Psychological professional | Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

The Sussex Health and Care Partnership have developed a Sussex-wide clinical assessment model for patients with post COVID symptoms which launched in January 2021 as the Post Covid Assessment Service . The initial remit of the service was to assess patients still experiencing symptoms 12 weeks after initial COVID infection to identify their ongoing care and support needs. The existing community providers were identified as the lead providers; Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust in West Sussex, Brighton & Hove, and High Weald, Lewes, Havens; and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust in the rest of East Sussex, working collaboratively with wider system partners and stakeholders, and with shared strategic oversight and clinical leadership at SHCP.

Following publication of the NHS Long COVID Plan and the announcement of additional funding in June 2021, the system has developed a fully staffed Long COVID service plan to enhance the service offer, covering the whole pathway from primary and community to specialist care. This included enhancing the remit of PCAS to provide support as well as assessment, with additional clinical expertise, so that it became the Post COVID Assessmentand SupportService (PCASS). PCASS includes the community rehabilitation and treatment pathways which focus on fatigue management, cognition, and vocational rehabilitation. Some of the treatment and rehabilitation pathways will be delivered within PCASS.

The post-holder will:

a) Provide psychology input and support in PCASS. This will include the development of the ongoing rehabilitation pathways.

b) Work autonomously as a clinician within the PCASS; providing psychological assessment and treatment to patients with psychological and cognitive problems arising from factors associated with Post COVID-19 Syndrome, and other long term or 'unexplained' conditions.

c) Ensure a comprehensive assessment which may include psychological and neuro-psychological tests (where appropriate within professional competency), self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients.

d) Formulate and devise psychological treatment plans,based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the patient's problems, and employ methods based upon evidence of efficacy.

e) Adjust and refine psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex. Our 6,000 staff serve a population of 1.3 million providing essential medical, nursing, and therapeutic care to adults and children.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community, helping people plan, manage, adapt to changes in their health, supporting avoidable hospital admissions and reducing hospital stay times.

We have opportunities for everyone across our wide variety of services including medical, clinical, support and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2023 NHS Staff Survey results, scoring highly in compassionate culture & leadership, and staff wellbeing support


• Variety of working environments across the community, in patients' homes, within our community hospitals and bases across the county


• Supportive flexible working patterns such as: part time, flexi time, annualised hours, and flexi retirement options


• Excellent training and development opportunities


• Research opportunities


• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove and Brighton


• Thriving BAME, Disability and Wellbeing, LGBT+ and Religion and Belief staff networks


• Level 3 accredited Disability Confident Leader, committed to creating inclusive workplaces


• Veteran Aware Trust, achieving accreditation from Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA)


• Located in stunning Sussex, with easy access to the South Downs and the coast


• Access to a wide range of benefits and discounts for NHS staff


The service provides equitable access to assessment and support for people experiencing Post COVID-19 Syndrome. This includes:

· Multidisciplinary assessment with consideration of physical, cognitive and psychological needs

· An enhanced assessment and support offer including supported self-management and care coordination to help patients navigate their recovery journey

· Innovative treatment and rehabilitation pathways for patients whose needs fall outside of existing community pathways.

The service continues to evolve in accordance with national guidance and developing understanding of how best to meet the needs of patients with Post COVID-19 Syndrome. In response to the NHS Long COVID Plan (June 2021) an enhanced multidisciplinary service offer has been developed which includes psychologist support for the assessment service and rehabilitation pathways.

The post holder will provide psychology and mental health input to patients referred to the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) and East Sussex Healthcare Trust (ESHT) PCASS. They will work closely with AHP and nursing colleagues in the team and will also support with the development of the service and treatment pathways.

This is a very exciting opportunity to also be involved in a new model of care and to actively be a part of the process of transitioning from a Post COVID specific service into a long-term conditions/long term 'unexplained' symptoms service.

The postholder will be expected to have experience working with people with cognitive difficulties. A background in health psychology including working with people with chronic illness and/or chronic fatigue, and some experience of group work is also desirable.

Direct assessment and intervention work with patients will be required, as well as consultation with other professionals. The post holder will work autonomously within professional guidelines and within the overall framework of the service's policies and procedures.

The post holder will supervise and support clinical interventions provided by assistant psychologists.

The post-holder will:

a) Contribute to the development of outcomes from psychological treatments.

b) Contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology within the service area, taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.

c) Assess and treat own specialist caseload of clients and maintain associated records.

d) Provide, develop and manage treatment interventions, including both individual and group work.

e) Provide specialist advice to other professions and provide psychological consultation to non-psychology professionals.

f) Supervise assistant psychologists and other members of the MDT as appropriate.

Leadership

The post-holder will:

a) Actively promote integrated health professional working internally and externally.

b) Facilitate the development of a positive and 'supportive' team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict and differences of professional and personal opinions.

c) Take an active interest in working parties and groups associated with PCASS to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols and guidelines.

d) Participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.

e) Advise, encourage and share knowledge utilising the latest research and practice development, through literature and peer reviews.

Communication and working relationships

The post-holder will:

a) Have excellent communication skills working with a wide variety of professionals, patients and other organisations.

b) Provide expertise and advice to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all staff in the pan-Sussex PCASS service.

c) Work autonomously and be accountable for their own actions.

d) Work within professional boundaries and Trust policies and lead and support other psychology professionals to do the same.

e) Ensure effective and timely communication at all levels (with patients and the MDTs).

f) Be able to support patients requiring assessment and intervention who are in heightened states of emotional distress. A good knowledge of risk management and safeguarding is required, as well as knowledge of signposting to other services as appropriate e.g. secondary mental health services when appropriate.

g) Work closely with AHP and nursing colleagues in the teams.

h) Provide reports and communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans for patients.

i) Provide psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, to assist in the formulation, diagnosis and treatment of patients.

j) Treat each patient and their support network with dignity and respect taking into account their cultural differences and needs within the service.

k) Interpret and integrate complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and self-report measures.

l) Receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.

m) Provide regular clinical supervision to Assistant Psychologists working within the service.

n) Ensure the development and maintenance of the highest personal standards of practice, maintaining MaST requirements and through active participation in internal and external CPD training.

o) Maintain an up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues of relevance to the service and patient group.

p) Maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording.

q) Exercise professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the HCPC.

r) Use psychological clinical skills applicable to the assessment of patients with a Post COVID-19 diagnosis or other long term or 'unexplained' conditions.

s) Write concise, accurate and readily understood reports that communicate the findings of psychological assessments to the MDT.

t) Work under changing and pressurised clinical timetables across ESHT and SCFT provider trusts and to be organised in their management of their clinical timetable.

u) Provide comprehensive assessment of patients to assist the MDT in diagnosis, problem formulation and the planning of rehabilitation programmes.

v) Function as a key therapist to ensure active co-ordination and management of the therapeutic programme to achieve the agreed rehabilitation goals.

w) Support and educate patients around Post COVID-19 Syndrome.

x) Be responsible for planning and prioritizing their own clinical caseload.

y) Participate in audit, policy and service development projects as required.