Local psychological therapy support to be expanded after one-million-pound investment
This week during psychological professions week (13 -17 November), we are delighted to share that Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) have been working together to review psychological therapy in secondary care and the ICB have agreed funding to increase access, which will directly benefit patients.
This is a substantial £1 million + investment, demonstrating both the ICB’s and Trust’s commitment to expanding psychological therapies, as part of an integrated pathway of patient care in Nottinghamshire. The funding will create 14 new roles that will mean an expansion of services offered to support patients.
Psychological professionals work with patients to prevent and alleviate psychological and emotional distress, manage mental health and wellbeing, and empower individuals and communities to improve their lives.
Paula Vaughan, Mental Health Care Group Director at Nottinghamshire Healthcare said:
This is fantastic news for Nottinghamshire. Our psychological professionals offer outstanding care to support patients with their psychological wellbeing and ability to cope with changing and difficult emotions. We are thrilled to receive this funding to allow us to extend the services we offer to our patients, to ensure they get the support they need.
The funding will ensure psychological interventions can be delivered by local mental health teams (LMHTs), as well as the creation of a new County South Step 4 Psychology service to compliment the service already delivered in the North of the county, ensuring all patients county wide have access to Step 4 Psychology interventions. The Step 4 psychology service offers psychological assessment and treatment (individual and groups) to adults with complex psychological/mental health difficulties.
The NHS Long Term Plan sets out ambitious proposals to expand access to psychological therapies and interventions in England at a faster pace than ever before. The psychological professions workforce alone will need to grow by at least 60 per cent between March 2020 and April 2024. This funding will allow the Trust to expand the psychological services offered locally.
Are you a psychological professional who wants to be involved?
We are excited to be able to offer a range of permanent, full time or part time opportunities for clinical or counselling psychologists at both Band 8a and Band 7 (which can be offered as preceptorships) within Step 4, and LMHT’s across Nottinghamshire. There are also Band 8a opportunities for BABCP accredited cognitive behavioural psychotherapists, who have a core professional qualification and additional modality training to join the team. For further information contact Andy Sirrs at andy.sirrs@nottshc.nhs.uk
