29064 - PIPE Clinical Lead

Post Title: PIPE Service - Clinical Lead

Band: 8a (NHS) / 8 (HMPPS) or equivalent

Qualifications: Qualified and HCPC Registered Psychologist or Qualified and accredited Psychological Therapist, Sociotherapist or equivalent (IGA, UKCP or equivalent).

Service Hours: Minimum 0.8WTE (30 hours approx.) - rising to 1.0WTE in larger or high secure services.

Responsible to: (Line Manager)

Accountable to: Governor / Director / Chief Executive / Regional Psych

Responsible for: Implementing and maintaining the NHS and HMPPS Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) model as part of a pathway of services within the Offender Personality Disorder Strategy.

Location: Site based (unit based) with some travel required

Context:

Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPEs) are specifically designed, contained environments where staff members have additional training to develop an increased psychological understanding of their work. This understanding enables them to create an enhanced safe and supportive environment, which can facilitate the development of those who live and work there. They are designed to have a particular focus on the environment in which they operate; actively recognising the importance and quality of relationships and interactions. They aim to maximise ordinary situations and to approach these in a psychologically informed way, paying attention to interpersonal difficulties, for example those issues that might be linked to personality disorder.

PIPEs are not treatment interventions - the PIPEs model has been developed as an environmental approach to enhance the delivery of core work within Prison and Probation (community) settings, where additional psychological or ‘psychosocial’ considerations are required.

Principal Duties:

The post holder will hold a strategic position as Clinical Lead for the PIPE service. They will have a key role in creating and maintaining a healthy psychosocial environment; ensuring that the unit adheres to the theoretical principles of the PIPE model. This will include design, delivery and oversight of the core components of the PIPE model, including group work and the management of group dynamics.

The post holder will manage the development of a positive and enabling milieu, ensuring that the delivery of psychosocial aspects of the PIPE service is compliant with policy and delivery arrangements. This will include ensuring the PIPE service works towards and meeting and maintaining the standards set out for the Enabling Environment award1

Responsibilities:

The post holder will be managing a wide range of complex dynamics within the environment and host organisation. This will require the post holder to take on a leadership role within the organisation, working effectively alongside operational and strategic leads for the service.

The post holder will contribute to staff development by offering training, supporting and providing clinical supervision. They will also participate in individual and group (peer) supervision, provided in a central location by a group analytic consultant each month.

The PIPE clinical lead will ensure that the application of the PIPE service supports and adheres to its agreed pathway function, e.g. Progression or Community.

The post holder will be expected to carry out the following duties:

Clinical/Psychosocial:

• To manage the implementation and delivery of the PIPE model in line with the PIPE service specification and national guidance; developing operational structures and approaches so that they are appropriately psychologically and psychosocially informed.
• To develop necessary psychosocial conditions required to support progression through the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway, ensuring the service has a focus on the lived ‘experience’ of service users.
• To develop and implement socially-creative semi-structured activities within the PIPE in order to contribute to a healthy psychosocial environment. To ensure these sessions are responsive and adhere to principles of service user involvement and engagement.
• To develop a culture that promotes ‘planned’ and ‘psychologically informed’ responses from staff in relation to the host environment. This includes consideration of institutional dynamics and processes.
• To oversee and manage the referral and assessment process for those applying to the PIPE, ensuring any relevant population and criteria considerations are taken into account, and all decisions are documented. Also, to liaise with the national Clinical Development Lead for PIPEs where appropriate.
• To ensure that there is consistency and equity in approach from frontline members of the PIPE team, managing and mitigating the clinical impact of staffing structures, e.g. shift patterns or long absences.
• In conjunction with the Operational Lead to ensure the weekly programme of activities in the PIPE meet both clinical and operational requirements.
• To oversee the delivery of the structured and socially-creative groups and to develop further groups as the need arises.
• Where appropriate, to contribute to or facilitate contributions to public protection and the MAPPA process for suitable cases including attending and contributing to relevant meetings.
• To ensure the unit develops towards and maintains the recognised “Enabling Environment” award status, in conjunction with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
• To promote and support a culture of innovation and creativity in the approach to working within the PIPE framework.
• To manage the design and integration of ‘shared experience’ or ‘enriching’ opportunities within the PIPE services, facilitating external organisations (e.g. Reader in Residence or Creative Arts organisations), and their integration into the PIPE model.
• To support and facilitate effective psychologically informed contributions from the PIPE staff to Parole and other reporting process
• To contribute to the national programme of PIPE service development, and attend national clinical business meetings as required

Supervision/Consultation:

• To provide professional supervision to the PIPE service staff both on an individual and a group basis, promoting the PIPE culture and ethos, and supporting a developed understanding of Personality Disorder and psychosocial processes.
• To support non-clinical staff to engage effectively in a process of supervision and reflective practice, developing an understanding of groups and group process.
• To manage and provide professional supervision to the Clinical Support staff member
• To participate in national individual and group (peer) supervision, provided by a group analytic consultant each month.

