Consultant Lead Clinical Psychologist Oncology (Macmillan) & HIV inLondon inLondon PUBLISHED FRI 15 NOV 2024

We are looking to appoint a Consultant Lead Clinical Psychologist to lead the provision of specialized psychological services for cancer and HIV care at NMUH. This role involves the development and delivery of high-quality, patient-centered psychological support, as well as consultant-level guidance for Haematology and Cardiology services. To work autonomous within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within Oncology and HIV services. Key requirements of this job includes carrying out audit, policy and service development, staff training (including level 2 for Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialists) and research with clients with complex health difficulties. The Cancer services at NMUH have had a Macmillan funded cancer psychology service since 2and the post holder will be leading the development of a model of stepped care for emotional support, screening and intervention for the service including: direct assessment, therapy and staff support, supervision and training. There is 1.8 wte psychology provision in the service based in the cancer service. This service covers ten cancer specialties, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy over a large catchment area and is part of the Psychology Expert Reference Group for the North Central London Alliance. Within the trust there is also 0.7wte red cell psychology and 0.4 wte cardiology psychology provision at 8a level.

To work with service managers and commissioners to develop clinical health psychology at NMUH.

To provide highly specialist psychological assessments of service users within a highly specialized clinical setting referred by the HIV and cancer teams based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources including 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 mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the service user's problems, and employing methods of proven efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialized and innovative psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To evaluate and make highly skilled decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors

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

To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to service users formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.

To ensure that all members of the treating team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of service users of the service, through regular communication through case notes, MDT meetings, the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory.

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

To communicate highly complex and potentially highly contentious information in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, in situations with service users who may be extremely hostile or highly emotional, requiring the highest level of communication skills. 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 multi-disciplinary care.

To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the treatment team.

To provide expert consultation about the care of these client groups to staff, outside agencies and the Trust.

To develop specialist teaching to other professionals regarding the psychological factors related to clinical work in HIV and Oncology.

To provide clinical placements for trainee clinical and/or counseling psychologists, ensuring that trainees acquire the necessary skills, competencies and experience to contribute effectively to good mental health care and to contribute to the assessment and evaluation of such competencies.

To adhere to professional practice guidelines of clinical supervision To provide post-qualification training (CPD) and clinical professional supervision to clinical and/or counseling psychologists attached to the team and in the trust.

To provide specialist advice, consultation and training and clinical supervision to other members of the team for their provision of psychologically based interventions to help improve service users functioning in a medical setting with little psychological expertise

To provide pre- and post-qualification teaching of clinical and/or counseling psychology as appropriate.

To maintain and develop skills in the area of professional pre- and post- graduate training and clinical supervision.

To provide specialist advice, consultation and training to staff working with the service user group across a range of agencies and settings, where appropriate.

To be responsible for carrying out duties in relation to local, regional and national initiatives in developing services in the specialist area as opportunities arise

To participate as a senior clinician in the development of a high quality, responsive and accessible service for clients including advising both service and professional management on those aspects of the service where psychological and/or organisational matters need addressing. This includes managing referrals and waiting times.

To exercise responsibility for managing the psychological resources available to a team, whether in the form of additional qualified and unqualified graduate psychology/ psychotherapy staff, or in the form of psychological materials employed in the assessment and treatment of service users.

To exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service/team.To contribute to the development and implementation of multi-disciplinary healthcare policy and guidelinesTo participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for assistant, trainees, qualified clinical psychologists and other clinical staff.

To initiate and implement service developments and projects within the service.

To contribute to the development of the clinical psychology services within the Trust. Implementing internal evaluation and monitoring work, service developments. Attending planning meetings as necessary and to take on the responsibility of specific projects where appropriate.

To lead on development of patient information relating to psychological aspects of HIV and/or sexual health difficulties and also oncology from treatment side effects. This may involve developing innovative methods of providing care such as web-based psycho-educational materials and group services.