Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner

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South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good'.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I'm going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you'll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

This is a great opportunity for an experienced Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner to further develop the Step 2 service provision within Lambeth IAPT and to support the senior management team in expanding the step 2 offer within the service. The post holder(s) will report to the Step 2 Leads and participate in other meetings with the senior management team. The successful applicant will be proficient in the delivery of telephone triage assessments and CBT-based guided self-help interventions, and have experience of working with common mental health problems within primary care. You will also have opportunities to co-run clinical skills groups for Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner's and deliver both clinical and case management supervision to this group.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will
• Hold a Postgraduate Certificate in Low Intensity CBT Interventions and be BABCP registered (or BPS)
• Have at least six months of experience as a Qualified PWP (12 months experience would be desirable but not essential)
• Be a highly organised and motivated individual who can effectively manage their own time and caseload along with the other requirements of this post.

• Supporting the wellbeing of the step 2 team including organising and attending social events

• Support the Access team by providing triage supervision, which includes generating management plans.
• Offer evidence-based guided self-help interventions to people with common mental health disorders
• Take an active role in the recruitment, induction and training of Trainee PWP's, including the delivery of fortnightly clinical skills groups
• Undertake weekly clinical supervision of trainee PWP's and monthly case management supervision.
• Attend meetings with the rest of the Senior Management Team and within these meetings be willing to contribute to service discussions and demonstrate problem solving skills.
• Demonstrate a proactive and enthusiastic approach to managing challenges and feedback from the Step 2 Team.

Working for our organisation

We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It's important to us that you valued and appreciated and that are why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer

Some of our benefits are highlighted here:

• Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
• Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
• Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes
• Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars
• Accommodation, our staff benefits from keyworker housing available which is available on selected sites
• NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands though Health Service Discounts website.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

1) CLINICAL

1. To offer rapid screening and telephone triage assessments on the suitability of new referrals, informed by knowledge of the spectrum of mental health needs and risk factors.

2. To adhere to the departments referral protocols, referring clients on to the relevant health and social care service or back to the referrer as appropriate or stepping-up the persons treatment to high intensity psychological therapy or step 4 or specialist services within the borough.

3. To provide assessment and provision of high quality Low-Intensity interventions, e.g. psycho-educational groups and workshops, Guided Self Help, computerised CBT, pharmacologicalpsychoeducation, drawing from CBT theories and techniques. This work may be face to face, via telephone/web and/or in group format.

4. Conduct accurate and timely assessment of risk to self and others, including child safeguarding and vulnerable adult issues. Prepare risk management plans and initiate appropriate action where indicated (including requests for mental health act assessments and referrals to relevant secondary care and social services).

5. Provide a service that is comprehensive and accessible to a broad range of patients who have commonplace mental health problems and who are over 16 years of age, that is equitable and non-discriminatory in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and disability.

2) SUPERVISION AND TRAINING:

1. Undertake appropriate clinical, managerial and professional supervision on a regular basis in accordance with the relevant professional guidelines and Trust policies.

2. Attend and fulfil the requirements of the IAPT approved supervision training.

3. Provide case management and clinical supervision to Low intensity workers and Low intensity trainees in the IAPT team.

4. Responsible for overseeing UCL assignments for trainees, =which includes giving feedback on assessment and treatment sessions as well as signing off Clinical Practice Outcomes.

5. Identify training needs across the step 2 team and develop routes for CPD in co-ordination with Step 2 Lead and other SLAM IAPT sites.

6. Offer training to Step 2 clinical staff in CBT based interventions

7. Attend locally organised and national training appropriate to the work role.

8. Delivering both trainee and newly Qualified Clinical Skills sessions

3) PROFESSIONAL:

1. Take personal (unprompted) responsibility for achieving agreed clinical activity relating to the number of therapy contact hours per week, assessment, discharge and recovery targets.

2. Proactively take responsibility for attending clinical case management supervision, line management supervision and supervision of supervision group regularly.

3. Participate in the appraisal process on a minimum of an annual basis. Participate in the setting and review of objectives for the post and respond to agreed objectives.

4. Participate in activities of continuing professional development (CPD) on an annual basis.

5. To develop an area of interest, to the level whereby the post-holder could become a resource of information for the whole service.

6. Promote and contribute to the development and maintenance of a healthy therapeutic culture within the Lambeth IAPT amongst colleagues and Service Users.

7.To complete all requirements relating to data collection and record keeping in line with SLaM and Lambeth IAPT policies, in a thorough and timely fashion.

4) MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT:

1. Ensure that clinically supervised staff maintain appropriate clinical records in keeping with SlaM and Lambeth IAPT policies.

2. Ensure clinically supervised staff maintain outcome data as per service operational policy

4. Participate in audits of clinical activity and evaluative research as required. Attend senior management meetings if and when necessary.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Holds a recognised qualification to work as a psychological wellbeing practitioner (e.g. Post Graduate Diploma in Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Interventions)
• BABCP or BPS PWP Registration

Desirable criteria

• IAPT PWP supervision training.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant experience of working within an IAPT service including screening, triaging, assessing and managing risk and liaising with other professionals involved in clients' care
• Experience demonstrating a range of post-qualifying experiences in offering and delivering the range of evidence-based IAPT low intensity interventions such as computerised CBT, guided self-help and group psycho-education programmes.
• Experience of working in a service where agreed targets are in place and evidence of being able to meet these targets.
• Experience of offering supervision for triage, qualified or trainee PWPs and/or staff mentoring experience.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working within a service development role.
• Experience in delivering case management and/or clinical supervision.
• One year post qualification experience working as a PWP

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Demonstrates an understanding of anxiety and depression, and how they may present in Primary Care.
• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of relevant NICE Guidance and the stepped care model.
• Knowledge of working with diversity and of working with black and minority ethnic groups (BAME).

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of local and Trust-wide mental health services and the protocols/pathways existing between them.
• Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems.

Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to adapt CBT-based self-help protocols taking account of individual client needs (e.g. working cross-culturally).
• Ability to form and maintain good therapeutic relationships with clients
• Able to work within a team and foster good working relationships.
• Demonstrate excellent time management and organisational skills such as diary management
• Able to work autonomously and to manage conflicting demands between clients, the team, the health care system and broader contexts.

Desirable criteria

• Ability to carry out a range of evaluation and monitoring techniques.
• Fluent in languages other than English.

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity

Please note:

• That all applications for this post will need to be made online
• That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe'

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• SPWP JS&PS (PDF, 448.6KB)
• SLaM Staff Benefits (PDF, 1.1MB)
• Happy to Talk Flexible Working (PDF, 680.1KB)