Specialist Clinical Health Psychologist; Physical Health

The successful candidate will be responsible for promoting effective psychological interventions including providing assessment and intervention for people with chronic respiratory conditions and signposting to other services as needed, playing a pivotal role in shaping the new service and delivering high‑quality respiratory care, focusing on admission prevention, early supported discharge, and long‑term condition management.

The role is fully integrated into the wider MDT and therefore involves consultation to colleagues from non‑psychology disciplines, contributing to complex case discussions and multi‑agency links with physical and mental health services, across primary and secondary care including community and voluntary organisations.

*** Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as Priority and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

To work under the Clinical Health Psychology department of University Hospitals Plymouth to provide a highly specialist and high‑quality clinical psychology service for adults with chronic respiratory conditions within the Acute Respiratory Assessment Unit (ARAU).

Many patients with chronic lung disease are prematurely frail with substantial comorbidities and therefore cross‑specialty working and appreciation of diagnostic and social complexity is necessary. The aim of the Acute Respiratory Assessment Unit is to reduce hospital admissions and minimise hospital lengths of stay by providing intensive and advanced nursing and therapy input and by involving and working very closely with appropriate members of the multi‑disciplinary team.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced psychologist to join our new integrated respiratory service. The role involves responsibility for the assessment and provision of psychological therapy, advice or consultation to patients and professionals within the unit, working autonomously within professional guidelines and to act as a highly specialist resource to the Trust, providing teaching and training where required, supervision to other professionals and to support the development of increased psychological provision within the hospital.

• To exercise full independent clinical responsibility and autonomy for the treatment and discharge of people with respiratory needs whose problems are managed as a psychologically based standard care plan, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation, and interventions followed by evaluation and communication with the referral agent and others involved with the care on regular basis
• To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about a broad range of treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group
• To provide consultation to multi‑disciplinary colleagues, formulating plans based on these consultations and advising the team on appropriate support and intervention
• To develop an understanding of the psychological needs of the wider respiratory population, identifying themes to inform service development and psychological care provision
• To use the clinical cycle (assessment, formulation, intervention, and evaluation) to shape individual work and wider service development
• To be able to communicate, verbally and in writing, psychological formulations, and treatment plans to an individual, appropriate professional colleagues and to family members and carers, as appropriate.
• To have knowledge of several psychological models of understanding and managing clinical difficulties
• To develop and provide evidence‑based group interventions where appropriate and in response to identified needs within the client group.
• To adapt communication style to meet the needs of the individual, team, and context. Overcoming barriers to communication, such as those who have limited understanding or experience of psychological services or where there may be significant defensiveness, resistance or even hostility, which requires empathy, reassurance and the highest levels of interpersonal and communication skills