Assistant Psychologist

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

ASSISTANT PSYCHOLOGIST

Women's Secure Service

Guild Lodge, Guild Park, Preston

Specialist Network

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT)

Band 4 (AFC)

1 post full time 37.5 hours, 1.0 WTE

Permanent

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated candidate who can be flexible and responsive to client and service needs in a secure setting. Guild Lodge is the home of LSCFTs adult secure services, a specialist regional unit for individuals with a range of complex and enduring mental health and risk related needs detained under the Mental Health Act. Our multidisciplinary teams provide high standards of assessment and formulation, care and treatment interventions ensuring rehabilitation and recovery, across a range of secure settings including medium, low secure, and step-down rehabilitation, for men and women.

We are currently looking for an Assistant Psychologist to join the Women's service line psychology team. Due to funding, the role will be ward based, on Fellside East, low secure ward. The role will be varied and will offer the successful applicant the opportunity to develop a range of skills within a supportive service with excellent clinical supervision and a wide range of CPD opportunities. There may also be scope for opportunities to gain skills and experience in the men's service or our nationally recognised Forensic Brain Injury service.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will assist with psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified member of the psychology team. The post holder will assist qualified members of the nursing team with practical tasks related to the ward, and will assist in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of individual packages of care, and contribute to effective multidisciplinary care. Other tasks may include assisting in clinically related administration, conduct of audits and collection of statistics related to departmental research projects, outcome evaluation work, teaching, and project work. Collaborative therapeutic work with multi-disciplinary colleagues is encouraged, and assistants are considered valuable members of our multi-disciplinary psychological services team.

The successful candidate will be educated to degree level in psychology and have previous experience of working with clients with complex clinical and risk related needs. Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills are also essential, along with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of multi-disciplinary/multi-agency teams. A commitment to open and reflective practice is essential, as is commitment to participating in supervision provided by a qualified Clinical Psychologist.

About us

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT

Date posted

06 February 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£25,147 to £27,596 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

351-SPS992-CLK

Job locations

Guild Lodge - Fellside East Ward

Preston

PR3 2JH

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role

Person Specification

Education

Essential

An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology. Eligibility for graduate membership of BPS

Desirable

Further education or research in relevant area of psychology e.g. working with offenders, psychological/risk assessment

Experience

Essential

Experience of working with clients with complex and enduring needs.
Experience of working in institutional and/or multi-agency and disciplinary service settings

Desirable

Experience of supporting research, service evaluation and audit within a clinical setting.

Knowledge

Essential

Understanding of clinical, personal, and professional challenges of working in institutional settings and with risk-related needs.
A good knowledge of lifespan psychology applied to health care.
Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively in both oral and written formats, and in environments which are highly emotive and stressful.

Person Specification

Education

Essential

An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology. Eligibility for graduate membership of BPS

Desirable

Further education or research in relevant area of psychology e.g. working with offenders, psychological/risk assessment

Experience

Essential

Experience of working with clients with complex and enduring needs.
Experience of working in institutional and/or multi-agency and disciplinary service settings

Desirable

Experience of supporting research, service evaluation and audit within a clinical setting.

Knowledge

Essential

Understanding of clinical, personal, and professional challenges of working in institutional settings and with risk-related needs.
A good knowledge of lifespan psychology applied to health care.
Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively in both oral and written formats, and in environments which are highly emotive and stressful.

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.