Job summary
We are looking for a Clinical or Forensic Psychologist to be part of an established community team, improving the lives of forensic mental health service users.
Part of a pioneering programme funded by NHS England, the team supports forensic service users in the community instead of in secure hospitals. This can improve quality of life and reduce inequality, and allow hospital care costs to be reinvested into community services. Other teams in the programme have spoken of having a "genuine impact on service users' lives", and the ability to "instil hope" and "witness real life changes".
Main duties of the job
This is a rare chance to be part of an established community forensic service, providing opportunities to develop your skills and your career. You will play a key role in the multi-disciplinary team, working alongside colleagues from nursing, social work, occupational therapy and medicine. You will need to be a Chartered Psychologist with experience in mental health settings, but preferably with experience in forensic services or community settings. Management and leadership experience is required, as you will lead a small psychology team within FOLS. It's an opportunity to work with a complex client group, using a range of clinical skills and interventions, both individually and in groups. The primary caseload will be patients who are discharged from secure settings into more independent living in the community in Kent. You will be working in a dynamic community setting, balancing positive risk taking and strengths-based approaches with public protection and balancing support with promoting independence. The post involves working closely with Community Mental Health Teams, offering advice and consultation around risk reduction.
About us
Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.
We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We arerated Good overall by the CQC.
Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.
We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.
You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.
The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.
Our strategy
Our mission is what we set out to do every day
We deliver brilliant care through brilliant people
Our vision is where we want to be in the future
To provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This is a full-time, two-year fixed-term contract at Agenda for Change band 8B, also suitable for an internal secondment for existing KMPT staff, covering for an existing staff member taking a career break. Flexible working opportunities are available. The team will cover Kent and out of area Kent patients.
For more details, see the job description.
Person Specification
Training/qualifications
Essential
- Good honours degree in Psychology.
- Post-graduate doctorate in clinical/forensic psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS.
Desirable
- Post-Doctoral Training/qualification in one or more Therapeutic Models e.g: CBT, DBT, MBT, Psychodynamic
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of four years post qualification experience in working in a variety of mental health/forensic settings. Experience of working in range of mental health / neuro developmental disability settings with a range of age groups as specified by BPS competencies for clinical/forensic psychologists.
Desirable
- Experience of management of staff
- Experience of Conducting audit, service evaluation and Qi
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- Ability to comprehend and communicate verbally and in writing highly complex and sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including complex highly emotive situations and those with significantly impaired communication capacities.
- Ability to analyse and manage complex multi-factorial clinical information from a range of sources integrating it into a formulation utilising a variety of psychological perspectives.
Desirable
- Additional specialist supervised experience in the setting and client group of this post.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website .
Employer details
Employer name
Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust
Address
Trevor Gibbens Unit
Hermitage Lane
Maidstone
ME16 9PL