Job summary
- Main area
- Psychology
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- 12 months (Fixed term, full time)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (office hours)
- Job ref
- 350-SC7077885-A
- Employer
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Alexander House,
- Town
- Leyland
- Salary
- £26,530 - £29,114 per annum/ pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 22/04/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Assistant Psychologist
Band 4
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Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnic minorities, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
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Job overview
We are looking to recruit a full time, 37.5 hours per week assistant psychologist on a one year fixed contract. This post will be to contribute and support the psychology provision within our Community Forensic Learning Disability Service in Lancashire & South Cumbria.
Main duties of the job
The Assistant Psychologist will support and enhance the psychological care of clients within the service, providing psychological assessment, formulation and interventions under the close supervision of a qualified Practitioner Psychologist. They will also work independently according to a plan agreed with the multi-disciplinary team and within the overall framework of the Secure Care Division and service specific policies and procedures.
Working for our organisation
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
All of the following clinical activities will be carried out under the supervision of a Qualified Practitioner Psychologist.
To undertake psychological assessments of clients - applying psychological tests, including neuropsychological, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
To review a variety of data sources, including medical records, case files, and depositions to inform standardised risk assessments for qualified members of the Secure Care Division.
To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s problems, under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
To contribute to the development of outcome measures for clinical interventions, and to assist the design and implementation of service development projects within the Secure Care Division To communicate and liaise with staff and other disciplines with regard to assessing clients and reviewing their care in preparation for multidisciplinary review meetings. Under the supervision of a qualified psychologist or clinical nurse specialist, to prepare reports on clinical assessments with individuals, the results of psychometric assessments, case note reviews and research/audit projects.
To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, training and project work.
To contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care, including contributing to the organisation of training seminars and conferences for others.
To receive regular individual and group clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines and the Directorate policy.
To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participant in appropriate CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holder’s professional and operational managers.
To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society, the Health Care Professions Council, Clinical Business Unit, and Trust policies and procedures.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- A First or Upper Second honours degree in psychology OR a lower class with a post-graduate qualification. (e.g., Master’s degree)
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society (GBR)
- ECDL or demonstrable proficiency with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Publisher and SPSS
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of psychological approaches to working with people who have mental health needs or behaviours that challenge (e.g., Positive Behaviour Support, Trauma Informed Care, Person Centred Care etc)
- Good written and spoken English
- Good keyboard skills
- Good inter-personal skills
- Good organisational skills
- Ability to carry out instructions, use own initiative but recognise own limits and can utilise and tolerate supervision effectively
Skills
Essential criteria
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or behaviours that challenge.
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care.
- Able to use library effectively, conduct literature searches, etc.
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- Recognises the limits of own competence and need for supervision.
- Ability and willingness to travel for work
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Rachael Clarkson
- Job title
- Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01772 377960
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