Principal Clinical Psychologist (Learning Disabilities) at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

London SE5 8AZ, , United Kingdom -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

27 Aug, 25

Salary

80465.0

Posted On

28 May, 25

Experience

0 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Good communication skills

Industry

Hospital/Health Care

Description

Are you an experienced Psychologist working in adult community learning disability services? Would you like to further develop your leadership skills in a supportive and friendly team? Due to the current post-holder re-locating, we are looking for a Lead Psychologist for our Intensive Support Team (IST), part of Southwark MHLD. This is an opportunity to work within and lead a small MDT, working quickly, flexibly and intensively at times of crisis, working closely with service users and their networks. The IST works in conjunction with the wider borough MHLD team sharing decision making about stepping up and stepping down care so that people get the right support at the right time. This is a well established post and highly valued service in Southwark, and as the Lead Psychologist you will have the opportunity to manage and clinically supervise a small MDT (comprising Behaviour Support Practitioner, SLT, Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy and Trainee Clinical Psychologist). You will also have an important role working with the Borough Lead Psychologist, commissioners and stakeholders to help shape service design and delivery for local adults with learning disabilities and complex behaviour at high risk of placement breakdown. The work is varied and fulfilling, with scope to inform what services look like for local people, and opportunities to work creatively and proactively. You will be be supervised and managed by the MHLD Borough Lead Consultant Psychologist.

Responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE:

To develop, co-ordinate and oversee the provision of a MDT service at the Southwark Intensive Support Team (IST) and provide highly specialist clinical input in terms of psychological and behavioural support.
To contribute to enabling staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist in working with adults with learning disabilities who require an intensive support provision.
To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychological practitioners within the IST.
To promote service evaluation, audit, research and policy development.
To work as an autonomous professional within registration body guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.
To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.
To support the coordination of staff support within their area, working closely with Corporate Psychology and Psychotherapy to support colleagues and ensure all staff in SLaM have access to evidence based support.
The multi-disciplinary IST team provides intensive support to adults with Learning Disabilities, whose behaviour places them at risk of hospital admission, or placement breakdown. The team sits within community Mental Health Learning Disability (MHLD) service in South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and works closely with the community learning disabilities team and other agencies in the borough. The MHLD service is part of the wider Neurodevelopmental Services. From April 2025, the Neurodevelopmental Services will be part of the Psychological Medicine and Older Adults (PMOA) Directorate, alongside a range of specialist and local services. You will work closely with Allied Health Professional Leads in Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, who are involved in the management and professional supervision of the AHPs within the IST.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical and Client Care

To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a highly specialist MDT service.
To provide and lead a highly specialist psychological and behavioural support service to the Southwark Intensive Support Team in the Mental Health in Learning Disability Service.
To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for adults with learning disabilities at levels expected of a psychological practitioner who has achieved the equivalent of a PG Diploma-worth of post-qualification specialist development.
To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
To provide culturally appropriate psychological or psychotherapeutic interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
To provide reports, including relevant formulation, opinion and interventions, in order to inform referrers and, where appropriate, service users and their families.
To select and deliver evidence-based specialist therapeutic interventions, drawing from a spectrum of ideas and models, monitoring outcome and modifying and adapting interventions as necessary, based on the highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, couple, family or group.
To promote psychological support for carers, families and networks of referred clients.
To act as carer co-ordinator taking responsibility for overseeing multi agency care plans.

Responsibilities for team or service clinical functioning

To co-ordinate (and chair) meetings for Southwark IST to ensure effective functioning and review, when appropriate.
To take a lead in ensuring a psychologically and psychotherapeutically informed framework for the Southwark IST
To take a lead in developing the team or service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
To liaise with the service/s MDT and other professionals.

Policy and service development

To implement policies and procedures in own area of work.
To identify any aspects of Southwark IST which could be improved and propose changes to practices or procedures that affect Southwark IST and may also affect other services.
To initiate and implement service development projects, as agreed with clinical/professional lead
To participate in the ongoing implementation of new initiatives (e.g. national guidelines) across IST, MHLD and relevant services.
To lead the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.

Care or management of resources

To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust’s equipment and physical resources.
To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.
To ensure the cleanliness and safe functioning and use of equipment that will be used by clients or other persons.
To monitor and advise clients on the safe use of materials and processes.
To ensure adequate confidential and safe storage for artefacts produced during the therapy process in line with professional guidelines.
To be responsible for obtaining, storing and maintaining all necessary materials and equipment for the provision of therapy in work setting within budgetary constraints.
To hold a delegated budget for / take responsibility for purchasing supplies or equipment (if required).

Management and supervision

To provide clinical leadership to more junior psychological practitioners and other professionals, as appropriate.
To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychological practitioners.
To supervise trainees within own area of specialism having completed the relevant training.
To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychological therapists as appropriate.
To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychological practitioners as appropriate.
To provide professional and clinical supervision to more junior psychological practitioners, trainees and honoraries for all aspects of their work.
To provide management supervision to less senior psychological practitioners.
To provide supervision for the psychological work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.

Teaching and Training

To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post-qualification psychological practitioners and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.
To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the service by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

Record-keeping and Information Governance

To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
To ensure the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry, in those parts of the service for which the post-holder has leadership responsibility.

Research and development

To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits
To initiate/carry out appropriate research.
To complete quarterly reviews of clinical data and outcomes for presentation to stakeholders.
To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.

Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development

To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychological practitioners according to professional and Trust guidelines.
To maintain own Continuing Professional Development in line with registration body and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the professional Standards for Continuing Professional Development.
To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
To comply with registration body Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics/Standards of Proficiency.

General

To travel to home visits, other clinical sites and teams as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
To travel to out of borough placements when necessary.
To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations such as adults with learning disabilities who may display behaviour that challenges, and to support others involved in such situations.
To work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to late clinics within the overall Job Plan.
To work closely with Corporate Psychology and Psychotherapy to ensure consistent and timely delivery of staff support within their area across all disciplines. Contributing to the development of the staff support offer in line with relevant quality improvement projects.