Teaching/Training:

• To promote a developed and applied understanding of Personality Disorder within the staff group.
• To undertake, where appropriate, a training needs analysis for the PIPE service, and facilitate delivery of an agreed training plan, in line with the requirements of the PIPE model.
• To design and deliver in house training and development of PIPE unit staff as required, in order to develop a healthy psychosocial environment and to enable the staff to carry out the requirements of the PIPE operating model effectively.
• To coordinate and facilitate access to external training events for PIPE service staff.
• To coordinate local PIPE awareness training for the host establishment or organisation
• To attend training sessions in line with the Continuing Professional Development requirements of the BPS and the Health Care Professions Council, or equivalent authority.

Managerial/Organisational

• To liaise with NHS/HMPPS Personality Disorder team, and co-commissioners as required.
• To work collaboratively with the host establishment/organisation
• To link in effectively with Offender Managers and Offender Supervisors
• To manage and be responsible for providing data as required to co-commissioners, in line with contracting arrangements
• To link in with appropriate OPD pathway and other services, facilitating access to internal or external clinical services as required, e.g. regional OPD networks
• To represent the PIPE at appropriate forums, workshops and development meetings as required.
• To represent the PIPE at internal and external events.
• To represent the PIPE at National meetings as required, and in the development of pathways for Offenders with Personality Disorder.
• With the operational lead to ensure key stakeholders and potential referrals are fully informed of the PIPE, ensuring the marketing and profile of the PIPE are effectively managed.

Evaluation/Research

• To contribute to the national evaluation of the Offender PD Pathway under the guidance of the national NHS/HMPPS OPD Research lead.
• To ensure data requirements are met, submitting data returns to the national OPD team where required.
• To develop a local research and evaluation strategy specific to the PIPE, that complements the national evaluation process.
• To oversee the delivery of psychological or climate measures as required.
• To ensure local staff are familiar with the service outcomes for PIPEs and how their work contributes to the national strategy.
• To contribute to a growing body of evidence around the development of the PIPEs concept e.g. through contribution to academic articles, maintaining local evidence about PIPE experiences and informing the design of research and evaluation processes.

Organisational Context (Diagram)

Effort

Mental Effort:

• Maintain intense focussed concentration during clinical tasks.

Emotional Effort:

• Capacity to manage exposure to highly distressing and emotive situations and disclosures, including working with offenders who present at risk of serious self-harm or suicide.
• Capacity to tolerate exposure to unpredictable working conditions including demanding, verbally aggressive clients and deal with physical aggression appropriately.
• Ability to contain and work with organisational strain and ability to understand and contain the stress of others.

This job description is not meant to be exhaustive and may be altered in consultation with the post-holder.

Governor/Director

PIPE Operational: Strategic Lead

Clinical Strategic Lead e.g. Clinical Service Lead / Regional Psychologist

Clinical Lead - PIPE

PIPE Operational Lead: Custodial Manager/SPO

Person Specification

Essential

Desirable

Training & Qualifications

Professional qualification in Psychology, Psychotherapy or Sociotherapy.

Registration with relevant body, e.g. BPS, UKCP etc

Clinical supervision training/qualification

Experience of providing clinical supervision to others either individually or in groups

Knowledge & Skills

Experience of working in a Forensic setting

Experience of working with Personality Disorder

Group Analytic or Process experience

Ability to comprehend and communicate verbally and in writing complex and sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences.

Ability to analyse and manage complex clinical information from a range of sources integrating it into a formulation utilising a range of clinical perspectives

Ability to organise own workload effectively, prioritising a complex range of tasks and responsibilities to meet deadlines

Adequate keyboard skills and sound understanding of IT packages

Knowledge of conducting literature searches and critically analysing clinical and research evidence

Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health

Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the appropriate registering body

Knowledge of ethical practice mindful of issues of power and diversity

Project management skills

Ability to network and work alongside other functions within a complex organisation.

Personal

Capacity to manage exposure to unpredictable working conditions including demanding, verbally aggressive clients and deal with physical aggression appropriately

Ability to contain and work with organisational strain and ability to contain the stress of others

Other

Ability to work within Professional Guidelines

Must be capable of taking substantial professional responsibility and acting autonomously in respect of clinical decisions in their area of specialist practice.

Ability to know limitations of knowledge and seek input appropriately.

Ability to manage a small local budget for non-pay costs e.g. materials and travel budgets.