Clinical psychologist and psychology assistant profiles
22 June 2004
Below are the final drafts on the Profile Guidance for Clinical
Psychology and Psychology Assistants (previously sent out on Reps
Direct 280). Please replace the old guidance documents with the new
final draft profiles.
AGENDA FOR CHANGE JOB
EVALUATION
JOINT PROFESSIONAL AND AMICUS
GUIDANCE FOR UNDERSTANDING FAMILY OF PSYCHOLOGY JOB PROFILES AND
REVIEWING JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND PERSON SPECIFICATIONS
FINAL Revision June 2004
PART 1 - INTRODUCTION
Who is this guidance for?
This guidance is for all applied psychologists, trainees and
assistants. Profile titles refer to clinical psychologists but the
profiles are intended to be used generically for all Applied
Psychologists and Child Psychotherapists in the NHS. This includes
Health and Counselling Psychologists and all other applied
Psychology posts until or unless the early implementation and a
mapping process has indicated sufficient poor matching to require
additional separate profiles. (e.g. Neuropsychology, Forensic
Psychology, Health and Counselling Psychology etc). If additional
profiles are required then supplementary guidance will be
published.
This guidance does not apply to Counsellors and Adult
Psychotherapists as these groups will have their own
profiles.
This guidance will assist all psychology services in preparing
draft job descriptions and person specifications, which will be
crucial in determining the correct pay band for a post. Please note
that the guidance is not intended to be prescriptive, and will need
to be adapted to local circumstances.
Overview
This guidance is intended to assist Amicus
representatives, Amicus members and their managers and matching
panels in the process of transferring NHS applied psychology staff
from Whitley pay scales to the new pay structure. Every job in the
health service will be evaluated using the new job evaluation
factor plan. The outcome of that evaluation will place people in
the appropriate pay band. Matching panels of no less than two staff
members and two management members evaluate jobs with the use of
job and person specifications descriptions and interviewing post
holders in order to decide in the first instance whether the post
can be matched with an existing profile. The first task therefore
is to ensure that job descriptions are up to date and valid, so
this guidance includes suggestions about how to update your job
description and how to ensure that the matching panels can easily
see at which level of each factor the post fits. A glossary of
terms is in the appendix.
Operational definition of job
All work done in the last year however infrequently
and anything that can be reasonably expected to be done under the
contract.
JOB PROFILES
Profiles have been agreed for clinical
psychologists; this guidance applies to posts that should match
these profiles. A profile for Heads of Service/ Clinical Directors/
Professional Advisors, and in large services Divisional Heads has
been proposed and we await DH approval, because it goes above band
8d, the highest band agreed so far. People in such posts should not
agree to their post being assessed under Agenda for Change until
the national profile has been agreed. Existing generic Heads of
Service profiles are not suitable, and although there are plans for
Senior Manager profiles above 8d, these will not be professionally
based and so will not be suitable either.
To use this guidance it will be essential for you to have a copy of
each profile and a copy of the Job Evaluation Factor Plan (August
2003).
Under AfC posts will be banded according to the levels and sum of
scores on 16 factors. Each clinical psychology profile gives a
level or range of levels for each factor. For a post to match a
profile five conditions must be met:
1. There must be a perfect match on factor 2, knowledge, and factor
12, freedom to act.
2. The level assigned to any specific factor
must vary by no more than ± 1level beyond the specified range for
the factor on the profile. For example, if for the R&D factor
the range on a particular profile is 2-3, the post could still
match the profile if the actual level assigned is in the range 1-4,
but could not match if the level is above 4.
3. there will be a no match if four or more of the remaining
factors vary by more than +/- 1 point.
4. There will be a no match if any single factor varies by +/- 2
points.
5. the overall score for the post must not take it outside of the
banding for the profile. For example, for a post to be matched to
the Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist profile the score
assigned to the post must be within the bands 8a/b. If the score
takes the post above 8b, then it cannot be matched to the
profile.
