Job summary
We are excited to recruit to the role of Principal Psychologist/Psychological Therapist in Diabetes. You would be joining the Diabetes Psychology and Psychiatry Service which sits within the Tower Hamlets Community Diabetes Service.
The Tower Hamlets Community Diabetes Service is a specialist service located within Mile End Hospital, supporting people living with Type 1 Diabetes and some people living Type 2 Diabetes that is not well-controlled. You would be joining the Diabetes Psychology and Psychiatry Service (DPPS) comprising Psychotherapists, Psychologists and a Consultant in Diabetes Psychiatry. This service sits within the wider multi-disciplinary team of nurses, dieticians, consultants, and diabetes educators.
The Diabetes Psychology and Psychiatry Service aims: to support people who live with Type 1 (T1) or Type 2 (T2) diabetes to manage their diabetes as well as possible whilst leading the life they want to live; to provide compassionate specialised psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for adults living with diabetes accessing diabetes care; to build connections with other services to improve the care of people living with diabetes; and to support the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to see the person as well as the diabetes.
The service offers assessments and screening, as well as groups and individual psychological interventions to people living with Type 1 diabetes and people living with Type 2 diabetes that is poorly controlled.
Main duties of the job
To lead the development and delivery of specialist assessments of clients, using interview, formal psychometric and other assessment methods as appropriate and in accordance with their profession.
To lead the development and delivery of treatment, advice and management of clients living with Type 1 diabetes or Type 2 diabetes that is not well-controlled, using a range of appropriate psychological or biopsychosocial interventions according to their profession, including 1:1 and group sessions.
To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment and treatment of clients, in accordance with the policies of the services.
To deliver specialist advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, specifically the wider MDT and GPs, to assist in the formulation, diagnosis and treatment of clients.
To deliver professional communications in a skilled and sensitive manner concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients.
To liaise with other health and social care staff, from a range of agencies, in the care provided to clients.
To develop and maintain relationships including consultation to relevant user groups and other organisations.
To provide teaching/training to health and social care staff, from a range of services, to promote the care provided to people living with diabetes in Tower Hamlets.
About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a psychological therapist in a physical health setting, providing highly specialist health psychology assessment and treatment through 1:1 and group interventions with adults.
- Experience of working within MDT settings and providing consultation.
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and individual and group based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including primary and secondary/specialist care and inpatient/residential, outpatient and community team settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity
- Experience of teaching and training other professionals and/or professional and clinical supervision.
- Experience of working in a multi- cultural setting, including working with interpreters.
Desirable
- Experience of working in an outpatient multi-disciplinary clinic.
- Experience of working in the clinical field of diabetes.
- Experience of working with clients to help facilitate and modify eating behaviours and relationship with food.
- Experience of providing systemic interventions
Knowledge
Essential
- Awareness of confidentiality policies and procedures.
- Knowledge of the workings/structure of NHS organisations.
Desirable
- Knowledge of legislation and guidance in relation to the client group.
Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate effectively with other healthcare professionals and colleagues.
- Ability to contain, assess and mediate in situations with clients where they may be distressed and/or at risk to themselves and others.
- Ability to formulate complex clients' presenting difficulties within a theoretical framework, to plan and deliver an appropriate specialist treatment intervention, and to evaluate the efficacy and outcome of treatment.
- Research skills and experience of both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
- Computer literacy. Including the use of databases, word processing, excel, powerpoint and statistical packages.
- Ability to concentrate within a complex therapeutic framework for up to 3-4 hours at a time.
- Ability to travel between different sites within the Trust and in the community for clinics, meetings, and other work- related responsibilities, as well as use virtual and telephone methods of communication.
Desirable
- Able to independently manage own caseload, including auditing demand and supply, communicating with all stakeholders and adjusting caseload criteria accordingly
Qualifications
Essential
- Postgraduate Doctorate in Psychology (Clinical/Health/Counselling, or equivalent in Clinical Psychology for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS and Health Care Professionals Council (or equivalent) OR qualified as a psychological therapist as accredited by the relevant professional body.
- Registered as Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC or equivalent for psychological therapists.
Desirable
- Relevant specialist training or qualifications
- Clinical supervision training for Doctoral trainees.
Communication
Essential
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Working to Professional Guidelines.
- Must be capable of autonomous and independent practice necessitating the adoption of responsibility for own work and interventions, and for the interpretation of agreed guidelines and policies.
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
Barts Health NHS Trust
Address
Mile End Hospital
London
E1 4DG