Job summary
Band 7 Clinical Psychologist / Neuropsychologist/ Practitioner Psychologist 0.4 WTE

The stroke neuropsychology service contributes specialist neuro-rehabilitation to adults who have suffered a stroke. Input is provided across the patient's recovery pathway, from acute inpatient ward, to rehabilitation unit, and into the community.

The postholder will provide psychological and neuropsychological assessment, intervention, rehabilitation, and consultation services to client's referred to the stroke neuropsychology service from within the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) stroke pathway.

You will ideally have clinical experience in the assessment and management of patients experiencing cognitive and physical impairments and subsequent difficulties in function following an acute neurological event such as stroke, traumatic and acquired brain injury, or other neurological conditions.

You will be responsible for managing a caseload of patients with complex needs. The work is varied, challenging and rewarding.

You will work alongside other Clinical Psychologists, Practitioner Psychologists, and Neuropsychologists in the stroke service and will be part of the wider stroke MDTs embedded within the BNSSG stroke pathway.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder is responsible for delivering a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, rehabilitation and therapy service to the Stroke Rehabilitation Pathway.
• The post holder is responsible for providing effective and timely communication at all levels (patients, families, multi-disciplinary team, referring agents and external agencies) as appropriate and according to clinical judgement, via the provision of individual sessions, the provision of formal reports and attendance at multi-professional clinical meetings.
• The post holder will liaise directly with colleagues within the service and external agencies regarding the neuropsychological issues and management of patients referred, to include medical colleagues, nursing colleagues, therapists, social services, other government agencies and employers/educational establishments as relevant.
• The post holder will manage, plan and prioritise his or her clinical caseload under guidance from the Clinical Lead.
• The post holder will keep up to date with the evidence base for brain injury rehabilitation, advise the Clinical Lead on potential new initiative and treatment approaches, and contribute to in-house multidisciplinary training.
• The post holder will be professionally accountable for his/her own work while obtaining supervision from a senior Clinical Neuropsychologist.

About us
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS hospital trusts in the UK. More than 28,000 staff care for over 1.1 million people each year, delivering services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across 13 hospital sites.

Alongside local hospital care, we provide a wide range of specialist services for people across the South West and from across the UK. Our specialist services include: major trauma care, neurosciences, and stroke care. We are also a research and teaching trust, working closely with the Universities of Bristol, Bath and the West of England to improve care now and in the future.

Our staff are at the heart of everything we do. Every day, teams across BFT provide care with skill, kindness and dedication. We want BFT to be a place where colleagues can build careers, feel supported and make a difference. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

The postholder will be part of the Department of Neuropsychology, which is a large neuropsychology department providing an array of services within the neurosciences across the pathway of care. The department works in partnership with the University of Bristol in the delivery of Clinical Neuropsychology training.

Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year pa pro rata
Working pattern: Part-time
Contract: Permanent

Essential personal qualities

• Able to meet the travel requirements of the post (i.e. possess a valid driving licence and have access to own transport)
• Ability to work consistently under pressure
• Ability to co-ordinate multiple roles
• Ability to negotiate effectively with clinical colleagues
• Ability to develop rapport with stroke survivors / brain injured patients
• Ability to concentrate intensely for prolonged periods of time

Essential knowledge, skills and abilities

• Capability to deliver individual neuropsychological assessment
• Experience with evidence-based psychological treatments (e.g, cognitive behavioural therapy, cognitive remediation and/or anger management)
• Advanced analytical and judgemental skills.
• General psychological clinical skills
• The capacity to summarise and interpret highly complex and sensitive data and write concise, accurate and readily understood reports that communicate the findings of the neuropsychological assessment to treating clinicians.
• Skills in communicating sensitive and distressing information.
• Ability to respond urgently and flexibly to clinical demands for assessment.
• Knowledge of relevant Government guidelines, NSFs and NICE guidelines pertinent to the delivery, planning, development and prioritising of neuropsychological and/or stroke services
• Ability to manage and effectively prioritise clinical caseload.
• Ability to provide feedback to patients and referring agents as is appropriate and according to clinical judgement.
• Ability to ensure adequate records and governance guidelines are maintained and managed.

Desirable

• Experience working with the families and carers of people with stroke, brain injuries or neurological conditions

Essential education and qualifications

• HCPC registered
• Postgraduate qualification in Clinical Psychology, Practitioner Psychology, or Clinical Neuropsychology to Masters or Doctoral level as recognised by the British Psychological Society and/or HCPC

Desirable

• Completion of, or enrolment on, the knowledge dimension of the qualification in clinical neuropsychology (QiCN).
• Commitment to Post Qualification Training in Clinical Neuropsychology

Essential experience

• Neuropsychology placement experience within the context of Clinical Psychology training, or equivalent
• Competence providing specialist advice concerning the psychological and neuropsychological status, prognosis, and management options for patients
• Experience in assessment of patients with neurological conditions
• Experience in delivering therapeutic interventions applicable to stroke / brain injury, neurological and health conditions

Desirable

• Experience of working with MDTs in a range of healthcare settings
• Experience of working using a consultation model

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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. 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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

For questions about the job, contact:
Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist, Branwen Major, branwen.major@nbt.nhs.uk, 01174140456

Apply through our website.