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2 x Renal Psychotherapists or Practitioner Psychologists

Kidney disease carries a significant psychological burden. The Renal department at King’s is committed to a comprehensive psychosocial offer for its patients and their carers. Our reconfigured and well-resourced Psychosocial Team is comprised of three psychological therapists, two social workers and a mental health nurse, with input from psychiatry. We are looking for two dynamic, driven and compassionate practitioner psychologists or fully accredited psychotherapists to join us at this exciting time as we develop a cutting-edge, holistic, and patient-centred service.

Main duties of the job

Psychological therapies focus on adjustment, coping, treatment adherence and the many complex psychological effects of living with a long-term health condition, including depression and PTSD. Assessments of living donors for kidney transplants are conducted, too. We promote and model a psychosocially-aware culture within the department, including through teaching. Successful candidates will be creative and flexible practitioners trained in more than one therapeutic modality, with a good understanding of the relationship between psychological functioning and physical health.

The team base is Denmark Hill, but some clinics at our satellite dialysis units across south-east London may be required (to be shared equitably by team members).

These are full-time roles, though it is possible for the hours to be condensed into four days.

Job Purpose:

• To provide specialist psychological provision to adult renal patients and their families and carers, in a timely manner and tailored to clients’ needs. This includes specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.
• To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
• To provide clinical supervision, consultation and training, as appropriate.
• To undertake service evaluation, audit and research with support from the Highly Specialist Psychotherapist, Renal Psychosocial Service Lead
• To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines – or equivalent psychotherapy accreditation body (BACP, BABCP, or UKCP) – and codes of conduct, and guided by the policies and procedures of the service, taking responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions with support of clinical supervisor.
• To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved
• To contribute to service and strategic developments in conjunction with the service lead.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible

Key Responsibilities:
KR 1 Clinical and Client Care

• To provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations, interventions and talking therapies for adult clients in the Renal department coping with the impact and psychological consequences of long term and life-limiting health conditions. These include, but are not limited to, adjustment and adjustment-related distress; coping with - and adhering to - demanding and life-long treatments, like dialysis; anxiety; panic; low mood and depression; post-traumatic stress; health anxiety; altered sense of self and identity; relationship stress; loss and grief.
• To provide psychological interventions and talking therapies remotely (i.e. by telephone or video call), where appropriate or necessary
• 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 deliver debrief sessions, crisis intervention and reflective practice sessions to colleagues affected by emotionally distressing or traumatic situations involving patients, as appropriate

KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning

• To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.
• To contribute to 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.

KR 3 Policy and service development

• To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
• To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.
• To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.

KR 4 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.

KR 5 Management and supervision

• To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of an assistant or trainee psychologist/psychotherapist if required, under supervision and support from the service lead.
• To supervise trainee applied psychologists/psychotherapists within own area of specialism, as appropriate and following completion of the relevant supervisor training course.

KR 6 Teaching and Training

• To provide occasional specialist training in psychological approaches to care 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/psychotherapy and the service and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

KR 7 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 maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.

KR 8 Research and development

• To undertake regular service evaluation or audits relevant to service needs.
• To contribute to and lead, as appropriate, research projects relevant to the needs of the service
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through reports, presentations and published articles.
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members

KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development

• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist/psychotherapist according to HCPC, or equivalent psychotherapy accreditation body (BACP, BABCP, or UKCP) and Trust guidelines.
• To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC ‘Standards for Continuing Professional Development’ or equivalent psychotherapy accreditation body ( BACP, BABCP or UKCP)
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
• To comply with the HCPC ‘Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics’ and ‘Standards of Proficiency’, and ensure professional development in line with these, and, or that of the equivalent psychotherapy accreditation body (e.g. the BACP's ‘Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions’)
• To adhere to the BPS’s Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.

KR10 General

• To travel to sites across the Trust, including Princess Royal University Hospital, Orpington, or various renal satellite units, as appropriate and when required
• To share clinical practice experience and knowledge externally, e.g. speaking at conferences, contributing to literature about kidney care produced by partners in the third sector
• 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 – including those associated with physically unwell patients approaching end of life care – andto support others involved in such situations.