Job summary
Croydon NHS Talking Therapies is an ambitious, high-performing service committed to delivering evidence-based psychological therapies and outstanding patient care. We are seeking an experienced and inspirational Principal CBT Therapist & Access Lead to join our senior leadership team and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the service.

This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished BABCP-accredited CBT Therapist with strong leadership skills and a passion for improving access, reducing inequalities and delivering excellent clinical outcomes. The successful candidate will lead the service's access and assessment pathways, ensuring patients receive timely, equitable and effective care whilst supporting the achievement of NHS Talking Therapies national objectives.

As a Senior Clinical Leader, you will contribute strategically to service development, workforce planning, quality improvement and innovation while maintaining a specialist clinical role and supporting the development of our highly skilled workforce.

Main duties of the job

• Leading the service's access, assessment and referral pathways, ensuring patients are offered timely and equitable access to care.
• Driving performance against NHS Talking Therapies access, waiting time, recovery and engagement targets.
• Providing expert clinical leadership and consultation for complex and high-risk clinical presentations.
• Maintaining a small specialist caseload and delivering highly specialised CBT interventions where appropriate.
• Providing clinical supervision, mentorship and professional leadership to support workforce development and clinical excellence.
• Using service performance data to identify trends, improve patient flow, reduce waiting lists and enhance service outcomes.
• Leading quality improvement, service transformation and innovation projects to enhance patient experience and effectiveness.
• Working collaboratively with primary care, secondary care, community organisations and commissioners to improve access and reduce health inequalities.
• Leading on audits, service evaluation, incident reviews and quality assurance activities.

About us
The post-holder will work within the Croydon NHS Talking Therapies Service. The service consists of approximately 100 WTE clinical and administration staff providing a service across Croydon. The main service bases are at the Bethlem Royal Hospital and Central Croydon. This is a borough of high social and psychological needs with considerable cultural diversity. The service sees clients with a wide range of common mental health problems and varying levels of severity. Many clients present with multiple problems including social, housing and employment issues. The postholder will work with people with different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities.

We operate a stepped care service model offering on-line CBT, guided self-help, groups and workshops as well as individual therapy (CBT and a range of other approaches) and offer treatment to Lambeth residents suffering from long term conditions. We offer clinical services on week days from 8am until 7:30pm. We have close links with our sister IAPT services within SLaM, with the IAPT training courses at the Institute of Psychiatry and University College London (UCL) and CADAT.

The post holder will be required to work at least one late shift from 11:30 - 19:30.

Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities:

• Leading the service's access, assessment and referral pathways, ensuring patients are offered timely and equitable access to care.
• Driving performance against NHS Talking Therapies access, waiting time, recovery and engagement targets.
• Providing expert clinical leadership and consultation for complex and high-risk clinical presentations.
• Maintaining a small specialist caseload and delivering highly specialised CBT interventions where appropriate.
• Providing clinical supervision, mentorship and professional leadership to support workforce development and clinical excellence.
• Using service performance data to identify trends, improve patient flow, reduce waiting lists and enhance service outcomes.
• Leading quality improvement, service transformation and innovation projects to enhance patient experience and effectiveness.
• Working collaboratively with primary care, secondary care, community organisations and commissioners to improve access and reduce health inequalities.
• Leading on audits, service evaluation, incident reviews and quality assurance activities.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Qualified therapist in CBT from an IAPT-approved High Intensity training at post-graduate diploma level or equivalent
• Practitioner accreditation status with BABCP
• PG diploma in low intensity interventions

Desirable

• An additional therapy qualification eg EMDR; IPT; DIT; Couples/systemic

Experience
Essential

• Significant experience in staff management including line management, performance management and appraisal
• Experience of implementing major service improvements
• Experience of managing the day-to-day running and performance of a significant service or function within an NHS Talking Therapies service
• Experience of clinically supervising psychological therapists including qualified PWP's and HIs
• Recent and significant experience of working in a NHS Talking Therapies Service

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of at least one NICE recommended model of therapy for IAPT
• Have attended supervision training for PWP's and HIs
• Advanced knowledge of disorder specific formulations and evidence based treatment interventions relevant to an IAPT service
• Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
• Proficient in the use of iaptus, dashboard and hypercube

Desirable

• Training in performance management

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 (Opens in a new tab).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).