Clinical Psychologist in Stroke Psychology

Clinical Psychologist in Stroke Psychology Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

We welcome a colleague psychologist working towards or already in a Band 7 or Band 8a role, who has an interest in exploring applied psychology in stroke and the broader field of neuropsychology and clinical health psychology. This fixed-term post (till October 2025) will provide the scope to work and learn in this area, with expert supervision from an experienced senior Neuropsychologist.

The role is embedded with the acute stroke ward MDT at Hillingdon Hospital, and the community ESD (Early Stroke Discharge) MDT who provide post-acute discharge rehabilitation for patients in their homes. The nominal job plan is 3 sessions acute inpatients, 3 sessions community.

The psychologist's development and support will be facilitated by efficient relations and systems of collaboration across both clinical teams, the broader Department of Clinical Health Psychology, and expansive CPD offered through CNWL Psychological Professionals.

Main duties of the job

To provide specialist psychological care to acute stroke inpatients onsite at Hillingdon Hospital, as well as patients in their homes in the Borough, thus the person in this role will be based on the Hillingdon Hospital site and able to travel to patients' homes within the Borough.

Job responsibilities

1. To provide specialist psychological and neuropsychological assessment of clients referred to the stroke psychology service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.
2. To formulate and implement plans for the direct and indirect psychological treatment and/or management of a clients stroke recovery and rehabilitation needs, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across acute ward and home care settings.
3. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
4. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.

Person Specification Training and Qualification

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology
• Pre/post-doctoral training and/or qualification in neuropsychology
• First-class Psychology degree.
• Pre/post-doctoral training and/or qualification relevant to clinical health psychology

Experience

• Experience of psychological assessment, formulation and treatment with multiple modalities in multiple contexts
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Experience of providing psychological care as part of a multidisciplinary team in (a) hospital / acute medical setting and/or (b) community / post-acute rehabilitation setting
• Experience of applying neuro-psychological expertise in clinical or research setting
• Experience of providing teaching, training and/or supervision to other healthcare professionals

Knowledge and Skills

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• 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.
• Knowledge and skills in implementing quality improvement projects.

Other

• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Prepared to travel to patient homes within the Borough to provide a community clinical service.
• Demonstrable interest in a developing a career in neuropsychology and/or clinical health psychology.
• Personal qualities of flexibility, adaptability and compassion.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

£59,490 to £66,239 a yearpa inc pro rata