guidelines for working with patients in acute beds who have been identified as benefitting from psychiatric team input.
· Work alongside the senior manager and senior leaders in the psychiatric liaison teams to develop clear pathways and processes for psychology involvement with service-users, families and systems and teams.
· Lead on and develop specialist psychological interventions for clinical health patients with physical and psychological co-morbidities who are identified as priority cases by Acute Trust colleagues and the psychiatric liaison team.
· Take a senior and specialist role in assessment, treatment and systematic outcome measurement in the psychiatric liaison specialist care pathway, as deemed appropriate by the Strategic Lead and psychiatric liaison team manager and senior staff.
· Ensuring that a high quality, timely, accessible and evidence-based psychological service is available to all service users who need it.
· Maintaining excellent working relationships with wider mental health services (e.g. Mental Health and Wellness Teams, Community Recovery Teams, Community Clinics, Inpatient and Crisis services).
· Maintaining excellent working relationships with wider Acute Trust service at Whipps Cross Hospital (e.g. Accident and Emergency and acute wards).
· Ensuring adherence to evidence based psychological treatments by all clinical staff within the specialist care pathway, focussing on treatments to reduce risk and stabilise a crisis, and to reduce crisis service use.
· Contributing to consultation, supervision, teaching and training of MDT staff working within Psychiatric Liaison and playing a key role in audit and evaluation.
· Leading reflective practice and case formulation sessions for staff in Psychiatric Liaison at Whipps Cross Hospital, to aid learning and support with complex cases.
· Working autonomously within professional guidelines and within the overall framework of policies and procedures of the Trust. Ensuring other psychological professional staff also work within these parameters.
· Supporting the Strategic Lead with recruitment of qualified and unqualified staff and trainees, and managing their workloads within the framework of the Trust's policies and procedures.
· Supporting the Strategic Lead to ensure that staff within the specialist care pathway work towards and maintain the Trust's key performance indicators, agreed commissioner targets and other local and national guidance.
· Ensuring that best practice in assessment, risk assessment and care planning is adhered to at all times by staff within the specialist care pathway.
· Ensuring the maintenance of the highest personal standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.
· Maintaining the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance, Clinical Skills
· To act as an autonomous, registered psychologist who is legally and professionally accountable for own unsupervised actions guided by the professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols.
· The post holder will have professional HCPC registration.
· To deliver clinical input to high risk cases, that is of a high quality and is evidence-based, utilising psychological theory.
· To be responsible, and accountable, for service delivery to clients/ patients.
· To be able to assess and develop plans of care to meet the complex needs of patients with a variety of presentations but all of whom present with high levels of risk.
· To ensure practice is supported by research, evidence based practice, literature and peer review.
· To cover other tasks as necessary which are consistent with the role of a Principal Psychologist.
Leadership
· To participate in the development of an effective team and the development of productive working relationships throughout the Trust.
· To facilitate the development of a positive and 'supportive' team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict.
· To participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.
· To advise, encourage and share knowledge utilising the latest research and practice development, through literature and peer reviews.
· To lead on research projects as relevant for the post and in agreement with senior professional leads.
Computer/ Administration
To be computer literate and encourage implementation of the Trust's IM&T Strategy.
· To ensure accurate recording of actions, and updating patient's records, maintaining confidentiality at all times.
· To take part, and assist, in the planning and administration relating to day to day running of the caseload.
Communication
· To have a wide range of knowledge in approaches to communicating and managing patient care.
· To be able to effectively communicate with colleagues, peers, senior managers and clinical leads within the Trust.
· To be able to communicate complex service user related information facilitating positive outcomes and ensuring collaborative working.
· Participate in the review and development of clinical policies and identifies improvements to service provision.
To provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information where there might be barriers to acceptance from the service user, carers and families or other professionals resulting in a hostile or highly emotive atmosphere. This might be working with interpreters or advocates and so requires ensuring the safe management of everyone within the system.
Teaching, Training and Supervision
· To act as mentor to qualified psychologists and trainees, providing effective education, facilitating their development and promoting high standards of care.
· To ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of lifelong learning in self and others.
· To undertake, and assist, in the planning of own mandatory training and workshops and those for others in the team.
· To undertake a regular appraisal, developing a personal development plan that includes clinical competencies reflecting the health needs of the local population and relates to Trust strategy.
· To support new staff and their integration within the team.
· To support training as part of the role including changes to professional development and implementation of new policies and guidelines.
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
+ A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
+ A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our efforts to support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a 'Top 10 Family Friendly Employer' from the Working Families Charity.
+ Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
+ Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that's a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.
Supporting our Armed Forces
We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Gold Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme. We have supportive policies, guaranteed interview schemes for veterans. reservists and military spouses and give additional leave to our Reservists so that they can attend their annual camp.

+ Doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
+ Experience of working in a trauma-informed evidence-based way with clients presenting with severe mental health difficulties, people in crisis and carers, with significant levels of risk.
+ Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary service context., This post would suit someone with a strong interest in multidisciplinary working with service-users who present with complexity and significant levels of risk. Experience of working with service users in mental health crisis such as psychiatric liaison, home treatment teams or inpatient units is essential. Knowledge and experience in the field of clinical health psychology, medically unexplained symptoms, functional neurological disorder, dementia and delirium is desirable.

NHS AfC: Band 8b
Joining #TeamNELFT means you'll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We're CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video