Assistant Psychologist - Clinical Research

Oxford Health NHS Trust; Oxford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health service provider in Oxford seeks an Assistant Psychologist to support clinical trials for patients experiencing psychosis. The role involves patient recruitment, conducting assessments, and collaborating with NHS mental health teams. A degree in Psychology (2.1 or above) and experience in psychological research are required. This position offers opportunities for career progression within a supportive environment.

Benefits

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

NHS Discount across retailers

Cycle to work scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience of psychological research.
• Experience of recruiting to a research study.
• Experience of working within NHS mental health clinical teams.

Responsibilities

• Supporting clinical psychologist with NHS mental health trusts.
• Screening and recruitment of patients for clinical trials.
• Completing eligibility assessments and seeking informed consent.

Skills

Engagement skills

Knowledge of psychosis

Ability to work with young people

Communication skills

Education

Degree in Psychology 2.1 or above

Job description

Assistant Psychologist - Clinical Research

We are seeking anAssistant Psychologist to join us in delivering a new national centralised clinic. The clinic will recruit patients at NHS mental health trusts across the UK to take part in two of our trials: Feeling Safer (ISRCTN93974770) and Sleeping Better (ISRCTN71800376).

Feeling Safer is testing a six-month supported online programme for patients experiencing persecutory delusions. Sleeping Better is testing a 12-week remote intervention for helping improve sleep with patients with psychosis and young people at ultra-high risk of psychosis. This role will support the liaison with clinical teams and NHS R&D offices across the UK, recruiting patients, and carrying out the trial assessments.

You'll be part of the Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP) clinical research group based in the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford. We are a large clinical research team (40 people) working to understand why mental health problems happen and how they can be best treated psychologically. It is a thriving and supportive clinical research group that aims to carry out work to the highest standards for patients.

If you have experience of psychological research including participant recruitment and a Degree in Psychology (2:1 or above), we'd love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

• Supporting a clinical psychologist to form excellent relationships with NHS mental health trusts in the UK to work effectively in helping patients with psychosis and young people at ultra-high risk of psychosis take part in Feeling Safer or Sleeping Better.
• Screening and recruitment of patients experiencing persecutory delusions (in the context of the treatment of psychosis) into the Feeling Safer trial. Screening and recruitment of patients at ultra-high risk of psychosis experiencing sleep difficulties into the Sleeping Better trial. This will involve: speaking to referrers regularly, including clinical team members and Research Delivery Network (RDN) staff; checking eligibility; and explaining the trial to potential participants. There will be monthly recruitment targets.
• Completing eligibility screening assessments and seeking informed consent from patients.
• Carrying out the assessments at multiple timepoints. You will need to arrange these interviews and administer clinical interviews and self-report questionnaires.
• It will be crucial to maintain very high follow-up rates , meaning you will need excellent engagement skills.
• The post is based in-person at the O-CAP team base in Oxford.

Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties.

About us

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the "candidate guide to making an application" and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive:"Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are:"Caring, safe and excellent"

At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Job responsibilities

The primary base will be in the Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP) team in the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford. Although based at Oxford and liaising with collaborating NHS primarily remotely, you are likely to travel to project sites.

Interested applicants will find the type of work described in these two publications:

Freeman, D., Emsley, R., Rosebrock, L., Morrison, A., Chapman, K., Common, S., ... & Waite, F. (2025). Efficacy of a 6-month supported online programme (Feeling Safer) for the treatment of persecutory delusions: protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMJ open, 15(6), e104580.

Waite, F., ernis, E., Kabir, T., Iredale, E., Johns, L., Maughan, D., ... & Freeman, D. (2023). A targeted psychological treatment for sleep problems in young people at ultra-high risk of psychosis in England (SleepWell): a parallel group, single-blind, randomised controlled feasibility trial. The Lancet Psychiatry, 10(9), 706-718.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree in Psychology 2.1 or above

Experience

• Experience of psychological research
• Experience of recruiting to a research study.
• Experience of working within NHS mental health clinical teams
• Experience working with patients with psychosis or young people at ultra-high-risk of psychosis
• Experience of providing an intervention for patients with mental health difficulties.
• Experience of using psychiatric or psychological assessments.

Knowledge & Skills

• Ability to engage young people and patients having experiences such as paranoia, hearing voices, anxiety and depression, and who may be in acute distress.
• Interest and knowledge of psychosis
• Knowledge of clinical trials methodology and experimental psychology.
• An interest in psychological approaches to understanding and treating psychosis.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely, and produce reports quickly and accurately.

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.