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Job description

This post offers an exciting opportunity for an assistant psychologist with an interest in working with people with an offending history and complex personality difficulties. As part of this role, the postholder will join a forensic service on the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway which provides specialist consultation, advice and training to NHS and probation staff, and other agencies. The service also delivers desistance and stabilisation support, as well as enhanced intervention, to people on probation who present with complex personality difficulties and a high risk of harm to others, with the joint aims of reducing offending and improving psychological wellbeing.

Development opportunities:
We are committed to get the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. Opportunities for ongoing in-house training and development are offered to all staff on the OPD Pathway, where you will be able to develop your skills and build on your experience.

Flexible working:
As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage.

The postholder will support and enhance psychological input to the South West London Integrated Community Pathways Service (ICPS), under the supervision of a qualified psychologist:

• To undertake projects relating to service development and evaluation.
• To set up and maintain databases, spreadsheets, and use these to support with screening, consultation and monitoring of service users, using advanced IT skills in evaluation, audit and research.
• To support consultation, assessment and treatment interventions undertaken by the service as appropriate to level of competence and training.
• To undertake direct and indirect clinical work, such as SPJ assessments, as required under live or regular supervision from a qualified Psychological Therapist.
• To plan, organise and co-facilitate psycho-educational courses and groups with appropriately qualified professional staff.
• To liaise with a range of services (including health, social care and voluntary agencies) relevant to the working area and develop the strong partnership ethos of the pathway.

The postholder will contribute to the delivery of the Challenge Project (an enhanced treatment for males who have sexually offended), which runs on a Tuesday evening. They will be responsible for preparing and managing materials, and other administrative tasks. They will be expected to attend regular supervision and consultation, as well as having opportunities to input into assessments, consultations, and co-facilitation of the programme.

The London Pathways Partnership (LPP) is a consortium of five NHS Trusts co-delivering a pan-London ICPS for the OPD Pathway. The OPD Pathway provides services to men and women with complex psychological difficulties and serious offending histories, and to multi-agency professionals working with them.

The South West ICPS is a multidisciplinary team made up of psychologists, probation officers, clinical practitioners and specialists from other sectors (e.g. housing). We deliver consultation, training and joint casework to London Probation Service (LPS), and stabilisation/therapeutic interventions to people on probation. We have active social inclusion and user involvement programmes developed in partnership with service users and the LPS in line with desistance principles. We cover the following areas: Hounslow; Kingston & Richmond; Merton & Sutton; Wandsworth; Lambeth; and Croydon.

Lambeth Hospital is based in south London, zone 2 and is close to a vibrant high street with lots of shops and restaurants. It is within walking distance of Brixton (overland and tube stations), Clapham North tube station, Clapham High Street rail station and Wandsworth Road overland station, offering easy transport links. Please note the postholder will be expected to travel across London to other settings, such as approved premises and probation offices. The team base will also move to Blue Star House, Brixton in 2024.

Key Responsibilities:
Clinical:

• To support psychological therapists with assessments and interventions (e.g. risk assessments, neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect observations and semi-structured interviews) of service users, family members and others involved in the service users’ care, as appropriate to level of training, competence and under live or regular supervision from a qualified Psychological Therapist.
• To formulate and deliver care, training or research plans within settings where there may be a hostile atmosphere, challenging behaviour or high levels of expressed emotion.
• To support the delivery of evidence based psychological interventions for service users.
• To assist in the development of psychologically based frameworks of understanding and care to the benefit of all service users of the service.
• To conduct literature searches, collate audit and outcome evidence, analyse relevant data and produce reports to inform and enhance care delivered by the service.
• To work with other team members to improve care, training and research practices and the quality of life of service users.
• To attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary meetings.
• To carry out other clinical and administrative tasks as appropriate to the post holder’s grade.
• To prepare and manage materials for clinical groups and evaluation projects.

Teaching, training and supervision:

• To receive regular supervision and line management from a psychologist.
• To gain wider experience of professional psychology and psychosocial interventions and management, within the principal service area where the post holder is employed.
• To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
• To contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care.

IT responsibilities:

• To develop and manage systems for efficient administration and co-ordination of care, training or research.
• To establish and maintain records and statistics concerning the service.
• To be acquainted with, implement and maintain all relevant Trust and Psychology and Psychological Therapies policies and procedures.
• To report immediately any incidents affecting staff, users or visitors on health service property in accordance with Trust policies.
• To manage diaries, work plans and project plans as required.
• To carry out other administrative tasks as appropriate to the post holder’s grade.

Research and service evaluation:

• To initiate, implement and contribute to the evaluation, monitoring and development of the service, including audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within and across the service, to help develop and improve services.
• To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
• To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research in order to promote evidence based clinical practice. This will contribute to the clinical work of Psychological Therapists and other team members.
• To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects with the service as required.
• To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.

General:

• 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 articulation of best practice across the service, by continuing to develop relevant professional skills taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the relevant 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 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.
• To maintain confidentiality and information governance in line with Trust policy.