The SLaM Psychology in Hostels (PIH) Service is an innovative multi award-winning specialist homeless psychology service. For 14 years PIH has led in the development of ‘Psychologically Informed Environments’ (PIEs) delivering ‘Trauma Informed Approaches’ and developing best practice for working with socially excluded populations across Lambeth and Westminster in partnership with the third sector.
We are seeking a Band 7 clinician to work in the Homeless Neuropsychology Pathway (HNP), an innovative service that has been in operation in Westminster for the past three years.
The post holder will primarily be based with the HNP, supporting the administration and interpretation of neuropsychological tests for clients experiencing homelessness, multiple exclusion, and drug and alcohol addiction. The post holder will also work closely with the professional systems around the client, including adult social care, hostel staff, GP’s, and probation officers. There will be many opportunities for teaching, training, and upskilling of staff working in the homeless sector about the impact of brain injury on emotions, cognition, and behaviour for clients experiencing homelessness. The post holder will have additional responsibilities around service audit, design and delivery to improve the efficacy of this service.
As a PiH clinician for the HNP, you will support individuals experiencing homelessness with a known or suspected brain injury, including head injury, stroke, alcohol related brain damage, and dementia. You will provide specialist neuropsychological assessment, and help wider professional networks to better understand their clients’ emotional, behavioural, and cognitive needs in the context of brain changes. You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team including psychologists, a GP, and floating occupational therapy support. You will develop effective relationships with hostel staff working in the third sector, as well as adult social care, to develop new ways of working together with clients who have complex needs. You will frequently sit in multi-disciplinary meetings to consider adaptations to practice when working with people with cognitive needs, consider improved housing options, and advocate for clients whose needs are not met. You will take on teaching and training opportunities to upskill the wider professional network, and work jointly with the HNP service lead to develop operational policies, procedures, and improve the service design.
About the location:
This post will be based across Westminster, working at and within sites operated by our partners delivering homelessness sector services.
Our Trust headquarters is located at 308 Brixton Road less than 10 minutes from Brixton tube station. We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as north west london, charing cross, and Victoria.
Benefits :
We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package, feel valued and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance.
Some of our benefits include:
- Generous pay, pensions and leave packages dependent on the role and length of service.
- Work life balance, flexible working and supporting a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
- Career development with plenty CPD opportunities such as mentoring, coaching, collective leadership and other talent programmes.
- Accommodation, our staff benefit from keyworker housing at selected sites.
- NHS discounts via the Health Service Discounts website.
Other benefits include:
- Counselling services
- Wellbeing events
- Long service awards
- Cycle to work scheme
- Season ticket loan
- Childcare vouchers
- Staff restaurants
Key Responsibilities:
Clinical
- To provide a high level of clinical expertise in supporting the psychological needs of clients experiencing homelessness
- To ensure services are fair and equitable and meet the needs of the diverse populations we support.
- To support the development of care pathways for an excluded population.
Teaching, training, and supervision
- To provide specialist training in neuropsychological and trauma-informed approaches to care for other professionals.
- To provide clinical supervision for psychological work undertaken by qualified psychologists and others.
Management, recruitment, policy and service development
- To hold a clinical delivery role within PIH.
- To develop effective relationships with managers and leadership of non-SLAM NHS and Social Services teams in Westminster, supporting the development of new ways of working together and contributing to the development of service level agreements, ensuring high levels of cooperation in the interests of our clients.
- To work with the leads/managers of PIH and MDT homeless partners, including CMHTs, acute mental health services and other NHS services to develop care pathways and to plan and deliver services that are integrated around the needs of service users
- To take a support development of operational policies, procedures, operating and governance structures, service design and embedding.
- To utilise change management and partnership development models; ensuring rapid and successful development of new services model across sites and partner organisations.
- To identify any aspects of the service which could be improved and contribute to the service development on an ongoing basis.
Research and service evaluation
- To contribute to the development of services through undertaking service evaluation and audit.
General Responsibilities
- To ensure own Continuing Professional Development
- To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of key legislation
A full Job Description and Person Specification is attached to the advert.