If a post cannot be matched to a particular profile it would need
to be individually evaluated, but we expect that this will be a
rare event. (SEE APPENDIX B - Agenda for Change Scorecard)
Family of Psychology/Psychotherapy/Trainers/Course
Directors
Clinical trainers on less than 50 per cent secondment to training
courses will be matched on their current job descriptions. Further
guidance may be developed post E.I. testing should serious
mismatches occur. Trainers on 50 per cent or more academic
contracts are advised to seek contractual arrangement on a
secondment basis to the health service and then would not need to
be included in the process. Alternatively that proportion of their
job which they identify as being within the Health Service will be
job evaluated in the normal way.
Training Course Directors who hold academic contracts will not be
part of the job evaluation process. Those with mixed or Health
Service contracts should wait for agreement and publication of the
profile for Professional Lead/Head of Service until they agree a
revised Job description.
Grand parenting
Person specifications are for the post, not the
person. The required qualification for a clinical psychologist is
at Doctoral level and this must be stated in the person
specification. Individuals who qualified with an MSc or diploma
will be automatically matched to the appropriate Doctoral profile
by virtue of a grand parenting agreement.
Agreeing New Job Descriptions and Person
Specifications
It is essential that your job description and person
specification is updated for this process of assimilation. Job
descriptions should reflect what you do and should be agreed with
your line manager. Your job description, requires your agreement.
It is important that you use clear language to help the matching
panel to understand the requirements of your job. (Give examples to
illustrate the points. It will be helpful to make notes and give
examples to use to answer questions by managers and matchers). Only
job descriptions agreed with the post holder should be evaluated by
the matching panels. The job holder can initiate the process by
writing a job description by referring to the factor plan, agreed
national profiles, and the guidance provided by the union and the
profession.
Psychologists can insist on the right to
alteration of job descriptions and person specifications in line
with this guidance, providing the resulting job descriptions and
person specifications are valid. The guidance is designed to assist
the implementation process by making it easy for Job Evaluation
Panels to match jobs, and it is reasonable to make amendments in
the light of publication of national profiles and this
guidance.
For those updating their job descriptions and person specification
it is important to read the factor plan first, including the
headline definitions and the notes at the end. While it may seem
obvious which profile is appropriate from your point of view, take
a look at the profile above and below the one that you expect to be
matched with for comparison purposes.
Key elements that should be in the personal specification are given
in the template in Part II.
Clustering
Staff should not be pressurised to be in a cluster
if they are unhappy about it for any reason and should be entitled
to go forward to a matching panel individually if they choose to do
so for whatever reason.
There should be
staff-side consultation regarding decisions about clustering of job
descriptions.
Job descriptions
should be clustered together only if they are sufficiently similar
in terms of the person specification and the content of the job
description.
Job descriptions
should not be automatically clustered together on the basis of
current Whitley grades/spine points.
Cluster
representatives should be chosen carefully to ensure that the
cluster will be well represented at the matching panel.
Prior to job descriptions going to matching panels, all individuals
in a cluster should receive the following information:
A copy of the job
description that will be going forward to the matching panel as
representative of their job description.
The name of the
person whose job description will be going to the matching panel
and who will therefore be representing them at a matching panel
interview.
Prior to the matching panels, all members of a cluster should have
sufficient time (at least two weeks before the matching panel
meets) to:
Consider whether
they are satisfied that the job description going forward as
representative of their job description is sufficiently similar to
their own job description.
Consider whether
they are satisfied to be represented by the cluster
representative.
Consult their Union
representative for advice.
Contact the cluster
representative to highlight any aspects of the job description they
would like highlighted in the matching panel interview.
The matching process (SEE APPENDIX A - Flow diagrams)
Posts will be matched by panels that may not include clinical
psychologists and therefore will not have extensive knowledge of
clinical psychology, so job descriptions and person specifications
need to be exhaustive and include information that might seem
obvious to clinical psychologists, e.g. the need for a doctorate
qualification. In some trusts, post holders and their manager may
be invited to interview with matching panels to elaborate on points
in their job description.
