Clinical Psychologist in Neuropsychology

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Job Overview

Clinical Psychologist / Neuropsychologist (0.6 WTE)

The Head Injury Therapy Unit is a community-based neurorehabilitation service supporting adults with acquired brain injury. We seek a skilled and motivated team player to join our experienced multidisciplinary team, which includes neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation support workers, and assistant psychologists. The team works primarily in patients’ homes and outpatient settings, focusing on functional, life-enhancing goals.

Ideal candidates will have clinical experience assessing and managing cognitive and physical impairments following acute neurological events such as traumatic brain injury or other neurological conditions. You will manage a caseload of patients with complex needs, supported by a dedicated multidisciplinary team. Regular travel across the local area is required; therefore, access to transport is essential.

This post is part of the Neurological & Musculoskeletal (NMSK) Division at North Bristol NHS Trust. The role sits within the Department of Neuropsychology, serving clinical, academic, and research departments. Supervision will be provided by a Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist.

For more information, please contact Dr. Angelita Cruz, Consultant Neuropsychologist and Clinical Lead, at 0117 414 3280.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide specialist neuropsychology input for patients with acquired brain injury referred to the Head Injury Therapy Unit and may support other adult neuropsychology services as needed. Working largely autonomously at an advanced clinical level, they are professionally accountable for their work while receiving supervision from a senior Clinical Neuropsychologist.

Responsibilities include delivering comprehensive neuropsychological assessments, rehabilitation, and therapy, and producing accurate, timely reports. Effective communication with patients, families, multidisciplinary teams, referrers, and external agencies is essential, through individual sessions, formal reports, and clinical meetings.

The post holder will liaise with internal colleagues and external agencies such as GP’s, social care, government bodies, employers, and educational institutions, to manage neuropsychological aspects of patient care.

They will manage, plan, and prioritize their clinical caseload with guidance from the Clinical Lead. Keeping up to date with the latest brain injury rehabilitation evidence, the post holder will advise on new initiatives and treatments and contribute to in-house multidisciplinary training.

Working for our organisation

North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. 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.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

• Ensure all practice complies with professional guidelines.
• The post holder will provide highly specialist neuropsychology input for patients with acquired brain injury referred to the Head Injury Therapy Unit, with input to other adult neuropsychology services if required. The post holder is expected to work largely autonomously and at an advanced and specialised clinical level in the provision of service.
• The post holder will be professionally accountable for his/her own work while obtaining supervision from a senior Clinical Neuropsychologist.
• The postholder will be expected to travel regularly throughout the locality of the HITU team and therefore access to transport is essential.
• The post holder is responsible for delivering a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, rehabilitation and therapy service to the Head Injury Therapy Unit and the provision of relevant reports as required, accurately and in a timely fashion.
• 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 may be asked to present research and relevant lectures (including case studies) to the Neuroscience community, both locally and further afield, and shall thereby assist in the promotion of the Trust, the Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, and the Department.
• The post holder will make clinical decisions (e.g., diagnosis, formulation, recommendations to patient, carer, or other professionals, treatment options, intervention plans, etc.) based on evidence from a variety of sources. These sources will include, at least, the medical history, information provided during interview (by patient and/or carer), psychometric test data, behavioural observations and other relevant information. There are often no guidelines about making clinical decisions, and they must be made on a case-by-case basis, using the post holder’s knowledge, skills and experience. In many cases the evidence-base for making clinical decisions is poor or conflicting. As such, expert opinion may differ and the post holder must make his/her decision based on the best evidence that is available.
• 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 frequently come into contact with vulnerable adults and at times child protection issues may be raised. The post holder will conform to Trust guidelines and follow best principles in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team.
• The post holder will adopt a flexible approach to managing his or her caseload, so that urgent cases can be accommodated at very short notice (e.g., same day).
• The post holder will liaise with the assistant psychologist to ensure that he/she is used most effectively in achieving the aims of the service.
• The post holder will provide supervision to assistant psychologists as required.
• The post holder will plan the monthly schedule of patients and liaise with other psychologists and the HITU multidisciplinary team to plan access to the available clinic rooms.
• The post holder will use the network drive and shared outlook calendar, to ensure that all appointments are placed on a shared electronic calendar.
• The post holder is jointly responsible for the security of psychological test materials, computers, office equipment and consumables, and ensuring that other staff members in the area (e.g., assistant psychologist) adhere to security rules (e.g., keeping test materials secure, locking doors).
• The post holder will use computer software to type short reports (e.g., for inpatients) and letters in order to expedite urgent correspondence.
• The post holder will occasionally use computer software to create spreadsheets as required to facilitate test scoring and interpretation, and data management.
• The post holder will interpret policies determined by professional ethics, and the needs of the clinical service and the directorate. He or she will decide how to implement such policies in consultation with the Clinical Lead.
• The post holder will use the IT infrastructure as required to support the efficient delivery of service, to include using video calls and shared cloud-based resources.
• The post holder is responsible for identifying needs and problems within the service provision, communicating these to the Clinical Lead and contributing to the resolution of these issues as well as to service development plans more broadly.
• The post holder may occasionally present research and relevant lectures (including case studies) to the Neuroscience community, both locally and further afield, and shall thereby assist in the promotion of the Trust and the Neuropsychology Department.
  
  

(Please Refer To Full Job Description Attached)

Person specification

Education/ Training / Qualifications

Essential criteria

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

Special Circumstances

Essential criteria

• Ability to meet the travel requirement of the post (i.e. possess a valid driving licence and have access to own transport)
  
  

Work Experience

Essential criteria

• 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
  
  

If you apply for this vacancy and have not received a communication from North Bristol NHS Trust within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

Please note that North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance.

If you feel you meet the requirements of the Disability Act / Two Ticks scheme and require further support/advice, please contact us on tel 0117 414 1151.

North Bristol NHS Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The successful applicant(s) will normally commence at the minimum of the scale unless they have previous NHS service at the same band. Progression through the scale is by annual increments.

At North Bristol Trust (NBT), we know diverse and inclusive environments lead to happier and healthier teams and improved patient care and outcomes. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are currently underrepresented in NBT’s workforce at Band 8a and above. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people.

Please note that stringent pre-employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.