Principle Clinical Psychologist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

COMMUNICATION

 To communicate effectively with patients, carers and colleagues both within the MDT and other professions and areas of the trust, promoting the aims of psychological care and involving the patient and carer in all stages of treatment.

To impart often highly complex information regarding diagnosis and/or prognosis, treatment plans and expected goals in an understandable format. This may include information which is distressing or sensitive.

To communicate often highly complex information effectively to gain patient consent to assessment and treatment and ensure patient and carer involvement in every aspect and stage of their therapy, as appropriate.  To work within the legal framework with patients who are unable/incapable of giving consent.

To use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills to gain co-operation with treatment, where there may be barriers to understanding.

To communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

To identify the need for and to co-ordinate and organise MDT communications.

To use advanced communication skills in leading on service developments within the specialist area, the Trust and with other organisations.

To assist in and supervise effective verbal and written communication by qualified and unqualified staff.

To communicate, as appropriate and with sensitivity using information technology.

PERSONAL AND PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

To maintain the highest professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes as agreed with the Clinical Director in conjunction with the Professional Lead.

To continue to develop the skills of a reflective practitioner by conducting regular personal audit and evaluation of clinical work and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of psychology.

To demonstrate a high level of self-awareness and personal management in order to maintain fitness to practice.

To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to the client group.

By liaison and consultation with clinicians within specialist clinical area, contribute to the development of their psychological knowledge and practice.

Be responsible for the professional and clinical supervision of assistant/graduate psychologists and their clinical work whilst on placement in the specialty.  

To be involved in the shortlisting and interviewing and selection of trainees and to contribute to their induction and professional development while on placement in Psychology services.

To received regular supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor.

To attend and contribute to psychology service meetings for peer support, case discussion and ongoing professional and service development.

To provide clinical supervision for other Psychologists and Psychological Therapists in the service as directed by the Professional Lead.

To undergo an annual appraisal and appraise qualified and unqualified staff within the team, ensuring highest possible standard of care through a commitment to CPD

To attend mandatory training and to adhere to all Trust policies and procedures

To ensure patients provide informed consent prior to the delivery of psychotherapeutic interventions

To observe and comply with confidentiality policies at all times

To be responsible for clinical record keeping in accordance with professional & Trust guidelines, and to monitor qualified and unqualified staff documentation.

SERVICE IMPROVEMENT

To contribute in the monitoring and development of the policies and procedures of the psychology services and to implement changes as directed by the Clinical Director with input from a Professional Lead.

To contribute to the response to current trends within the health service, both professional and nationally, ensuring full and meaningful input and effective communication of these ideas to the critical care service.

To continue to evaluate practice individually or within teams through relevant audit of professional practices and standards and implement findings as appropriate in discussion with colleagues across the health economy.  This includes presenting findings. 

To initiate, advise and contribute to strategic planning with managers and clinicians across the speciality.

Responsible for implementing relevant psychological policies for identifying new areas of psychological need within the speciality and for leading and delivering service initiatives to continually develop highly specialist clinical psychology service provision within the speciality including the development of business plans in consultation with key stakeholders.

To utilise highly developed service management and negotiating skills to optimally deliver a specialist service.

To provide information regarding clinical and non-clinical activity as per service and statutory reporting arrangements as directed by the Clinical Director and Business Manager.

To complete departmental statistics for clinical area in line with service policy as directed by the Clinical Director and Business Manager.

QUALITY

Responsible for managing and co-ordinating own caseload and to work within professional guidelines and ethical framework of the HCPC/ACP/BPS and the policies and procedures of the psychology services

To contribute to the delivery and implementation of the clinical governance agenda for the clinical area and for psychology services specifically.

To maintain a clinical caseload which is flexible and dependant on the needs of the clinical area and the service

To work as an integrated member of the multi-disciplinary team to ensure a co-ordinated and holistic service is delivered to achieve best clinical outcome.

To promote health and to advise regarding illness prevention

To promote patient and public involvement in psychology and to participate in research and development activity within the Critical Care Service.

To attain knowledge of audit and research methodology and to participate in research and development activity within the Critical Care Service.

Initiate and undertake complex audits to monitor and develop service provision, utilising theory and evidence based literature to continually development psychology practice across specific specialist areas.