Job Assessment Questionnaire
It is worth getting a copy of this from the DH
website and having a look at it to give you more insight into the
detailed information that is required to develop the national
profiles and/or to locally evaluate a post.
The Factor Plan
The NHS has developed its own job evaluation scheme
which has sixteen factors in the factor plan.
Analytical & judgement
skills
Factor 3: job descriptions must specify "highly
complex." Responsibilities for policy & service development
implementation Factor seven, general guidance: psychologists at all
grades should check factor seven carefully to ensure that their job
description reflects accurately any contribution to service
developments and the creation of policy through whatever setting
(e.g. working parties, clinical governance working groups,
provision of advice documentation, etc).
Responsibilities for research &
development
Factor eleven: research and development is
considered an integral part of the job for all assistants,
trainees, and qualified clinical psychologists. Job descriptions
for all grades should therefore specify in detail any
responsibilities for research and development. This may include
complex audit service evaluation using qualitative or quantitative
methods, clinical outcomes, assessment, practice-based research
using validated questionnaires, reflective scientist practitioner
skills, etc. For qualified clinical psychologists this should
include as a minimum, supervision of assistant and trainees'
research and development, supervision of research and development
and/or complex audit carried out by qualified psychologists and
other professionals, and provision of advice and consultation with
reference to any research or audit-based activity.
Freedom to act
Factor twelve: those going to interview with
matching panels should especially note that specialist and highly
specialist clinical psychologists can be at level four on factor
twelve freedom to act. A post holder at this level would be
individually accountable for all his or her clinical decisions,
although equally obliged to consult appropriately with peers or a
clinical supervisor. Post holders are expected to take full
responsibility for working with even the most complex
presentations. All qualified Applied Psychologists are autonomous
or independent practitioners, responsible for their own work and
interventions and for the interpretation of agreed guidelines and
policies.
References, Key Documents and Further
Help
Websites: BPS DCP website:
www.bps.org.uk/sub-syst/dcp/index.cfm
DOH website for Job Evaluation Handbook
http://www.dh.gov.uk/Home/fs/en
THE JOB EVALUATION PROFILES
Introduction
"Nationally agreed profiles" have been
developed using information gathered from a number of post holders
filling in a comprehensive job analysis questionnaire. Profiles aim
to capture significant numbers of staff doing similar jobs at a
similar level. Six profiles have currently been agreed for clinical
psychologists. It is expected that the Higher level profile (band
5) will be the norm, for which a minimum of 331 points is required.
It seems possible that the band 4 profile will be phased out if it
is not found to be particularly useful in early
implementation.
ASSISTANT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND
ASSISTANT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST (Higher level). Bands 4
& 5, respectively.
For an assistant post to be regarded as Higher level two conditions
must be met: the Communication factor must reach level 5(c); note
the key words "atmosphere may be highly emotive" and the concept of
"barriers to acceptance". These descriptors apply to almost all
situations that assistant clinical psychologists work in. Where it
applies, person specifications may say something like "able to
communicate effectively in a highly emotive atmosphere and overcome
psychological resistance to potentially threatening information".
The job description may also specify this as a requirement, e.g.
"can be required to work in a highly emotive atmosphere and must
maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times" and a
similar statement for "barriers to acceptance"; in addition, the
Freedom to Act factor must be level 3: here the level hangs on the
degree of independence and whether work is supervised (closely day
to day = level 2) and checked from time to time or managed (more
remotely assessed at agreed intervals = level 3). Confusion over
alternative meanings of the word supervision needs to be
avoided.
Note that supervision in AFC is not to be
confused with the term "clinical supervision" which is accepted as
usual for all clinical psychologists at all grades. It is very
important to spell out exactly how closely managed a post is and
clearly distinguish this from clinical supervision in order to
clarify this factor.
Since it is custom and practice for Assistant
Clinical Psychologists to be left to get on with their own work
most of the time it is likely that most assistants will be level 3
on this factor. Where it applies the job description and person
specification may state something like "Work is managed and goals
agreed and reviewed at intervals; works independently on a day to
day basis" and "Must be capable of using initiative and working
independently", respectively.
