Assistant Psychologist

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a 0.8 (30 hours per week) Assistant Psychologist to work in our Acute & Urgent Care (A&UC) Directorate. This is permanent post based at Harplands Hospital in Stoke-on Trent working on a female-only ward.
The successful applicant will work within the multidisciplinary team, which includes a senior Psychologist, trainee clinical Psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, occupational therapists & support workers. Your role will include working together with the ward Psychologist (due to start 09.2024) to support the wider multidisciplinary team through conducting assessments under supervision including cognitive assessments, facilitating psychological groups, supporting psychological interventions & working with individual clients to promote engagement in therapy.
This role would suit an aspiring Psychologist who seeks to develop their assessment, formulation & intervention skills, under supervision. This role offers opportunities for direct individual & group clinical work as well as contributing to service development projects. There will be opportunity to connect with other Assistant Psychologists working within the Directorate & in the Trust. There is a monthly Assistant Psychologist Group supporting career development. It is desirable that the post holder will have experience of working within the inpatient setting., The principle duties of this role will be to assist the Psychologists to provide & enhance provision of Psychological Service across the female-only ward inclusive of individual & group work. Both direct & indirect work will be provided. The post holder will assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, & development of audit &/or research projects, teaching & project work., The post holder will be based at Harplands Hospital, Stoke on Trent. The post holder may be required to undertake any of the duties specified in the key result areas note below. The relative priority & time allocated to each of the duties/key result areas will be determined by reference to service needs & may vary in the light of prevailing service priorities & requirements.
· Under supervision, to assist Psychologists & senior members of the clinical team in implementing psychological interventions. This will include using a variety of assessment procedures to collect relevant data (rating scales, self-report measures etc), analysis of data & undertaking clinical interventions with qualified clinicians;
· To assist in the group delivery programme.
· To assist Psychologists & other senior clinicians in undertaking teaching & training. This will include the production of relevant literature & contributing to training initiatives under supervision;
· To assist in the design & implementation of audit & research projects. This will include undertaking literature searches relevant to particular projects & the preparation & presentation of summaries & reports.
· To undertake data collection, analysis & the production of reports & summaries to aid service development;
Person specification, + In the event of exceptionally high levels of response, we reserve the right to close the post before the date stated above in order to prevent the number of applications received being unmanageable. You are advised to submit your completed application form as soon as possible to have the best chance of being considered.

• Priority will be given to NHS staff across the region who are at risk of redundancy, where the vacancy is at the same band or one below their current band and candidates meet the essential criteria for this post.


• All employees new to the Trust will be subject to a 6 month probationary period.


• All clinical staff bands 2-4 that are new to the Trust will be required to complete a Care Certificate.

Canvassing of members of the Trust or of any Committee of the Trust directly or indirectly for any appointment under the Trust shall disqualify the candidate for such appointment. The Trust does not pay travel expenses for candidates attending interviews.
ALL POSTS INVOLVING ACCESS TO PERSONS IN RECEIPT OF HEALTH SERVICES WILL BE SUBJECT TO A DISCLOSURE & BARRING SERVICE DISCLOSURE.
Please provide full contact details for all referees, especially their email addresses where possible. Failure to do may result in significant delays in your application. There may also be a requirement to provide additional referee details.

Essential criteria
+ An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
Desirable criteria
+ Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice &/or research design & analysis
Experience
Essential criteria
+ Experience of work with people with mental health problems or disabilities, or other relevant problems or disabilities (e.g. learning disabilities, organic impairment).
Desirable criteria
+ Paid work in a setting providing direct care.

Our vision is 'To be Outstanding in all we do & how we do it.' Our team prides themselves on compassion, team work & resilience.
A detailed analysis of the most recent national NHS Staff Survey data has confirmed Combined Healthcare is the best rated Trust in the entire NHS.
The Trust has the advantage of being relatively small, where good working relationships are fostered & valued. The current vacancy is based in Stoke-on-Trent, which is easily commutable from all parts of Staffordshire, Cheshire & Manchester areas, has extremely good road links to & from the city.
Staff parking is free on all our main sites.
In return we offer;
Focus on staff wellbeing with easy access to Staff Support & Counselling service as well as Staff Psychological Wellbeing Hub
We cover the cost of your DBS Check (£44)
Competitive staff benefits such as weekly offers & discounts
Individual Personal Development Plan & Career Progression
Excellent pension scheme available
27- 33 days annual leave, plus statutory bank holidays (pro rata)