Band 8b Clinical Psychologist - Bristol

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join an established Complex Psychological Interventions Team as a senior member. As an already experienced clinician, you will have opportunities to help shape the delivery of the service.

The successful candidate willlead an entirely autonomous and systematic, specialist area of responsibility for Older Adults within the Bristol Citywide Complex Psychological Interventions (CPI) Service, for people with severe and complex mental health difficulties. In addition, as part of the Central Bristol CPI Service, you will work as a senior clinician, providing input to the Central & East Assessment and Recovery Team and the Central Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Service.

Main duties of the job

To lead the Bristol Citywide Complex Psychological Interventions (CPI) Service.

To work as a senior clinician, providing input to the Central & East Assessment and Recovery Team and the Central Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Service.

To offer an entirely autonomous highly specialist clinical psychology service. To provide specialist consultancy, advice, clinical supervision and training regarding Older Adults to qualified CPI staff and staff from other services.

To provide consultancy, advice and clinical supervision to staff in the Central & East Assessment and Recovery Team working with both Older Adults and Adults of Working Age.

To provide an advanced and specialist treatment role in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and other psychological interventions.

To undertake management/ leadership tasks as delegated by the manager including caseload, supervision, appraisals and service development.

To support relevant research and training in specialist clinical areas.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust):a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Date posted

11 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£62,215 to £72,293 a year pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

342-BR064-0425

Job locations

The Speedwell Centre

Whitefield Road

Bristol

BS5 7TJ

Job description

Job responsibilities

CLINICAL

To offer an entirely autonomous highly specialist clinical psychology assessment and treatment service through the psychology service.

To support the full implementation of the Your Team, Your Conversation, Your Plan framework within the Complex Psychological Interventions Service and within the multidisciplinary teams.

To provide supervision and consultancy to service/LDU staff with regard to problem assessment and formulation, and therapy interventions.

To participate in clinical supervision and caseload supervision arrangements provided by the psychology service.

To provide an advanced and specialist treatment role in the service/LDU as agreed with the service manager.

To carry out specialist assessments as requested e.g. by the special care panel of service users with complex mental difficulties placed out of area.

To undertake RCAs/investigations as appropriate to the service.

Because of the seniority of this post the postholder may be required to participate in on-call arrangements, after suitable training

MANAGEMENT

To offer caseload supervision to staff from psychology/psychological therapies as delegated by manager.

To carry out appraisals with staff from psychology/psychological therapies as delegated by the manager.

To carry out operational/management tasks as delegated by the manager/Head of Profession e.g. attending meetings to represent the service.

PROFESSIONAL

To be accountable for own professional actions and to be aware of the BPS (1996) Code of Conduct and the DCP (1995) Professional Practice guidelines.

To participate in Psychology/Psychological Therapy business and professional meetings.

To maintain and further develop high standards of Psychology practice, through co-operative work with other Psychologists and peer supervision.

To be aware of, interpret and be guided by overall health service policies with regard to area of working. To interpret and be guided by organisational policies in the course of work.

CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

To support the Manager/professional lead in the development and implementation of effective Clinical Governance across the Complex Psychological Interventions Service.

To lead, support and participate in multidisciplinary clinical audit in the service.

To promote the use of effective interventions in the service.

Training and staff development AND MANAGEMENT

To supervise Clinical/Counselling Psychology trainees and qualified psychologists/ Psychological Therapists.
To offer training in Psychological approaches to healthcare to other staff in the multidisciplinary team and to staff from other parts of the service.
To provide expert lectures, seminars and workshops as necessary locally and across the LDU/Division and Trust.
To lecture on the Doctoral Clinical / Counselling Psychology training courses.
To agree a plan for personal development with the CPI Directors and participate in annual review.
Provide inclusive, compassionate and effective leadership for your team by setting clear vision and direction.
Develop a culture and environment in which members of staff are encouraged and supported to deliver high-quality services and are supported to innovate and improve services where appropriate.
Encourage your team to feel able to raise concerns openly and safely.
Promote equality of opportunity in service delivery and employment, ensuring that no person receives less favourable treatment than another on the grounds of gender, marital status, race, religion, creed, colour nationality ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or disability.
Support prompt recruitment by identifying vacancies to the AWP Recruitment Team as soon as they arise, and participate in the selection and effective induction and on-boarding of new joiners to the team.
Ensure that all team members have a very positive introduction to the team and a well-supported first year.
Take responsibility for encouraging people to stay with AWP, ensuring that you are aware whenever a member of your team is considering leaving, seeking to understand their reasons and encouraging them to stay.
Ensure that key messages are cascaded in your team and that your team are encouraged to put forward suggestions.
Show appreciation to your team when they do good work and support them when they are struggling.
Consider the individual needs of team members for a healthy work-life balance and think about how their needs can be supported by providing flexible ways of working.
Support all team members to keep their mandatory and statutory training up-to-date and identify the learning and development needs of all team members of the team ensuring that everyone has an up-to-date personal development plan (PDP).
Ensure that every team member as at least an hour of supervision (one-to-one meeting) each month, this may include both managerial and clinical supervision.
Ensure all team members receive a constructive assessment of their performance each year and set SMART objectives for the coming year.
Seek support from the HR Team to tackle any worries regarding matters of discipline, including both conduct and capability concerns, supporting a just and restorative culture. Take prompt action regarding serious concerns and ensure clear plans are in place for problems which are less serious in nature but prove difficult to resolve.
Act as a positive role model at all times, encouraging people to feel equal members of the team whilst working within clear frameworks and policies.
Promote effective use of bank and agency nursing staff, providing a safe and effective service, complying with regulatory standards.

STAFF PERFORMANCE AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Ensure that you and your team understand all of the agreed key performance indicators for your service, particularly relating to outcomes and essential standards to be met.

Ensure that you and your team understand data quality standards and that all the necessary records for your service are maintained and reported.

Ensure that you and your team understand all of the clinical and business action plans relevant to your services.

Ensure that you and your team understand all of the monitoring, auditing and reporting systems relevant to your services.

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING

Actively seek opportunities for improvement for the services which you and your team provide by identifying research evidence and best practice elsewhere, interpreting/translating and facilitating adaptation for AWP.

Analyse and interpret data to inform the strategic direction of the services which you and your team provide

Ensure multidisciplinary involvement and the use of quality improvement (QI) techniques in service improvement, by negotiating shared solutions, facilitating the resolution of complex or contentious issues and managing any conflict into constructive outcomes.

Ensure effective risk identification, analysis, mitigation and management within your services, encouraging all members of your team to be aware of and to manage risks.

GOVERNANCE AND POLICY

Ensure that you understand all of the key governance requirements, policies and standards for your services and that these are communicated to your team; make sure your team understand the importance of good governance.

Support the development of policies relevant to your services, including your team in this work.

STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT

Ensure that you are aware of the many stakeholders to your services (your key stakeholders will include all members of your multi-disciplinary team, other teams, service users, families, carers, local communities, other statutory agencies, other healthcare providers etc)

Develop and maintain positive relationships with your key stakeholders, this may include proactive communications to ensure full involvement and engagement in the delivery of services and aims and objectives.

Implement and lead effective two-way communications to ensure that the Service areas are responsive to the needs of patients/service users and external pressures

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

To advise the Service manager/locality management about service priorities and potential developments in the sector.

To participate and lead management meetings and service development projects as delegated by the Service Manager/Head of Profession.

Research and Development

To initiate research as required by the needs of the local service.

To offer advice and support to other members of relevant teams undertaking research projects.

To participate in Clinical audit projects in the Psychology service.

To encourage a culture of evidence based practice in all parts of the service.