South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Assistant Psychologist

The closing date is 21 July 2025

Job summary

18.75 Hours per week

The Medical Psychology service provides psychological assessment, support and treatment to medical patients within the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It is the largest hospital trust in the Tees Valley, with two acute hospitals and services in a number of community hospitals and community-based services.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Band 5 Assistant Psychologist to join the team and specifically to assist in the facilitation of the Northern Cancer Alliance 'Improving Mental Well being in Cancer Project'.

The role involves working with Psychology Service Leads across the North East North Cumbria region, to improve the mental well being of people affected by cancer, in line with the 'London Model' guidance (TCST 2020). This role will enable delivery of the strategic component of this project, working directly alongside the Psychology Leads in South Tees.

The post holder will have excellent communication skills and will have demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team. Above all you must be passionate about working with medical patients, using drive and innovation to make positive changes for this specific patient group.

Please note that this vacancy will close when we receive sufficient completed applications.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the post are:

To assist in project work including event planning, project related administration, presentations, and the collection and interpretation of data.

Tasks will be agreed and reviewed at appropriate intervals under the supervision of a qualified psychologist, but the post holder will take these tasks forward independently on a day-to-day basis.

To a more limited extent, when appropriate, to support and enhance the professional psychological care of patients within the Cancer Psychology Service, providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the direct supervision of a qualified psychologist.

To assist qualified psychologists in the design and implementation of service development projects as required.

Share Learning across region through community of practice to enable to development and implementation of best resourced option for Integrated Care Board / Place.

Regular supervision meetings with the Health Psychologist/ Lead Psychologists to review objectives and progress.

Professional engagement with the Regional Macmillan Team.

Professional engagement with the Regional Psychology Strategic Steering Group.

Professional engagement with the South Tees Improving Mental Well-being in Cancer Network.

Regular engagement with People living with cancer to monitor effective delivery plan and performance.

This vacancy will close once sufficient applications have been received.

About us

Medical Psychology

The Medical Psychology service is made up of Clinical Psychologists, Counselling Psychologists, Health Psychologists, Psychological Therapists and Counsellors. We deliver psychological assessment, intervention and support to patients with a range of medical conditions across the lifespan. We utilise third wave therapies (especially Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Mindfulness) alongside CBT as the core therapeutic modalities, with training and supervision provided to support delivery of these approaches. We also carry out clinical audit, research and service evaluation. We have strong links with the Doctoral Training Programmes at the University of Teesside, and we provide teaching, placements and research projects for Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology and Health Psychology trainees.

The Trust encourages innovation and service development, and we actively support this within the Medical Psychology service. All clinicians are expected to take on service development and service governance duties as part of their role, both within the Psychology service and within the wider MDTs in which we work. We provide mentoring and support to deliver this.

Date posted

07 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£29,970 to £36,483 a year per annum (pro rata)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

328-NSC-7275592

Job locations

The James Cook University Hospital

Marton Road

Middlesbrough

TS4 3BW

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the full job description and person specification document(s) for main responsibilities of the role.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust offers leadership and improvement training to all new staff to the Trust; this training programme has been designed to support our leaders in developing their understanding of leadership and management skills. You will be expected to attend the leadership development programme, and the Quality Improvement Programme that the Trust delivers. This programme aims to:-

Explore leadership within the NHS

Promote Trust Values and Behaviours

Develop your Leadership effectiveness and skills

Practitioner level in quality improvement, equipping you with the skills to champion, lead and complete quality improvement within your role

After you complete this four and a half days of training you will be able to explore further leadership and improvement training opportunities, we offer further in-house courses dependent upon your role and bite size programmes and leadership apprenticeships at level 3,5 and 7.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the full job description and person specification document(s) for main responsibilities of the role.

Explore leadership within the NHS

Promote Trust Values and Behaviours

Develop your Leadership effectiveness and skills

Practitioner level in quality improvement, equipping you with the skills to champion, lead and complete quality improvement within your role

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with medical conditions, psychological issues, neurological problems or other disabilities
An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a health care context
High level communication skills (written and oral) including an ability to communicate highly complex/sensitive information and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive, and where there may be barriers to acceptance.
Ability to contribute to formal research programmes
An ability to work independently and on own initiative, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.
An ability to interact with people with neurological problems and/or other disabilities, and their carers.

Qualifications and Education

Essential

An upper second-class honours degree/diploma or higher in psychology (as recognised by the British Psychological Society)
Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Desirable

Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, medical psychology/neuropsychology and/or research design and analysis

Experience

Essential

Work with people with health problems, psychological difficulties and/or other disabilities
Experience using computers for databases or data-analysis, including Excel and SPSS for Windows.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with medical conditions, psychological issues, neurological problems or other disabilities
An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a health care context
High level communication skills (written and oral) including an ability to communicate highly complex/sensitive information and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive, and where there may be barriers to acceptance.
Ability to contribute to formal research programmes
An ability to work independently and on own initiative, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.
An ability to interact with people with neurological problems and/or other disabilities, and their carers.

Qualifications and Education

Essential

An upper second-class honours degree/diploma or higher in psychology (as recognised by the British Psychological Society)
Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Desirable

Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, medical psychology/neuropsychology and/or research design and analysis

Experience

Essential

Work with people with health problems, psychological difficulties and/or other disabilities
Experience using computers for databases or data-analysis, including Excel and SPSS for Windows.

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

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The James Cook University Hospital

Marton Road

Middlesbrough

TS4 3BW

Employer's website

https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The James Cook University Hospital

Marton Road

Middlesbrough

TS4 3BW

Employer's website

https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)