Assistant Psychologist

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Staff development programs

Travel between sites

Job summary

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Research Assistant to work on two NIHR-funded trials in psychosis. You will split time between the EASE trial and the Mouth Matters study, recruit participants, conduct assessments, and ensure compliance with the protocol, including maintaining blinded conditions.

The post is full-time for 20 months on a fixed-term basis with travel to NHS settings and participants' homes.

Qualifications

• Upper 2:1 psychology degree required.
• Eligibility for graduate membership of BPS.
• Experience in mental health research settings.
• Knowledge of audit, research design and data management.

Responsibilities

• Promote the study and identify eligible participants.
• Take informed consent and conduct assessments.
• Follow the research protocol and blinded status.
• Input data and manage diaries/ workload; travel between sites.

Skills

Research methodology

SPSS

Data management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (2:1)

BPS graduate membership eligibility

Experience in mental health settings

Tools

SPSS

Job description

Hello!

We are so delighted you are considering coming to work with us at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).

We know the power of looking into an organisation, one you might want to work in, or one where you are going to get help, and being able to say, 'I've seen somewhere I can fit in and be myself.' We're on a journey to make the Trust an inclusive employer, representative of the community we serve and we want more of our community to consider applying for jobs with us.

Opportunities for you

Spanning east to west coasts from Northumberland to Cumbria and from the Scottish Borders down to Middlesbrough we've got exciting new opportunities available at every level and in every area.

We offer flexible working, helping work fit around family and caring responsibilities, or training and development needs and there's lots on offer in the way of benefits, such as, lease cars, childcare schemes, staff discounts, season tickets for travel and a cycle to work scheme. All this in a vibrant workplace supported by the following staff networks.

• Cultural diversity staff network
• Disabled staff network
• LGBT+ staff network

We also have a number of staff support groups which are open to any staff to attend. These Include:

• Armed Forces and Veterans Staff Network
• Mind, Health and Wellbeing Community
• Menopause toolkit and cafes and staff carer support group

We offer fantastic personal development opportunities through our Collective Leadership Programme and other Organisational Development initiatives. Whatever you are looking for, you will be joining a supportive, friendly team, offering varied and interesting roles, with opportunities for career progression.

We're always seeking to improve as an organisation. Do you want to be part of that?

Please note that it is a requirement of this Trust that all external applicants pay for their own DBS certification if a DBS check is required for the post. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first monthly pay

Job overview

The post is to work as a Research Assistant on two trials being run in the Hub for Advancing Research in Psychosis. You will work half time on the EASE Trial, an NIHR funded randomised controlled trial (RCT) that aims to examine the value of EMDR for people with early psychosis, and a history of distressing life experiences. You will also work half time on the Mouth Matters study which is a research trial examining the impact of a link worker in helping people with psychosis to access dental care.

The post is full time for 20 months on a fixed term basis.

The post holder will be responsible for recruiting eligible participants to the trials, conducting assessments using validated clinical measures to confirm the eligibility of participants, and to conduct baseline and follow up assessments. Administrative requirements will include timely and accurate documentation, updating clinical records, and managing record-keeping databases. This post will involve travelling to, and working across, multiple locations including NHS settings and participants' homes. Hence, the post holder must be comfortable lone working, within a supported and structured risk management protocol. Applicants should be able to work warmly and sensitively with people experiencing distress, and be able to manage their own wellbeing using available supervision and support structures.

Main duties of the job

Your job purpose will be to promote the study and work with the psychosis service to identify potential participants. You will take informed consent from participants and conduct the trials assessments at the appropriate time points. You will carefully follow the research protocol and avoid being unblinded to which condition participants have been randomised too. You will input data and manage your own diary and workload.

You will have a good first degree in Psychology (at least a 2:1). You will have some experience of working in a mental health setting as an Assistant Psychologist or Research Assistant (or equivalent experience), and an interest in psychosis, trauma, and/or other serious mental health difficulties. Knowledge of audit, research design and data management is essential. Experience of using a structured psychiatric interview would be advantageous. Experience of recruiting research participants from diverse communities that are often under-represented in research would also be beneficial for the role. We particularly encourage applicants interested in developing their own skills and knowledge, and contributing to the wider research team.

. Interviews will be on Thursday and Friday the 29th and 30th October.

Working for our organisation

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

NHS Employees identified as at risk of compulsory redundancy and those eligible for the NENC Re-Deployment careers hub will receive prior consideration.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please find attached job description for full details and further information about the two studies.

Advertising date : 22nd September 2026

Closing date : 6th October 2026

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Upper 2nd class honours degree, or higher, in psychology
• gibility for graduate membership of British Psychological Society.

Desirable criteria

• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Paid or unpaid work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
• Knowledge of evidence based practice

Desirable criteria

• Experience of paid work in direct care provision.
• Experience with client group relevant to post.
• Experience of psychometric test administration and interpretation.
• Experience of providing individual or group interventions.

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• High level of communication skills (written and oral), including an ability to communicate and work in highly emotive circumstances.
• Demonstrates graduate level knowledge and experience of research and research methodology.
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and other disabilities.
• Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health / cognitive impairment / disability context.
• Computer literate, including use of databases & data analysis, e.g. SPSS for Windows.
• Demonstrates graduate level knowledge and experience of research and research methodology.
• An understanding of psychology applied to healthcare.

Desirable criteria

• A high standard of report writing.

Additional Requirements

Essential criteria

• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
• Ability to meet the travel requirements of the post

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed.

Please ensure to check out all of the supporting documents linked to this advert, for useful information about working for us, information from our Chief Executive and much more.