Job descriptions and person specifications
need to be extremely clear with respect to these two factors if
Assistants are to be graded correctly.
Communication and relationship skills
Factor one: The person specification should
state the minimum requirements to be able to communicate complex
and sensitive information. In addition, the essential skills of
empathy and being able to reassure people, able to find different
ways to communicate in situations where there are difficulties or
barriers to acceptance.
Physical skills
Factor five: be specific about the level of
manipulation, timing and complexity of testing and assessment in
your job description.
Responsibilities for information
resources
Factor ten: if the job description mentions setting
up databases, spreadsheets, or advanced use of IT, provide
frequency of the activity and put in R&D factor eleven.
Physical effort
Factor thirteen: in the person specification,
mention capacity for providing services in highly constrained or
adverse conditions if people are providing tests, assessments or
interventions needing to be sitting in a constrained way during
this time.
Emotional effort
Factor fifteen: in job descriptions, be specific
about the client group involved, e.g. severe and enduring mental
illness, borderline personality disorders. In the job description
and person specification, be explicit about the level of
distressing situations and their frequency, e.g. on a daily/weekly
basis.
Working conditions
Factor sixteen: in the person specification, you must mention the
specific capacity to work with clients/service users in abusive or
hostile situations.
TRAINEE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Band 6 - For this profile there is
progression in the Knowledge, Training and Experience factor to
reflect progress in training, but this has no bearing on banding.
As there is only one band, the person's point in the band will
depend on which year of training they are in, and the requirement
to use transitional pay points only until 2006.
SPECIALIST CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
(PRECEPTORSHIP)
Band 7 - This profile applies to newly and
recently qualified Clinical Psychologists. Custom and practice is
that colleagues in this position are usually moved to a new grade
on Whitley after between one and two years
post-qualification.
You may like to refer to Page 35 of the Job Evaluation Handbook
(First Edition) on the Development of Professional Roles. This was
published in March 2003. Since then it has become clear that a
similar issue applies to clinical psychologists at band 7 and we
are making a strong case for this to be acknowledged.
Freedom to act
Factor twelve: All qualified Applied Psychologists
are autonomous or independent practitioners, responsible for their
own work and interventions and for the interpretation of agreed
guidelines and policies.
Those going to interview with matching panels
should especially note that the following with regard to factor
twelve freedom to act: specialist clinical psychologists can be a
level four on factor twelve freedom to act. A post holder at this
level would be individually accountable for all his or her clinical
interventions, although equally obliged to consult appropriately
his peers or a clinical supervisor. Post holders are expected to
take full responsibility for working with even the most complex
presentations.
The requirements for a post to be re-graded
to Highly Specialist are outlined below.
HIGHLY SPECIALIST CLINICAL
PSYCHOLOGIST
Band 8a/b - The main criterion for moving to this band is that
clinical psychologists will have had "further specialist
training/experience" whilst they were a Specialist Clinical
Psychologist, thereby reaching level 8 on the Knowledge, Training
and Experience factor. Since specialties and trusts differ in
resources and requirements, there is no specification of the type
of training required. It might include completion of a stage in a
specialist clinical training, or additional specialist supervised
clinical practice, or some form of training on the job. It should
always include having been trained to be a clinical supervisor of
Doctoral Trainee Clinical Psychologists.
It is most important to remember that there
is no intention on the part of anyone to destabilise psychology
services by encouraging "trust hopping" at this career stage.
Expectations, opportunities and time-scales
for necessary further training and experience in preparation for
re-banding to Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist should be
clarified in writing on appointment to band 7 posts. Under the
Knowledge and Skills Framework, it will be the employer's
responsibility to fulfil these obligations.
Person specifications (for the post, not the
individual) might include one statement like this: 'In addition to
routine CPD and clinical supervision (and then add one of the
following examples or another option that suits the local
circumstances of the post): Completion of the taught part of the
CAT practitioner course, or an Introductory CBT Module, or
equivalent.
