North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust

Assistant Psychologist

The closing date is 19 June 2025

Job summary

Assistant Psychologist - Band 4 - 0.5 WTE (18.75 hours per week) - Permanent

We are pleased to be able to advertise a permanent Assistant Psychologist post in our Adult Critical Care Unit (ACCU) based at the UHNM acute hospital. The ACCU has undergone significant expansion of its MDT rehabilitation across the care pathway, to include In-patients, ward follow up, and an out-patient clinic. The expansion includes the provision of psychology for patients, staff wellbeing and support for families/ carers.

This transformation has enabled the development of our specialist Critical Care Psychology Team. This includes a Consultant Psychologist, Principal Psychologists, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Psychologists.

We are seeking a skilled and motivated assistant psychologist to support the delivery of psychological services across the care pathway.

Core features of the role will include:

Providing structured interventions to manage low mood and anxiety under the supervision of the Senior Clinical Psychologist

Provision of psycho-education to patients identified as being at risk of future psychological distress

Administration and evaluation of appropriate assessment and screening tools and outcome measures

Assistance with service development and evaluation

Previous experience of working with adults with physical or mental health problems is essential. Previous experience of working in a multidisciplinary team would be an advantage.

Main duties of the job

To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients within the agreed Specialty, across all sectors of care; providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist or Psychological Therapist, working independently according to a plan agreed with the supervisor and within the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures. To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.

About us

As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care.

We pride ourselves onensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.

We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world's first 'carbon net zero' national health system by 2045 (Greener NHS (england.nhs.uk). As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike. For 2024/2025, we have launched our "Proud to be Green" engagement campaign which is aligned to the targets set out in our Green Plan. As a Trust, you can be assured that we will commit to supporting you in working towards our net zero ambitions, set out in our Green Plan, through our sustainability programme".

The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.

Details

Date posted

05 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

232-SPL-7195030

Job locations

UHNM

Stoke-on-Trent

ST4 6QG


Job description

Job responsibilities

As part of your supporting statement can you please answer the following question:

What do you think is the psychological impact of a critical care admission?

Key Duties/Responsibilities

The post holder may be required to undertake any of the duties specified in the key result areas note below. The relative priority and time allocated to each of the duties/key result areas will be determined by reference to service needs and may vary in the light of prevailing service priorities and requirements.

Clinical:

1. Under the clinical supervision of a qualified psychologist or Psychological Therapist, undertakes assessments of mental health, psychological status and function, personality, beliefs, attitudes, behaviour, emotional function, other relevant psychological characteristics and dimensions and factors relevant to the development, maintenance and understanding of the clients difficulties, using standardised psychometric instruments, protocol based assessment tools, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and structured and semi-structured interviews as required. Utilises assessment techniques directly with clients and collects information from family members and others involved in the clients care as appropriate.

2. Assists team members in the scoring, analysis, interpretation and reporting of psychological assessments undertaken with clients and others.

3. Under the clinical supervision of a qualified professional psychologist or Psychological Therapist , assists in the formulation of the clients difficulties and in the planning and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of the clients problems in community and in-patient/residential settings.

4. Under the clinical supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist or Psychological Therapist, delivers therapeutic interventions developed or guided by the qualified psychologist or otherwise defined by protocol, for individual clients and for families, including, for example, planned programmes of CBT or cognitive rehabilitation or other appropriate psychological interventions.

5. Under the clinical supervision of a qualified psychologist or Psychological Therapist, assists in the planning, development, coordination and delivery of therapeutic groups, including for example group approaches to the management of anxiety, stress, or emotional regulation or cognitive rehabilitation, and other protocol based group interventions. Acts as co-therapist with qualified psychologist, other Assistant Psychologist or other designated clinician and as appropriate runs group in accordance with agreed protocol.

Job description

Job responsibilities

As part of your supporting statement can you please answer the following question:

What do you think is the psychological impact of a critical care admission?

Key Duties/Responsibilities

The post holder may be required to undertake any of the duties specified in the key result areas note below. The relative priority and time allocated to each of the duties/key result areas will be determined by reference to service needs and may vary in the light of prevailing service priorities and requirements.

Clinical:

1. Under the clinical supervision of a qualified psychologist or Psychological Therapist, undertakes assessments of mental health, psychological status and function, personality, beliefs, attitudes, behaviour, emotional function, other relevant psychological characteristics and dimensions and factors relevant to the development, maintenance and understanding of the clients difficulties, using standardised psychometric instruments, protocol based assessment tools, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and structured and semi-structured interviews as required. Utilises assessment techniques directly with clients and collects information from family members and others involved in the clients care as appropriate.

2. Assists team members in the scoring, analysis, interpretation and reporting of psychological assessments undertaken with clients and others.

3. Under the clinical supervision of a qualified professional psychologist or Psychological Therapist , assists in the formulation of the clients difficulties and in the planning and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of the clients problems in community and in-patient/residential settings.

4. Under the clinical supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist or Psychological Therapist, delivers therapeutic interventions developed or guided by the qualified psychologist or otherwise defined by protocol, for individual clients and for families, including, for example, planned programmes of CBT or cognitive rehabilitation or other appropriate psychological interventions.

5. Under the clinical supervision of a qualified psychologist or Psychological Therapist, assists in the planning, development, coordination and delivery of therapeutic groups, including for example group approaches to the management of anxiety, stress, or emotional regulation or cognitive rehabilitation, and other protocol based group interventions. Acts as co-therapist with qualified psychologist, other Assistant Psychologist or other designated clinician and as appropriate runs group in accordance with agreed protocol.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of work with people with mental health problems or disabilities, or other relevant problems or disabilities (e.g. learning disabilities, organic impairment).
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of work with people with mental health problems or disabilities, or other relevant problems or disabilities (e.g. learning disabilities, organic impairment).

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.

Employer details

Employer name

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust

Address

UHNM

Stoke-on-Trent

ST4 6QG


Employer's website

https://www.combined.nhs.uk/working-together/join-our-team/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust

Address

UHNM

Stoke-on-Trent

ST4 6QG


Employer's website

https://www.combined.nhs.uk/working-together/join-our-team/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Principal Psychologist

Dr Brittany Davenport

Brittany.davenport@uhnm.nhs.uk

01782672917

Details

Date posted

05 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

232-SPL-7195030

Job locations

UHNM

Stoke-on-Trent

ST4 6QG


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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