NHS AfC: Band 7

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) is the largest community healthcare provider in Sussex.

• Over 8,400 full time, part time and bank staff members
• Medical, nursing and therapeutic care provided to over 10,000 children and adults a day
• July 2018 Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of 'Good' with 'Outstanding' features
• Flexible working patterns offered across all services
• Thriving BAME, Disability and Wellbeing, LGBT+ and Religion and Belief staff networks
• Accredited Level 3 Disability Confident Leader

SCFT is an inclusive employer that promotes equality and challenges discrimination, and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds. Applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, disabled candidates and LGBT+ candidates are particularly encouraged, to ensure the Trust's workforce reflects the diverse communities it serves.

Job overview

This is an exciting and rare opportunity for a qualified clinical psychologist to join a paediatric neuropsychology service, at Chailey Clinical Services. We offer a highly specialist psychology-led service for children and young people with congenital and acquired brain injury. We provide psychological support to children and young adults (0-19 years old) in an outpatient setting and also within Chailey Heritage Foundation (a specialist school co-located with Chailey Clinical Services). Within this context, a clinical psychologist could expect to further develop their skills working with children and young adults with complex physical disabilities and health needs.

The post holder will be working alongside our Paediatric Neuropsychologist, clinical psychologists and trainees and assistants on placement, as well as within our wider multidisciplinary team of Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Paediatricians, amongst others. Assessment and therapeutic intervention work with children, young people and their families would be required, as well as consultation to other professionals. The post holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and within the overall framework of the service's policies and procedures.

The post holder will be encouraged and supported to pursue a professional qualification in paediatric neuropsychology, with the benefit of supervision from a QICN-accredited paediatric neuropsychologist.

Main duties of the job

To complete neuropsychological assessment and formulation, psychological treatment and cognitive rehabilitation to patients and families with psychological problems arising from factors associated with their neurodisability, and secondary mental health concerns, including liaison with school staff as standard.

Working for our organisation

The post holder will work as part of a friendly and dynamic psychology team and within the broader Chailey Clinical Services family. Chailey is made up of a vibrant multi-disciplinary group of clinicians, all with a shared passion and drive for improving the lives of the children and young people we work with.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To work autonomously as a clinician within the Chailey Neuropsychology Service; providing neuropsychological assessment and formulation, psychological treatment and cognitive rehabilitation to patients and families with psychological problems arising from factors associated with their neurodisability, and secondary mental health concerns, including liaison with school staff as standard.

To ensure a comprehensive assessment which may include psychological and neuropsychological psychometrics, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client's care.

To formulate and devise psychological treatment plans, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client's problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings. To adjust and refine psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To provide reports and communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans for patients.

To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, to assist in the formulation, diagnosis and treatment of clients.

To treat each patient and their support network with dignity and respect taking into account their cultural differences and needs within the service.

To interpret and integrate of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and self-report measures

To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.

To develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision and to provide supervision to other MDT staff's psychological work as appropriate.

To ensure the development and maintenance of the highest personal standards of practice, maintaining Mandatory and Statutory Training requirements and through active participation in internal and external CPD training.

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues of relevance to the service and client group.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing.

To exercise professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the HCPC & British Psychological Society.

Person specification

Essential
Essential criteria

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

Experience
Essential criteria

• Experience of working with children and young people

Interest
Essential criteria

• Interest in neuropsychology

This post may close earlier than the published closing date if sufficient applications are received.

Correspondence relating to this vacancy will be conducted electronically. If you have not heard from us within two weeks please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Please ensure that you check your emails, including your junk folder, on a regular basis. References will be requested electronically as well; please ensure you provide correct contact details for referees.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description and Person Specification ( PDF , 696.0 KB )
• Person Specification ( PDF , 371.1 KB )
• Staff Benefits Brochure ( PDF , 484.5 KB )