One year's supervised practice in co-leading
a pain management programme: Completion of 50 hours specialist
clinical supervision. Completion of Advanced Supervision Module
etc.'
An additional or alternative approach will be
for psychology services to assess the transition to this grade in
appraisal, and refer to this in the person specification with a
statement like: 'Demonstrates completion of the Highly Specialist
criteria for further training and experience as evidenced by CPD
log in the IPR/ annual appraisal.'
Note also that Freedom to Act is level 4 in
this profile, matching the expectation that post-holders will have
considerable autonomy in their specialist area of clinical
practice. All qualified Applied Psychologists are autonomous or
independent practitioners, responsible for their own work and
interventions and for the interpretation of agreed guidelines and
policies.
Autonomy is a matter of responsibility rather
than independence, and it is not expected that Highly Specialist
Clinical Psychologists will work independently of other
professionals, or that they will not receive clinical supervision.
Highly specialist clinical psychologists can be a level four on
factor twelve freedom to act. A post holder at this level would be
individually accountable for all his or her clinical interventions,
although equally obliged to consult appropriately his peers or a
clinical supervisor. Post holders are expected to take full
responsibility for working with even the most complex
presentations. Job descriptions need to specify the uniqueness of
the individual's contribution, by showing that the post holder has
highly specialist skills in a particular clinical area (e.g. renal
medicine) or a particular location (e.g. an adult mental health
service covering a geographical area).
Job descriptions and person specifications
must be clear on both of these factors for a post to be matched to
this profile.
Is the post 8a or 8b?
Although it will be common for people to move
through 8a to 8b in their career, it is not necessary to think of
orderly progression for jobholders in grading a particular post. It
is possible for a psychologist to move from band 7 to 8b in one job
move if the post is banded at 8b.
For a post to be matched at band 8b it is
necessary to score 585 or above. Seven factors on the Highly
Specialist profile give a range over two levels (for example factor
3 Analytical & Judgement Skills is either at level 4 or 5). For
a post to be banded 8b at least three, four or five of these seven
factors will need to be at the upper level (you can work out all
the permutations if you wish!). The factors that will have most
influence on the banding are factors 3, 4, 7 and 11. If any three
of these is at the higher level given on the profile the post will
be band 8b.
Job descriptions and person specifications
must be clear, particularly on the factors that vary, for matching
panels to be able to make the correct decision.
There are three other issues that we would
like to draw to your attention regarding this profile:
1. Some Highly Specialist Clinical
Psychologists may be matched at 2c or 3c on the Human Resources
factor; this has been recognised as a possibility in other
professions at this band, but has not been included in the national
profile for Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologists. This refers
to training own or other disciplines. If 3c applies it will be
necessary to alert matching panels to this fact and make it clear
on job descriptions and person specifications.
2. Some Highly Specialist Clinical
Psychologists may be matched at level 2 for the Financial and
Physical Resources factor by virtue of ordering equipment or having
a small equipment budget. Again, this would need to be flagged up
specifically.
3. It will be much more common for Highly
Specialist Clinical Psychologists to be rated as level 3 on the
Responsibility for Policy/Service Development factor than level 2,
by virtue of the nature of the job. Where level 3 does apply, the
job description needs to make reference to making proposals for, or
contributing to policy implementation and service development for a
service area (e.g. multi-disciplinary team; medical
sub-speciality).
Consultant Clinical Psychologist:
Head of Speciality/ Consultant Lead Clinician
Band 8b-8d- This profile should be regarded
as band 8c-d. The only reason 8b is listed is because the total
score range takes the post down to 8b by one point! In practice, it
should be impossible to match a post to 8b as will be demonstrated
below.
The word "Lead" in the title refers to
responsibility for a clinical speciality, sub-speciality, or area
of clinical work, for example, Consultant Lead Clinician
Neuropsychology (Rehabilitation), or Consultant Lead Clinician
(Outreach Team), or Consultant Lead Clinician, (Sector Mental
Health Team). "Lead" does not necessarily imply management
responsibility for qualified clinical psychologists, but does imply
overall clinical responsibility (including planning and initiating
developments) in a specified area of work.
The role of National Assessors in assessing
whether posts and the people should be at consultant level will be
integrated into the Knowledge and Skills Framework, subject to
national agreement. Separate guidance will follow on this in due
course. An individual cannot be downgraded from being a consultant,
by the Agenda for Change matching process.
In Job Evaluation terms the distinctions
between a Highly Specialist and Consultant post are on the
Analytical and Judgemental Skills, Planning and Organisational
Skills (large change), Responsibility for Policy/Service
Development, Financial and Physical Resources, Human Resources,
R&D, and Freedom to Act (large change). Job Descriptions and
Person Specifications must clarify all these aspects.
There are two other issues that we would like
to draw to your attention regarding this profile:
1. Human Resources: it seems highly unlikely
that consultant posts will be rated at level 2(b) for this factor
because of the requirement for teaching and training which should
merit level 3(c).
2. R&D: the wording in the relevant job
information section of the profile is "R&D activity". This
reflects the broad nature of this factor taking into account the
full range of research from that of high external validity
(qualitative methods, practice based service evaluation, clinical
audit, n=1 studies, case series analyses, scientist practitioner
approach) to high internal validity (randomised controlled trials,
quantitative methods). The responsibility of the consultant
psychologist in leading and supervising research within the
speciality/ specialist area is also taken into account.
The job description should say "R&D
activity is a major job responsibility" in the job summary,
reflecting the responsibility for supporting and developing the
scientist practitioner role of clinical psychologists. In AfC
terms, this means a time allocation of at least 20% of each working
week, although it is not necessary to specify this percentage
providing the phrase "major job responsibility" appears.
Is it 8b, 8c or 8d?
It should never be 8b.
To be graded 8b a post would need to score at
the bottom of the profile range on all factors. However, this is
highly improbable. A consultant post for which most of the
responsibilities were clinical would be most vulnerable to a low
score, because many of the factors have a management bias. But in
such a post, the post-holder would be very likely to spend long
hours in clinic. In this case, the post would be level 2a for
Physical Effort, by virtue of a requirement to sit for long hours
in a restricted position, and level 5 for Mental Effort, taking the
post into the score range for 8c.
For all consultant posts it is essential to
emphasise the required level for Physical Effort in the job
description and person specification.
A post must score at least 675 to be 8d, in other words 46 points
(out of a possible 80) above the minimum for this profile.
Posts in some specialties carry high physical
risks (including for example forensic, learning disabilities,
elderly, community outreach and others) and such psychologists
should be trained in managing those risks and so would meet level 3
for Physical Skills and 4 for working conditions. These
requirements should be stated in person specifications and job
descriptions. This merits a total of 18 points above
baseline.
Few posts at this band should score below 3c
for Human Resources, and this merits 9 points above the baseline.
Budgetary control can be at the level of authorised signatory level
3 meriting an extra 9 points; or budget holder level 4 meriting an
extra 20 points. Note that income generation is mentioned in this
factor.
Posts that include a reasonable proportion of
clinical work and supervision will be level 2a on the Physical
Effort factor and level 5 on the Mental Effort factor because of
the requirement for prolonged sitting in one place and frequent
intense concentration. This merits 11 points above baseline.
The remaining factors with variation are
Responsibility for policy/service development (level 4 is 11 points
above baseline) and R&D (level 4 is 11 points above
baseline).
HEAD OF SERVICE/CLINICAL DIRECTOR/PROFESSIONAL
ADVISOR
We await management agreement on the most
senior profile that covers senior practitioners and management
roles. Watch the websites for publication post agreement. It is
strongly advised that those in most senior posts do not agree to
match until publication or accept offers of individual Job Analysis
Questionnaire's.
Further Advice
Any further questions not covered by the
following sections should be raised with your Agenda for Change
representative who can pass these to the Family of Psychology and
Professional Joint Working Party, or Via the Management SIG to
member if this group.
Websites:
