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In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran we are committed to a culture that is Caring Safe and Respectful. You will be required to work collaboratively in a safe, caring and respectful way.
We are recruiting for a Senior Principal Clinical Psychologist to join the Clinical Health Psychology Specialty which is part of the wider NHS Ayrshire & Arran Psychological Service. The Psychological Service comprises of approximately 100 staff including Clinical Psychologists, Counselling Psychologists, Clinical Nurse Specialists in CBT, Clinical associates in Applied Psychology, Counsellors, Graduate Assistant Psychologists and Master and Doctoral Psychology Trainees. The Psychological Service delivers area-wide psychological provision through the Professional Lead for Psychological Services and two Heads of Specialty and Consultant Psychology Leads across the Psychological Specialties.
This post sits within the Clinical Health Psychology Service - a friendly, supportive and stimulating environment in which to work. The post holder will have operational day to day and professional line management by the Consultant Clinical Psychologist as an employee of the NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Psychological Service. The Clinical Health Psychology service consists of a number of Clinical Psychologists, each linked to an acute medical specialty: Cardiac, Oncology, Pain, Bariatric, Weight Management, ICU and General Medicine. Within each of these acute specialist areas the Psychologist is an integral part of a multi-disciplinary team consisting of Nursing, Medical and Allied Health Professionals.
In line with recent guidance and funding from the Scottish Government to support the mental health needs of patients who have been hospitalised due to COVID-19, the Senior Principal Clinical Psychologist will lead the development of a Critical Care/ICU Psychology service in NHS Ayrshire & Arran to support all patients who have been hospitalised due to COVID-19. The role will involve working with inpatients, with post-ICU patients in an outpatient setting, with family members and with ICU staff, under the professional management and supervision of the Consultant Clinical Psychologist/ Professional Lead for Clinical Health Psychology. You will provide highly specialist psychological and neuro-psychological assessment and therapy at the same time as offering advice and consultation on clients’ psychological care to 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. You will develop and deliver a stepped care model of support to patients, families and staff. You will contribute to the longer term rehabilitation of ICU patients - working closely with the ICU rehabilitation programme (InS:PIRE), and provide leadership for the development and provision of a clear staff support pathway for the multi-disciplinary team. You will be responsible for the line management and clinical supervision of a Band 5 Assistant Psychologist. You will support the service in ensuring that national waiting time targets are adhered to and that the psychology resource is utilized in the most effective and efficient manner, consistent with organizational priorities.
The base for this post will be Ayrshire Central Hospital but you will be required to flexibly cover the Intensive care Unit at University Hospital Crosshouse and University Hospital Ayr as required. A physical presence within all of the critical care areas will be essential. You will be working as part of a highly-skilled and passionate team of medical, nursing and allied health professionals to deliver the highest standards of care to patients and their relatives in a rapidly changing environment.
You will utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the area served by the team/service and provide clinical and professional supervision to other psychologists or trainees undertaking Doctoral training. You will undertake service development which may have an impact beyond own area of practice.
You should demonstrate advanced theoretical and practical knowledge as a Clinical Psychologist which has been obtained through post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (or equivalent) as accredited by BPS or HCPC including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan development psychology. In addition to this, you should be HCPC registered as a Clinical Psychologist.
A car driver is essential to this role.
Hours: 37.5 per week but variation in contracted hours would be considered.
Informal enquiries are welcomed by Lesley Allan, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Lesley.Allan@aapct.scot.nhs.uk or on 01294 323565