Job Advert
The Role
The post holder will provide a systematic and autonomous Clinical Psychology service to adults with learning disabilities living in the NHS Lanarkshire catchment area, including direct psychological assessment and therapeutic intervention; advice and consultation to other professionals and carers; and the provision of specialist psychological autistic spectrum disorder assessment and diagnosis service across the Learning Disability Service. The post holder will have clinical oversight of (supervise and support psychological input provided by) other psychologists (qualified Clinical Psychologists and unqualified Trainee Clinical Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists) and other staff employed by the Clinical Psychology Department including Therapists. The post holder will be responsible for clinical governance and staff Personal Development Plans (PDPs) within the department and will take a lead role in service development/ planning, specifically with respect to services for people with autistic spectrum disorder but also as directed by the Head of Department. The post holder will deputise for the head of department within certain areas (for example, waiting list co-ordination and management)
NHS Lanarkshire
Have you always wanted to work with NHS Lanarkshire? Then this might be the opportunity for you to join Team Lanarkshire!
Here at NHS Lanarkshire, we put the patient at the heart of everything we do. Each colleague within the organisation plays a key role in how we deliver our healthcare services.
We proudly serve a population of 655,000 across rural and urban communities in in both North and South Lanarkshire. NHS Lanarkshire is comprised of Acute Services (which currently provide hospital based services over 3 main sites), Corporate & Property & Support Services, North and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships which provide integrated primary healthcare and social care services to local communities and surrounding areas.
What we'll need you to bring
To hold a post-graduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, which includes academic, research and clinical components.
To complete mandatory health and safety training (e.g. management of aggression, fire safety), as required by NHS Lanarkshire.
Foundation knowledge of:
Classification and epidemiological issues, including major classification systems for learning disabilities (AAMR, DSM-IV, ICD-I0) and basic knowledge of the classification of other mental disorders.
Psychopathology in general, and of how psychiatric disorders manifest in individuals with a learning disability
Relevant professional papers (e.g. Learning Disabilities: Definitions and Contexts, BPS, 2001)
Lifespan development issues, including: theories of child and adolescent development, individual and family life cycle issues and theories of ageing.
Relevant biological and neurological issues, including: prenatal, perinatal and postnatal causes of learning disability, syndromes associated with learning disability, the interaction of biology and behaviour (including behavioural phenotypes) and possible co-occurring physical health problems and healthcare needs of persons with a learning disability.
The broader context of service delivery, including the history of, and ideologies surrounding services for people with a learning disability (including normalisation, social role valorisation, the political economy, human rights, consumerism and advocacy and quality of life models).
Social and cultural issues such as gender and ethnicity and their particular impact on people with a learning disability.
Relevant legislation including: the Mental Health () Act and the Adults with Incapacity () Act.
Service and policy contexts, including: Government policies; the National Review; current patterns of service provision for people with a learning disability; local variations in service provision for people with a learning disability. Extent of knowledge of social policy will vary according to the psychologist’s grade and experience.
Roles and responsibilities of other professionals working in services for people with learning disabilities and the role of citizen advocacy services and self –advocacy.
The history of disdain towards, and stigma attached to, learning disabilities services.
Extensive knowledge of:
Issues most frequently addressed by psychologists, including: mental health problems, challenging behaviour, offending behaviour, autistic spectrum disorders, bereavement, abuse, life problems, and skills development.
The major assessment techniques used with people with a learning disability and how to address varying levels of impairment, and standard assessment procedures and how these may require modification when used with a persons with a learning disability.
Intervention approaches for people with a learning disability, which include non-aversive, behavioural, cognitive, cognitive-behavioural, humanistic, constructional and systemic, and how standard approaches might need to be modified when used with persons with a learning disability.
The use of descriptive, inferential, univariate and multivariate statistics, the principles of standardised test construction, the application of descriptive statistics (including measures of central tendency and dispersion), inferential statistics (including standard error of measurement, and the statistical significance of difference scores) to test interpretation and validation constructs (including reliability and validity).
It would be great if you also have
To undertake a minimum of 40 hours of formal and informal continuing professional development activities per annum, as per BPS guidelines
To have obtained a high level of specialist knowledge of autistic spectrum disorders, through completion of training courses, including specialist assessment and diagnosis (accredited training course), and through clinical experience as a qualified clinician.
To undertake training in clinical supervision as required by the West of Scotland Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Training Course, and standards as outlined by the BPS.
Contract type
Permanent
Full time
37.5 hours
Location and Working Pattern
This role will be based in Mental Health & Learning Disability Service within Kirklands, Bothwell
The working pattern for this role Mon-Fri; 9:00-5:00.
Looking to find out more?
If you’re looking to find out a bit more, then we would love to hear from you!
Please contact Ewan Culling, Consultant Clinical Psychologist on Ewan.Culling@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
For enquiries regarding the application form or recruitment process, please contact David Murray, Recruitment Administrator on david.murray3@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
(Please remember to include the job title and reference number in your email)
Why NHS Lanarkshire?
Join us and you will discover a supportive environment where you will have the chance to add to your skills and further your career.
Some of NHS Lanarkshire’s benefits include:
A minimum of 27 days annual leave increasing with length of service
A minimum of 8 days of public holidays
Membership of NHS Pension Scheme, with life insurance benefits (for more information on the NHS Pension Scheme visit the Scottish Public Pension)
Paid sick leave increasing with length of service
Occupational health services
Employee Counselling services
Work-life Balance policies and procedures
NHS Lanarkshire have a range of support services on topics that can impact both on your working and personal life including occupational health, spiritual care and independent counselling. This support can be accessed using the links on this page.
Further Information
For more information on the role, please refer to the Job Description. If you’re looking for more information on the recruitment process, organisation or the services we provide, please refer to our information pack, or our recruitment webpage.
Additional Information for Applicants
- Posts close at midnight on the indicated date
- For help to complete an application on Jobtrain please follow this link: https://www.careers.nhs.scot/how-to-apply/application-process/
- Please note that our correspondence method is by e-mail, therefore please ensure you enter your email address accurately
- Please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders) and also your Jobtrain account for updates
- Please contact Jobtrain Candidate Support Hub - https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home for advice and support with any system issues
- We recommend using the Internet Browser "Google Chrome" or "Microsoft Edge" when using Jobtrain
- Once you have submitted your application form you will be unable to make any amendments
In NHS Lanarkshire we are committed to recruiting a workforce that fully reflects the diverse make-up of our society. A place where every individual can thrive, develop and succeed based on skill, knowledge and talent, regardless of race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, care experienced* or any other dimension that can be used to differentiate people from one another.
We anticipate a high level of interest in this position and may close the advert once sufficient applications are received. Please complete and submit your application early.
*Care experienced applicants are people who live/have lived with foster parents/kinship carers or who live/have lived in a residential children’s setting/secure unit.
Whilst this advertisement may be for a specific post(s) in a particular location, applicants who are shortlisted for interview may be considered for similar vacancies in alternative locations.
Please note for all vacancies where a driving licence is required this must be a full UK/EU/EEA licence.
NHS Lanarkshire has a legal obligation to ensure that it does not employ any worker who has not been granted the relevant permission to work in the UK.
We are required to check the entitlement to work in the UK of all prospective employees, regardless of nationality or job category. UK Visas & Immigration rules are available at www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to check eligibility in advance of applying for vacancies in NHS Lanarkshire.