Highly Specialist Psychologist (Clinical, Counselling or Health)

Within the development of the Psychological Medicine Service in Oldham and Psychological Medicine, an exciting job opportunity has become available for Psychologists from a Clinical, Counselling or Health Psychology background. Candidates may have an interest in working with patients in the field of physical health and/or with patients with complex interpersonal or trauma experiences who present with atypical healthcare utilisation.

The posts are offered at 8a, however a band 7 to 8a preceptorship will be considered for candidates with suitable experience. Senior 8a psychotherapist applications would also be considered for this post.

The post is based in the Oldham team, focussed on working with people who present with atypical healthcare utilisation. The patient group identify as having persistent physical symptoms, and have a background of complex interpersonal and trauma experiences. The team comprises of liaison practitioners, consultant psychiatry and psychology.

Successful candidates for either role will work clinically providing specialist assessment and formulation for patients. Formulation may be used to inform care plans for patients within the team (and in other services such as GP or acute care) and may lead on to targeted therapy intervention where indicated.

The teams have a strong ethos of learning. Provision of teaching, supervision and support of trainee doctors, psychologists and liaison practitioners within the team is an essential and rewarding part of the roles. Offering consultation or learning opportunities to local GPs and external professionals as well to mental health colleagues enables joint working with other teams and smooth pathways of care for patients.

All staff in the service are involved in respective MDTs and feed in, through business meetings to service development and evaluation initiatives.

Psychological Medicine Services form a network across the footprint of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, working in each of the local boroughs. Services have evolved over the last 20 years to cover a range of patient groups, for example working with patients with long term health conditions including persistent pain, patients with post covid syndrome, and people who have atypically high utilisation of healthcare services.

Service delivery has been identified as an example of good practice by NHS England as well as service models being cited by the Kings Fund.

Services working with atypical healthcare utilisation recognise the complex impact of trauma and interpersonal difficulty on physical healthcare service use, whereas a primary health focus is offered in teams which integrate into healthcare provision such as pain or diabetes. As a network across the trust, clinical staff are supported to develop their skills in a range of therapies and to work collaboratively to share skills with colleagues.

Clinical role - the post holders will become part of the Psychological Medicine MDT and will offer assessment and formulation to people referred into the team. They will offer therapy interventions to people with complex presentations referred into the team requiring MDT care.

Training - the MDT offer in the team includes consultation and training to people from other services, to colleagues in mental health and to trainees in the team. Training may be used in development of pathways for new patient groups and to inform care where professionals are struggling to meet the needs of their patient or patient groups.

As a senior member of staff within the team, the postholder will be part of service discussions to develop patient pathways, to recruit new staff carry out research and service evaluation. Working within trust policy and guidance, team members are encouraged to feed into discussions about risk management and wider governance issues, and to work together with the support of the team manager to best meet the needs of vulnerable patients.

Te