Staff Psychologist for the Emergency Services Division

Staff Psychologist for the Emergency Services Division NHS AfC: Band 8a

Main area Occupational Health Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Fixed term: 9 months (Fixed funding 31.12.2025) Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week Job ref 309-UCLH-6127

Site University College London Hospital Town London Salary £61,927 - £68,676 Per annum inclusive of HCAS pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 10/04/:59

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Job overview

Are you a proactive, social and engaged Psychologist in need of a new challenge? We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic and compassionate Clinical or Counselling Psychologist or Psychotherapist to join the UCLH Staff Psychology & Welfare Service (SPWS) and support The Emergency Services Division at UCLH. SPWS is well-established within the Trust and the post-holder will join a friendly multi-disciplinary team of clinical and counselling psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors and mediators. This is an exciting and critically important time to work in this area as part of an extensive change/improvement programme across all services within the division. The post-holder will become a key member of these broader innovative projects including opportunities to work with teams and to help develop division-wide interventions, run groups, workshops and training programmes alongside a small individual triage & treatment caseload. The current post holder is taking a career break for 12 months from January 2025 and the successful candidate will be supported by the ESD leadership team and Workforce colleagues to take over the work they have undertaken and embed further support pathways, process and systems for staff to enable them to thrive at work.

Main duties of the job

This is a specialist role within the service that requires the post-holder to be confident to work independently within EDS and the multiple services and teams within it. The post holder will also be required to provide training and supervision for clinical staff. While there is some flexibility in the role to work remotely, the main responsibilities are covering onsite support provision within ESD and some of the clinical areas of the different hospitals, and acting as part of our ward-based surge response to support staff. Systemic training and trauma-informed therapeutic skills will be crucial to the role's work.

Supervision will be provided by an experienced Clinical Psychologist with line management by the Clinical Lead Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

Minimum Requirements

Candidates must have completed post-graduate level training in Clinical or Counselling Psychology as accredited by the British Psychological Society, or British Psychological Society Statement of Equivalence, and be registered as practitioner psychologists with the HCPC.

Working for our organisation

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world-class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

Person specification Knowledge and Qualifications

• Honours degree in psychology or related disciplines, and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology (or its equivalent occupational health qualification and experience) leading to eligibility for Chartership by the BPS and Registered Practitioner Psychologist by the HCPC.
• High-level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies and group work. Systemic training is desirable.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management.
• Knowledge of psychology as applied to mental health.
• Ability to make diagnostic decisions, give second opinions and make differential diagnoses as part of multidisciplinary assessments.
• Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor.
• Qualification in EMDR.
• Knowledge of Organisational / Occupational Psychology.

Experience

• Substantial post-qualification experience (at least four full-time equivalent years) of working as a practitioner psychologist, some of which time has been with clients having psychological problems related to traumatic stress, chronic fatigue and chronic mental health problems.
• Evidence of developing or enhancing a psychology service via audit and/or research activity.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including community, primary care, outpatient and inpatient settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity.
• Experience of teaching, training and supervision as well as group facilitation.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Experience of working in staff support role and have an understanding of specific issues that might arise in acute hospital settings.

Skills and Abilities - Academic and research

• Previous experience of research indicating the ability to conduct research autonomously, with supervision as required.
• Interest in conducting scientific research in topics relevant to the post.
• Ability to critique and evaluate scientific data and best practice clinical guidelines.

Quality and service improvement

• Evidence of capacity to make quality contributions to multidisciplinary teamwork.
• Evidence of effective clinical reasoning in the assessment and management of complex psychological difficulties.
• Competent IT skills (word processing, spreadsheets, statistical packages).

Communication & Customer Care

• Demonstrates professional and effective verbal and written communication skills including excellent negotiation skills with patients, carers and other health professional staff in service delivery.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS where information may be highly sensitive and there may be barriers to acceptance.
• Skills in supervising other staff.

Personal Qualities

• A high level of interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must be able to cope with highly emotive and psychologically challenging demands of working with staff in multiple acute areas and with organisational issues.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people in a sensitive, caring and non-judgemental manner.

Responsibilities towards promoting Equality Diversity and Inclusion

• Demonstratable understanding of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion and/or Knowledge of the NHS obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duties.

At UCLH, we have a real 'One Team' ethos, and our values - safety, kindness, teamwork and improving, are central to the way we work. This is supported by our staff, who voted us as the NHS Acute Trust to work for in the whole of England.

At UCLH we take equality of opportunity seriously and are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer, with a culture that creates a real sense of belonging and trust. It is our fundamental aim, to recruit, retain and promote a diverse mix of people who are representative of our local communities. Applications are encouraged from candidates of all backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to support our world-class research, innovation and creativity.

This vacancy may close before the current listed closing date. You are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.

Please note that all correspondence regarding your application will be via email. The emails will be sent to you via TRAC.jobs and not via NHS Jobs, we encourage you to check your inbox regularly.

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.