Assistant Psychologist

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust; Norwich; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Assistant Psychologist to support the Older People's Mental Health Service at the Julian Hospital, Norwich. You will contribute to dementia care, participate in Cognitive Stimulation Therapy delivery, and work within a multidisciplinary team across community and inpatient settings.

Applicants should have a psychology degree and be eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.

Qualifications

• A BPS accredited degree in Psychology.
• Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
• Experience in NHS settings and with older adults is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Assist in direct clinical services to clients and families.
• Support psychologically informed assessments and MDT procedures.
• Contribute to audits, service evaluation and quality improvement.
• Update patient records and risk assessments in electronic systems.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Data analysis

Education

BPS accredited degree in Psychology

Tools

SPSS for Windows

Job description

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.

Please note due to the nature of our roles and patient demographic, you will be required to undertake physical intervention training and remain trained, as required by your role.

Job overview

We are looking for an Assistant Psychologist to work in the Older People's Mental Health Service at the Julian Hospital, Norwich. You will have a degree in psychology and entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society. You will be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to working clinically with older people or individuals with a diagnosis of dementia, preferably with previous experience of direct care provision. A key part of this role will involve the delivery of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy to Service Users diagnosed with dementia. Good interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate clearly and confidently with people from a range of backgrounds will therefore be of the utmost importance, as will be the ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team. As you will be providing input across a wide urban and rural area, some degree of travel will be required.

Main duties of the job

The post will involve working within the Community Mental Health and Memory Assessment and Treatment Teams as part of the Older People's Mental Health Service, including both community and inpatient services. Clinical duties will include assisting in the provision of direct clinical services to clients, their families and other carers, and facilitate access to evidence informed psychological practice by supporting the use of psychologically informed assessments, protocols, guidelines and procedures by other members of the MDT. Non-clinical work will include assisting with audits, service evaluation and service development as well as participating in Quality Improvement projects. The postholder will also be expected to update the patient record via electronic recording systems including risk assessments and care plans. Regular supervision will be provided by a Clinical Psychologist to support the post holder and there will be opportunities to participate in team development and local training sessions. We also have well established links with the local clinical psychology training course.

Working for our organisation

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk?The people here are warm and welcoming, you’ll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We’re an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Essential driving license and access to vehicle

Person specification

Qualifications

• A BPS accredited degree in Psychology.

Experience

• Experience of research in the NHS.

Knowledge

• An understanding of psychology applied to health care.
• Knowledge of mental health
• Knowledge of quantitative research
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities.
• An ability to apply existing knowledge to a mental health context.

Skills

• Skills using microcomputers for databases or date analysis, especially SPSS for Windows.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients and colleagues.

Other

• An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines
• Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.
• Ability to travel independently

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

As a part of the Disability Confident Employer Guaranteed Interview Scheme we interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job vacancy (outlined in the Person Specification).. We encourage you to indicate your eligibility through TRAC jobs when applying.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post may be 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 certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.