Job overview

Brent Integrated Psychological Therapies Service 

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an exceptional candidate to develop the urgent care pathway for autistic people experiencing a mental health crisis and improve their experience of inpatient mental health settings.

You will be a highly skilled professional who works in a non-aversive, person centred and therapeutic way. Your main task will be to support their colleagues and individual service users to better identify and support autistic people in the care pathway in order to improve outcomes and provide a better experience for autistic people. 

Vaccination

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users . As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Main duties of the job

Are you looking for a unique opportunity to make a difference? Do you want a role which works both clinically with patients and is able to influence delivery of care? Do you want to be part of shaping the Autism agenda across North West London? Are you a skilled Clinical Psychologist looking for your next big challenge? 

You will be skilled in a Positive Behaviour approach and able to facilitate pathways to appropriate services. Promoting individual rights, independence choice and inclusion are essential areas for consideration, as is knowledge and understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and related guidance/legislation.

As part of the role, you will be expected to provide an expert support and challenge function by offering in-reach support and advice to MDTs, providing person centred consultancy, advice and training and delivering general autism awareness training to clinical and non-clinical staff, including the development of an autism ambassador network to support development of sustainable local autism expertise. You will be part of a wider network across the Trust and the ICS driving forward

This role will suit candidates seeking to develop their strategic leadership skills at the same time as retaining their clinical role. The Trust will provide the suitable candidate with training, mentoring and support to develop into and beyond the role.

If you think that this could be you please contact Dr Tracy Chotoo on tracy.chotoo@nhs.net

Working for our organisation

Based flexibly across inpatient services (Brent and Kensington & Chelsea), you will work closely with the Senior Leadership team, MDT and Experts by Experience to support and drive forward professional leadership and practice as well as leading on standards of clinical care delivery within services. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The postholder will be responsible, for the development of an urgent care pathway for autistic service users experiencing a mental health crisis. The post holder will:

  • Identify and flag autistic people in inpatient / crisis services and track their pathway of care throughout their hospital journey;
  • Undertake screening prior to referring to local diagnostic pathway where patients are suspected of being autistic;
  • Provide comprehensive assessment within an inpatient environment when this is providing a barrier to discharge;
  • Offer in-reach support and advice to MDTs in mainstream mental inpatient services to improve care and treatment and reduce length of stay for autistic patients;
  • Attend and contribute to Care and Treatment Reviews for autistic patients in local mainstream inpatient services;
  • Provide person centred consultancy, advice and training to key clinicians in mental health services, police, probation and other local services as appropriate;
  • Work with local CCG commissioners to ensure the dynamic support register for autistic adults is up to date and crisis and contingency plans are in place; and
  • Contribute to the development of appropriate policies, pathways and tools to reduce health inequalities for autistic patients and ensure sustainability.
  • Develop a team and expertise to support the autism inpatient pathway and improve care for autistic people

    • EXPECTED OUTCOMES

    It is expected that this work will support improved outcomes and provide a better experience of care for autistic people by:

  • Building sustainable local autism expertise within mental health trusts, in particular adult acute inpatient wards but also health-based places of safety and crisis services where applicable;
  • Reducing admissions and re-admissions;
  • Reducing length of stay;
  • Reducing number of incidents
  • Reducing reliance on the use of psychotropic drugs; and
  • Improving staff confidence and willingness to make reasonable adjustments.

    • As an autonomous practitioner he/she will be responsible for their own work and interventions and for the interpretation of agreed guidelines and policies.

    Person specification

    Knowledge, skills and experience

    Essential criteria

  • Recorded/registered doctoral level qualification in clinical OR recorded/registered qualification in one of the following – nursing, social work, occupational therapy, arts therapy or a psychological therapy
  • Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council where appropriate.
  • Experience of working as a qualified psychological therapist for a minimum of 4 years for 8b post.
  • Experience of working with autistic adults in an acute inpatient environment.
  • Experience of working with autistic adult service users who present with complex mental health problems

    • Desirable criteria

  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
  • Experience of facilitating MDT care planning meetings with inpatient MDTs.
  • Knowledge of assessments for Autistic Spectrum Disorder, in particular ADOS-2, ADI-R and AAA assessments.

    • CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

    Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible. 

    Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.