Individual Funding Team Clinical Psychologist Band 7

at  Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

The Individual Funding Team (IFT) within Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust aims to ensure that people with complex mental health difficulties get the best support to recover and increase their independence, as well as ensuring that their care is as closely linked to their local community as possible. To this end, the IFT is responsible for managing mental health funding for external packages of care, such as locked rehabilitation placements, residential care, supported living and therapies or treatments that cannot be provided by Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust. We support a diverse population, including people living with psychosis and bipolar conditions, drug misuse, personality disorders, forensic histories, developmental disorders, dementia, and neurological difficulties.
To support the team in this endeavour we are looking for an enthusiastic, highly motivated and reflective band 7 Clinical Psychologist to join the team. This role will be integral to placement decisions, involving in depth assessment and the development of robust psychological formulations in collaboration with other professionals involved in an individual’s care. The postholder will work with the team to develop psychologically informed care plans, outlining clear goals shaping provider contracts and supporting the review process to ensure the psychological needs of the individual are met. They will also hold an important role in troubleshooting any placement ruptures, providing training and consultation to support continuity of care. Within the role there will be opportunities to offer brief direct psychological interventions (6-8 sessions) and attend related training, as well as offer training to providers on supporting people with complex presentations such as autistic spectrum conditions, psychosis and personality disorder. There will also be opportunities for research, service evaluation, and audit to ensure the service is meeting service user’s needs.
NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
In 2018 NHFT was rated as an Outstanding Trust by CQC.
The successful postholder will receive support from an Assistant Psychologist and will be working with a warm and friendly team, made up of a diverse range of professionals. They will receive regular supervision and support from the Consultant Clinical Psychologist, overseeing psychological provision in the Mental Health Recovery Pathway, and will have regular opportunities to meet with the team’s psychology staff, including monthly meetings for peer support and learning, and team away days. More widely, they will join a thriving network of Clinical Psychologists working in a variety of specialties across the Trust who meet monthly for case presentations, CPD and discussion (including Adult Mental Health, Children’s services, Eating Disorders, Community Brain Injury, Neurodiversity, Personality Difficulties, Older People’s). We also have strong links with the Leicester and Oxford University Doctoral Training Courses.
This is an innovative role, and there is scope to develop it according to the interests and skills of the post holder. There may also be opportunity to combine this with a split post within Adult Mental Health, or another specialist area (depending upon the skills and interests of the the individual). We would also be willing to consider the postholder negotiating a session with another service in the Trust to broaden skills (for a six month period). The post will be particularly appealing to candidates who like to work flexibly, with opportunities to work from home as well as come into the office for set meetings.
To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holder’s professional and service manager(s)
To contribute to the development and dissemination of best practice in psychology across the service, by continuing to develop the skills of a reflexive and reflective scientist practitioner, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines
To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures
To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific client group and mental health.
For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the ‘About You’ Section of the document

Please refer the Job description for details