Chief Psychological Professions Officer - Band 8D

at  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The post holder is responsible for: Clinical Health Psychology staff employed within the Trust across multiple sites to deliver services to the population of Gloucestershire and specialist services to Trusts in the neighbouring counties of Hereford and Worcestershire. This comprises approximately 30 staff including practitioner psychologists, Admin & Clerical Staff, psychology assistant and placement student/volunteers. Direct line management of lead psychologists in Clinical Health Psychology, Staff Psychology and Specialist Weight Management as well as the CHPD admin team and Paediatric psychologists. Managing the financial budgets for Clinical Health Psychology and Staff Psychology.
Advising the commissioners on staffing resource requirements for new and enhanced services, and to guide future initiatives, in order to develop and improve services for people with physical health problems. Advising and working in partnership with the health community on psychological factors relating to health and the delivery of services to patients and their carers. Professional Training & Development The post holder is responsible for: ensuring the development, maintenance and dissemination of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes. proactively developing and maintaining good working relationship with postgraduate psychology courses and offer both research and field placements to trainee applied psychologists.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS or a statement of equivalency in Clinical Psychology awarded by the BPS committee for the Scrutiny of Individual Clinical Qualifications (CSICQ) for those with qualifications obtained overseas. Full HCPC registration and license to practice as a clinical psychologist. Significant post qualification experience in an applied psychology setting relevant to clinical health psychology. Significant experience of leadership and management of other staff within complex organisational structures such as the NHS Additional clinical, research & organisational qualifications and experience.
Skills in strategic and business planning, consultancy work in multi-professional settings, clinical & financial governance, management and marketing. Knowledge of national initiatives and legislation, and their implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and physical and mental health. Experience of dealing with matters of a highly sensitive and confidential nature, and a sound working knowledge of Data Protection, Data Sharing Protocols, Freedom of Information, NHS Ethics requirements, and of other legal requirements and Acts relating to Clinical and Research Governance. Additionally, must be able to ensure that all departmental staff are aware of their individual NHS legal responsibilities.
Supervision experience with trainees, all grades of psychologists and other departmental staff. Doctoral level knowledge and understanding of qualitative and quantitative research design and methodology, service development, and audit methodologies, particularly relating to applied Health Services research. This also requires an ability to be highly inventive (for example, designing novel but valid and reliable questionnaires), resourceful, flexible, excellent problem-solving skills and a willingness to learn and quickly assimilate new skills, ideas and concepts. In depth knowledge of specialist short-term therapeutic interventions with client group.
Advanced psychological assessment and formulation skills. Highest level of communication and interpersonal skills, sufficient to effectively and tactfully communicate complex sensitive and contentious information to distressed or vulnerable clients/patients and colleagues. The emotional robustness and capacity for concentration to cope and work effectively with the stress (in self and others) of frequent, intense work with people who are in highly distressing situations (e.g. working with clients in conflict) Have experience of applying current evidence-based therapeutic skills to treating people individually, in teams and in groups, to include assessing, providing formulations of the highest level of complexity, developing and implementing treatments in a highly specialist area.
Accountability for own professional actions and the interpretation of agreed guidelines, Government frameworks, Trust and BPS guidelines and policies, taking responsibility for the maintenance and development of own professional skills base. Excellent interpersonal, communication and listening skills, including the ability to influence, motivate and negotiate, and to be able to liaise with a wide spectrum of people of all levels, agencies and organisations, both statutory and non-statutory. Negotiations may be protracted (over months or years), involve multiple parties with diverse opinions, backgrounds and expectations, so the ability to be diplomatic and persevere is crucial. Ability to manage, to lead, to make decisions, to organise, delegate and prioritise workloads, and to consistently work to deadlines within specified time-frames in accordance with agreed project plans, and to work effectively under pressure.
The ability to work independently and be self-motivating and enthusiastic, as well as to work effectively within and to motivate teams, involving others appropriately with all projects or service developments. Recognised, demonstrable, knowledge, and exceptionally high expertise in: Application of psychology to physical health & the delivery of health care services. Development of services across a wide range of physical health problems. The post holder is expected to make a significant and distinguished national contribution to the development of health psychology services in medical settings.
The post holder will be expected to work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service, Trust policies and procedures; and to utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team. The post holder will be expected to develop and maintain excellent working relationships with staff at all levels within the Trust and the wider health community Additional Contact Information: Email or call and leave a message for more information. Nicola works Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Happy to set up meetings to answer any queries or arrange site visits.
Contact Psychology admin to discuss the role with any of the existing 8C clinical leads, ext 03004228523. aileen.thomson@nhs.net, pollyashworth@nhs.net, hilly.webb-peploe@nhs.net, clare.tangye@nhs.ne

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