Assistant Psychologist

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Liverpool is seeking two Assistant Psychologists to support a Clinical Psychologist in enhancing psychological services for individuals with learning disabilities. This role involves conducting assessments, developing care plans, and participating in a multidisciplinary team. Candidates should possess a relevant psychology degree and strong communication skills.

Benefits

New entrants to the NHS commence at the first pay point

Consideration for flexible working requests

Qualifications

• Experience in conducting psychological assessments and neuropsychological testing.
• Ability to work under supervision and contribute to care plans.
• Familiarity with multidisciplinary teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Undertake psychological assessments and prepare clinical reports.
• Assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans.
• Communicate with staff regarding client assessments.

Skills

Psychological assessments

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

Relevant psychology degree

Job description

Equality and Diversity Statement

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 ethnically diverse, 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.

Role Overview

Primer opportunity for two Assistant Psychologists to join the Liverpool and Sefton Intensive Support Function across Norris Green Hub and Hartley Hospital. The successful applicants will support the work of the qualified Clinical Psychologist in improving the psychological offer to people with a learning disability who may have mental health difficulties and/or behaviours that challenge. You will support the Clinical Psychologist and wider team with assessments, formulations, interventions and teaching/training sessions. There is also an opportunity for audit/service data collection and analysis, and you will work within a vibrant multi‑disciplinary team alongside Community Learning Disability Nurses, Assistant Practitioners, Support Workers, Occupational Therapists and Speech & Language Therapists.

As an assistant psychologist your work will be supervised by the Principal Clinical Psychologist. You will gain experience of working with adults who have a learning disability, develop your psychological knowledge and skills through supervision, joint working and CPD events, and become part of Mersey Care’s Specialist Learning Disability Service.

Responsibilities

1. Undertake psychological assessments of clients, including neuropsychological tests, self‑report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect observations, and semi‑structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
2. Review a variety of data sources, such as medical records, case files and depositions, to inform standardised risk assessments for qualified members of the Secure Care Division and Community Learning Disability Service (CLDS).
3. 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 clinical psychologist.
4. Contribute to the development of outcome measures for clinical interventions and assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the Secure Care Division and CLDS.
5. Communicate and liaise with staff and other disciplines with regard to assessing clients and reviewing their care in preparation for multidisciplinary review meetings.
6. Prepare reports on clinical assessments, results of psychometric assessments, case note reviews and research/audit projects under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist or clinical nurse specialist.
7. Assist in clinically related administration, conduct audits, collect statistics, develop audit and/or research projects, training and project work.
8. Support the training and development of other staff in psychological care, including organising training seminars and conferences.
9. Provide occasional support to the on‑call nurse as part of the Community Learning Disability Service on‑call rota.

Person Specification

Applicants will be assessed against essential criteria outlined in the person specification. Only those who clearly demonstrate how they meet the essential criteria will be shortlisted. As a Disability Confident Employer we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you would like your application to be considered under the Trust’s guaranteed interview scheme, please indicate this in the personal information section of your online application form.

Application Process

Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply for all correspondence – all information regarding your application will come from apps.trac.jobs and not NHS Jobs. Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview. We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist, so please apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role. Applicants requiring sponsorship should assess their eligibility on the gov.uk website (https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa). Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles. Please be aware that the use of Artificial Intelligence on applications is monitored and must be declared on your application form. All post holders who require an enhanced DBS for their role and work in Children’s & Young People services must subscribe to the DBS Update Service and will be required to enrol for a fee of £16 per year. Trans applicants who require a DBS check and do not want to reveal previous identity details can contact the DBS Sensitive Applications Team (01516761452 or email [e-mail])

Conditions and Benefits

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band. The Trust expects all post holders who require an enhanced DBS for their role and work in Children’s & Young People services to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.