We are delighted to offer this 11-month 0.3 wte maternity leave opportunity to lead and deliver a clinical health psychology (CHP) service to children and young people with Sickle Cell disease and Thalassaemia under the Whittington Health (WH) Haemoglobinopathies services . We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic psychologist who can draw on strong communication and team-working skills to work with MDT colleagues to support children, adolescents and their families in their long-term condition adjustment and self-management. The successful candidate will have extensive post-qualification clinical and consulting experience in the area of physical health care. The postholder will become part of the CHP team, enjoying exciting opportunities for mutual learning, service development and continuing professional development. The CHP and Haematology teams value and celebrate diversity and welcome candidates from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. A key working day is Tuesday in order to join midday team meetings.
The postholder will play a pivotal role in shaping the culture of care by supporting a psychologically, trauma-informed approach, working alongside multi-disciplinary colleagues to embed psychological thinking into everyday practice. The post-holder will be able to work independently and flexibly, providing specialist psychological assessment, clinical formulation , cognitive screening and advice, intervention and management recommendations to patients, families and other staff across inpatient, day-patient, outpatient and community settings.
The post involves offering advice and consultation on clients’ psychological care to highly skilled non-psychologist colleagues and to other, non-professional carers; working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service’s policies and procedures; using research skills for audit, policy and service development and research. The postholder will work closely with the Haematology WH teams t o support the Trust’s targets of integrated care by mitigating the impact of psychological factors on the course of physical illness and improving wellbeing and adjustment to chronic ill health. The postholder will be supported by clinical and psychology leads in deciding how to prioritize resource during this fixed-term period.
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.
Our Five-Year Strategy:
1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.
1. To provide specialist psychological assessments using interview, formal psychometric, neuropsychological and other assessment methods as appropriate (e.g. WISC with access to Pearson interactive), for clients referred from Whittington Health paediatric Haematology services.
2. To formulate and provide specialist psychological treatment and management plans for referred clients, working with carers and significant others as needed, using a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches.
3. To manage individual caseload autonomously and professionally.
4. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, psychosocial and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of patients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans and to make appropriate referrals onwards as necessary.
To devise and deliver group-based interventions, leading in the development and provision of psychoeducational and other groups as needed.
To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals to assist in the formulation, diagnosis and treatment of clients.
*** This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.
