Assistant Psychologist

Devon Partnership NHS Trust; Dawlish; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional mental health service in Dawlish seeks an Assistant Psychologist to provide psychological support in a new inpatient ward for adults with learning disabilities and autism. The role involves assessments, interventions, and working with a multidisciplinary team. Applicants should have a Psychology degree and experience with vulnerable populations. This is a full-time position emphasizing development opportunities and support within a trauma-informed environment.

Qualifications

• Experience with vulnerable people with complex needs.
• Training in diversity awareness.
• Clinical placement in Learning Disability services.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychological assessment and interventions.
• Contribute to psychoeducation sessions.
• Participate in service development and evaluation.

Skills

Integration of complex data

Decision-making under supervision

Written communication skills

Time management

Project management

Education

BA or BSc in Psychology

Job description

Are you someone looking for a career in one of the UK's most respected mental health and learning disability trusts?

Would you like to be part of a dedicated team committed to making a difference to people's lives to enjoy a better future?

We are looking to recruit a full time Assistant Psychologist to work on a specialist Learning Disability and Autism adult mental health ward. The Brook is a brand new hospital setting specifically designed for people with diverse neurological, sensory and mental health needs.

We have a multidisciplinary team including psychological therapists, occupational therapists, medics, nursing, chaplaincy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and pharmacy. The role will be working alongside the psychological therapists including creative therapists and be supervised by a clinical psychologist. We aim to provide a psychologically and trauma informed environment for the people who use our service and the staff team.

The inbound service is a regional service across the South West. There is a further inpatient ward opening in the near future in Bristol. The Brook itself sits within the wider specialist directorate of the trust. We also have outreach teams offering specialist support into the community. We encourage networking and CPD opportunities across the wider psychology services. We have good links with local Doctoral Clinical Psychology programmes and host placements both in inpatient, wider learning disability and Neurodiversity services.

Main duties of the job

The Brook aims to provide specialist inpatient mental health care to adults with learning disabilities and/or autism whose needs cannot be met by mainstream services. Creating and adapting care and interventions to an individual's specific needs is a vital part of this role.

This role aims to apply psychological theory to the service as part of the wider multidisciplinary team. The post holder will contribute to the provision of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and evaluation. This will include individual clinical work, group interventions such as psychoeducation sessions and contributions to staff training and support. As a new service there will also be opportunities to participate in service development and evaluation as we embed into the wider healthcare network.

Please note that this vacancy may close early without notice due to the volume of applications we expect to receive. Please do not delay in submitting your application as no further applications will be accepted once the vacancy has closed.

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience – we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust's core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

The principal purpose of the job is to improve the psychological health & wellbeing of people with learning disabilities.

1. Providing a Psychology and Psychological Therapies service within the South West Regional Learning Disability Neurodiversity (LDND) Inpatient care pathway and where appropriate to integrated mental health and wellbeing services.
2. Implement specific assessment (including intellectual functioning assessments; screening for neurological deterioration and clinical observation), clinical care packages and advice to people who use services, family members , carers and professionals within standing operating procedures under the supervision of principal and Lead Psychologists.
3. The post holder will be supported by the Lead Clinical Psychologist and senior colleagues within the specialism. The post holder will be expected to make good use of the expertise of others within the service to further develop their clinical skills with people with learning disabilities.
4. To work within professional guidelines and DPT procedures and protocols.
5. The post holder will receive regular professional and clinical supervision in accordance with Trust policy and to Professional Practice Guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society or appropriate designated Professional Body.

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

• Clients, family and carers: To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understanding and/or communicating and who may be distressed.
• Multidisciplinary team colleagues: To work closely with colleagues in the multi-professional integrated learning disability services on a day to day basis.
• Health & social care staff: To communicate with a wide range of health & social care staff in hospital and in community settings in a skilled and sensitive manner, complex and sensitive information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under the services care. To provide support & guidance in the application of psychological principles and techniques, and to foster reflective practice.
• Senior managers & professional staff: To maintain and build good working relationships with senior professional staff and managers in the Learning Disability and Neurodiversity Services and in DPT, to foster a positive approach to the integrated mental health and wellbeing service and to enable effective negotiation.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• In a supervised context, to undertake clinical assessments and observations within the South West Regional LDND Inpatient care pathway and evaluate the findings.
• In addition, to undertake audit and research activities within the Learning Disability service and evaluate the findings.

Planning and Organisational Skills

• To plan and prioritise own workload.
• To provide psychology knowledge as a result of research and audit activity to the multi-professional planning, development and marketing of learning disability services within DPT.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

• Assessment & intervention: To make assessments, and deliver treatment interventions within a supervised context for individuals, carers, families and groups, and to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.
• Consultation & guidance: In a supervised context, to provide advice, guidance and consultation on psychological aspects of patient care to colleagues, other service providers, patients, supporters and families.
• Audit and Research: To carry out audits of service provision and research within a supervised context involving individuals, carers, families and groups, and to demonstrate awareness of diversity issues.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

• Policy & service: To follow policy guidance in own role and to comment on proposed policy changes and service developments.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

• Careful use of equipment.

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

• There is a requirement to support learners on a regular basis which includes the achievement and updating of profession specific training to the required standard to fulfil this role.

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

• To maintain accurate records.
• To be responsible for using an email account to generate, monitor, and respond to the e-mail traffic by which the Trust conducts much of its internal communication.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• R & D: To undertake service-relevant research as indicated above and development activity agreed within the learning disability service.

Freedom to Act

• The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trust policies and procedures and Professional Practice Guidelines.
• In a supervised context, to work within clinical professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the governance of psychological practice within the Health and Social Care Partnership for People with Learning Disabilities.

Person Specification

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to integrate complex data; make highly skilled evaluations and decisions under supervision of qualified staff.
• Able to produce well written reports.
• Organisation and time management skills.
• Ability to be mobile across a geographical area.
• Project management.

Experience

• Some experience, either through employment or voluntary work, with vulnerable people with complex needs and/or who are socially disadvantaged.
• Experience, and/or training in diversity awareness and social inequality.
• Experience of specialist psychological research and audit of services and people who use services across a wide range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
• Experience gained during supervised training of working in applied psychology.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.

Qualifications

• BA or BSc in Psychology eligible for graduate basis for registration with the British Psychological Society.
• Clinical placement and/or supervised practice in Learning Disability services.
• Further training in applied / clinical psychology interventions.

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.