Clinical Psychologist

The post holder is a member of the Psychology Services department at Southmead Hospital, located within both the weight management and bariatric surgery teams. They provide expertise in the assessment and behavioural management of weight and also in supporting patients who are working towards either medical and/or surgical weight management. Responsibilities include assessments of people referred to the service and the provision of psychological interventions in both group and one-to-one format. The post holder is part of multidisciplinary teams made up of staff who are passionate about this area and who aim to offer deep compassion to people who may have experienced high levels of weight stigma. The main themes of the work include disturbances in relationships with food and eating, body image and self-esteem difficulties, emotion regulation and coping with the long-term psychological effects of trauma. This is predominantly with people attending as outpatients, but there can occasionally be some inpatient-based work as well. The post demands the flexibility to adapt work across these different areas as priorities change, such as with the incorporation of new pathways within the service.

• To conduct psychological assessments of patients referred to the service who are living with obesity and other long-term health conditions, including the assessment of risk to enable appropriate risk management plans to be drawn up.
• To be able to draw together multiple sources of assessment information, identifying critical components, in reaching an interpretation and rationale on which interventions can be planned and carried out.
• To deliver psychologically informed interventions in a 1-1 and group format to people living at higher weights.
• To convey sensitive and complicated information in both verbal and written formats as appropriate, sometimes in an atmosphere of uncertainty and/or conflict involving patients, their relatives, and fellow professionals.
• To work collaboratively and effectively alongside multidisciplinary colleagues and provide input to teams in the surgical care directorates, regarding outpatients and also some limited ward-based work. This may include offering support to colleagues as well as supervision to staff working within the service (e.g. other Allied Health Professionals, Assistant or Trainee Psychologists)., Undertake teaching and training of colleagues about specialist psychological aspects of clinical work and case management as appropriate.
• To liaise with other disciplines and agencies working in the specialism to promote effective interventions and ensure best practice is shared.
• To manage competing demands by organising and prioritising a patient workload with other demands including supervision, training, governance, and professional commitments.
• To participate in clinical/caseload management supervision and appraisal processes with the Psychology service lead, that incorporate the aims and objectives of both the service and the trust.
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge base related to the clinical areas covered, including relevant local and national policy, and engage in continuing professional development that enhances delivery of effective work within the service.
  
  Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.
With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge.