NHS

Family and Patient Support Therapist


PayCompetitive
LocationTaunton/England
Employment typePart-Time

This job is now closed

  • Job Description

      Req#: B0386-25-0010?language=en&page=882&sort=publicationDateDesc

      Job summary

      St Margaret's Hospice Care has a fantastic opportunity for a Family and Patient Support Therapist to join their team. This role is based in Taunton and Yeovil.

      You will join us on a part time (19 hours per week), permanent basisand in return, you will receive a competitive salary of £20,358.05 per annum (equivalent to a full time rate of£39,644.64).

      We are seeking a practitioner qualified to deliver specialist psychotherapeutic support to individuals and groups. As part of our Supportive Care Service, you will provide evidenced based, therapeutic support to patients with a palliative diagnosis, families, children and young people who have been, or are about to be bereaved of someone significant to them.

      Main duties of the job

      This cross-county role will be based in our Taunton and Yeovil Hospice sites and will see clients as out-patients, in their own homes and at other community venues.

      You will work alongside the wider supportive care team of counsellors and therapists.

      Although the majority of work will be within normal working hours, some evening and weekend work will be needed.

      Your day to day work will include:

      • Work within therapeutic boundaries, managing a complex caseload of patients and clients with specialist psychological needs in relation to a life limiting illness
      • Monitor and triage requests for psychological therapies, assessing and identifying best therapeutic response
      • Support the practitioners within the team and deliver clinical supervision
      • Support the development and delivery of therapeutic practices within the supportive care team
      • Collaborative working with other healthcare professions and the multi-disciplinary team
      • Provide a timely and responsive pre and post bereavement service for families, children and young adults

      About us

      Be part of a welcoming, community minded charity. Our mission is to provide excellent specialist palliative care for patients and support to their families. Everyone here contributes and has a part to play towards our goal. If you speak to any of our staff or volunteers, they will tell you how the patient is at the heart of everything they do. So, if you're looking for a role where you can really make a difference, we could be a perfect match.

      We also offer the following:

      Holiday entitlement

      • 33 days holiday including bank holidays rising to 35 days after 1 year, and increasing with length of service (pro-rata if part-time)
      • Recognise continuous service for clinical staff paid at band 5+ who join directly from the NHS or another hospice
      • Ability to buy and sell annual leave

      Pension scheme

      • NHS employees eligible to continue with their NHS pension scheme*
      • Non-NHS employees will receive 5% employer and 5% employee contribution.

      Award-winning Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family offering:

      • Vitality & wellbeing health portal for non-emergency care
      • Unlimited access to 24/7 online GP Consultations as well as Expert Case Management
      • Confidential and free 24-hour Employee Assistance
      • Counselling and support
      • Legal, financial, and medical information and advice

      And more

      • Life assurance cover
      • Health Cash Plans
      • Blue Light Discount Card
      • Enhanced parental leave*
      • Learning and development opportunities
      • Free on-site parking in Yeovil & Taunton
      • Volunteering opportunities

      *Eligibility criteria applies

      Date posted

      01 April 2025

      Pay scheme

      Agenda for change

      Band

      Band 6

      Salary

      £39,644 a year pro rata

      Contract

      Permanent

      Working pattern

      Part-time

      Reference number

      25-25 - Family and Patient Support Therapist

      Job locations

      Heron Drive

      Bishops Hull

      Taunton

      Somerset

      TA1 5HA


      Little Tarat Lane

      Yeovil

      Somerset

      BA20 2HU


      Job description

      Job responsibilities

      • Develop, co-ordinate and deliver safe and effective psychotherapeutic care to patients and families.
      • Provide evidenced based, therapeutic support to families, children and young people who have been, or are about to be bereaved of someone significant to them.
      • Maintain a high level of expertise and credibility within the multidisciplinary team, including the management of own caseload.
      • To work closely with all members of the Hospice team to ensure compliance with legislation and expected quality standards.
      • To establish and maintain relationships with relevant external organisations to promote the continued delivery of psychotherapeutic care for Hospice patients and their families / friends in all settings.
      • Provide Clinical Supervision for the psychological practitioners and other members of the wider Hospice, as agreed
      • Manage and supervise a volunteer team providing support to the service.

      Job description

      Job responsibilities

      • Develop, co-ordinate and deliver safe and effective psychotherapeutic care to patients and families.
      • Provide evidenced based, therapeutic support to families, children and young people who have been, or are about to be bereaved of someone significant to them.
      • Maintain a high level of expertise and credibility within the multidisciplinary team, including the management of own caseload.
      • To work closely with all members of the Hospice team to ensure compliance with legislation and expected quality standards.
      • To establish and maintain relationships with relevant external organisations to promote the continued delivery of psychotherapeutic care for Hospice patients and their families / friends in all settings.
      • Provide Clinical Supervision for the psychological practitioners and other members of the wider Hospice, as agreed
      • Manage and supervise a volunteer team providing support to the service.

      Person Specification

      Education and Qualifications

      Essential

      • Qualified to practice as a specialist counsellor, psychotherapist, systemic practitioner or equivalent.
      • Current relevant professional registration / accreditation.
      • Evidence of ongoing professional development

      Desirable

      • Master's level training in relevant field
      • Qualification in counselling children and young people.
      • Evidence of study in Palliative Care
      • Clinical Supervision Qualification

      Self Awareness

      Essential

      • Excellent organisational skills to effectively manage workload
      • Ability to make decisions, organise, prioritise and meet deadlines

      Working with others

      Essential

      • Excellent communication and presentation skills
      • Understanding of loss and grief and its impact on individuals and families and their social networks

      Desirable

      • Experience of working with volunteers
      • Experience of delivering clinical and counselling supervision
      • Experience of teaching / training

      Outcome and Results

      Essential

      • Experience working with people with chronic disease or life limiting illnesses
      • Experience of having worked in a healthcare or multi-disciplinary setting.
      • Experience of practicing according to NICE supportive and palliative care guidelines at Level 3/Level 4

      Desirable

      • Experience of having worked in a Specialist Palliative Care setting
      • Experience of working therapeutically with families and children in complex situations and the delivery of evidenced based interventions
      • Maintenance of statistical data
      • Experience of participation in audit or research

      Leading in your area

      Essential

      • Working knowledge of relevant statutory and voluntary agencies
      • A knowledge of current legislation and policy relevant to palliative care and psychotherapeutic practice, including working with vulnerable individuals, adult, and child safeguarding issues
      • Computer literacy with knowledge of Windows based applications
      • Demonstrable commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities
      • Must have ability to travel by car across the whole County including rural communities.
      • Ability to work varied hours including weekends, bank holidays and some evenings

      Desirable

      • Evidence of service development
      • Evidence of contributing to policy making and standard setting
      Person Specification

      Education and Qualifications

      Essential

      • Qualified to practice as a specialist counsellor, psychotherapist, systemic practitioner or equivalent.
      • Current relevant professional registration / accreditation.
      • Evidence of ongoing professional development

      Desirable

      • Master's level training in relevant field
      • Qualification in counselling children and young people.
      • Evidence of study in Palliative Care
      • Clinical Supervision Qualification

      Self Awareness

      Essential

      • Excellent organisational skills to effectively manage workload
      • Ability to make decisions, organise, prioritise and meet deadlines

      Working with others

      Essential

      • Excellent communication and presentation skills
      • Understanding of loss and grief and its impact on individuals and families and their social networks

      Desirable

      • Experience of working with volunteers
      • Experience of delivering clinical and counselling supervision
      • Experience of teaching / training

      Outcome and Results

      Essential

      • Experience working with people with chronic disease or life limiting illnesses
      • Experience of having worked in a healthcare or multi-disciplinary setting.
      • Experience of practicing according to NICE supportive and palliative care guidelines at Level 3/Level 4

      Desirable

      • Experience of having worked in a Specialist Palliative Care setting
      • Experience of working therapeutically with families and children in complex situations and the delivery of evidenced based interventions
      • Maintenance of statistical data
      • Experience of participation in audit or research

      Leading in your area

      Essential

      • Working knowledge of relevant statutory and voluntary agencies
      • A knowledge of current legislation and policy relevant to palliative care and psychotherapeutic practice, including working with vulnerable individuals, adult, and child safeguarding issues
      • Computer literacy with knowledge of Windows based applications
      • Demonstrable commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities
      • Must have ability to travel by car across the whole County including rural communities.
      • Ability to work varied hours including weekends, bank holidays and some evenings

      Desirable

      • Evidence of service development
      • Evidence of contributing to policy making and standard setting

      Disclosure and Barring Service Check

      This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

      UK Registration

      Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

      Additional information

      Disclosure and Barring Service Check

      This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

      UK Registration

      Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

      Employer details

      Employer name

      St Margaret's Somerset Hospice

      Address

      Heron Drive

      Bishops Hull

      Taunton

      Somerset

      TA1 5HA


      Employer's website

      https://www.st-margarets-hospice.org.uk/home-page (Opens in a new tab)

      Employer details

      Employer name

      St Margaret's Somerset Hospice

      Address

      Heron Drive

      Bishops Hull

      Taunton

      Somerset

      TA1 5HA


      Employer's website

      https://www.st-margarets-hospice.org.uk/home-page (Opens in a new tab)

  • About the company

      National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.