Clinical Associate Psychologist

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Truro; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

CPD time

Development fund

Leadership programs

Coaching opportunities

Clinical induction

Care certificate

Preceptorship

Job summary

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) to join the Psychology Department as a semi-autonomous practitioner under supervision. The CAP will apply psychological knowledge and evidence-based practice to reduce distress and improve wellbeing.

CAPs work across community, home, inpatient, online and telephone settings, providing interventions and collaborating with a supervising HCPC-registered practitioner psychologist.

Qualifications

• Degree in Psychology as the core qualification.
• BPS Code of Conduct and scope of practice policies.
• Masters-level study with 120 credits; experience in mental health.

Responsibilities

• Provide a range of psychological treatments within scope, under supervision.
• Work with individuals and groups to deliver timely interventions.
• Use measurement tools to evaluate treatments and inform practice.
• Deliver interventions with supervision from a Practitioner Psychologist.
• Act as a psychological resource for teams with training and supervision.
• Work across community, home, inpatient, online and telephone settings.
• Explain how psychological problems develop using multiple models.
• Understand psychometric principles for standardized tools.

Skills

Psychological models

Professional boundaries

Policy knowledge

Education

Degree in Psychology

BPS code of conduct

Behaviour change models

BPS registration

Masters level

Acute mental health experience

Job description

Thank you for your interest in joining us at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

We pride ourselves in striving to be an employer of choice.

Strategic Themes

Great Care

• Care based on what matters to people.
• Care provided at home or close to home.
• Improvement through learning, research and innovation.
• Prevention and alternatives to hospital.

Great Organisation

• Buildings that support health and wellbeing.
• Technology enabled care.
• Care teams are supported by responsive corporate services.
• Safe, efficient, effective and productive.

Great People

• A place people love to work and feel valued.
• Living our values with staff (all voices count).
• Attract, grow and develop talent.
• Leaders with compassion, who continuously learn and listen.

Great Partner

• Encourage and enable effective partnerships.
• Joined-up community services.
• Work with others to maximise workforce opportunities.
• Reduce our impact on the environment.

At the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s job share, part time or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Job overview

Job Overview

A Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) is a member of the Psychology Department who works as an semi-autonomous practitioner within an agreed scope of practice in an identified clinical team, under the direct supervision of an HCPC registered, qualified Practitioner Psychologist.

CAPs work as scientist practitioners and use psychological knowledge, research and theory to reduce psychological distress and to enhance psychological wellbeing. Their interventions are informed, but not wholly determined, by problem-specific treatment protocols, adapted using the developing evidence base, applied service research and evaluation to formulate interventions, in conjunction with their clinical supervisor.

CAPs provide a specialist mental health service for patients / service users of the identified team in which they are based. They also work together across service boundaries to provide consultation, supervision, training and service development to the wider Trust. They provide psychological expertise and support to the teams through research to Master’s level, service evaluation and the dissemination of outcome measures.

Main duties of the job

• Provide a range of psychological treatments working within their scope of practice, reporting to an HCPC registered practitioner Psychologist for supervision of psychological assessment, formulation and intervention.
• Work with individuals and groups to provide psychological intervention where a timely intervention is likely to be efficacious.
• Use psychological measurement tools to evaluate psychological treatments and improve the quality of clinical practice to complement the work of Clinical Psychologists.
• Deliver treatment interventions developed with a Practitioner Psychologist who will review their practice through supervision.
• Act as a psychological resource providing support, advice, supervision and training using psychological models to the local and wider teams.
• Work from a range of settings including community, patient’s home, inpatient, online and telephone settings.
• Understand and communicate a rationale for how psychological problems develop and are maintained using psychological knowledge and formulation skills including but not limited to cognitive, developmental and trauma-based models.
• Understand fundamentals of psychometric principles to guide the use of standardised tools with specific populations.

Working for our organisation

We’re an NHS community and mental health provider Trust based in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We deliver community and hospital-based care to improve people’s physical and mental health. We also provide specialist support to people with dementia or a learning disability.

We are a people organisation and people matter to us. As part of the team, you’ll help support the health and wellbeing of the people who live and visit this beautiful part of the UK.

Over 5,000 people make up the Trust. This includes doctors, nurses, therapists, plus admin and support staff.

We work in people’s homes, in community clinics and bases. Some staff work from one of our 10 community hospitals. Our aspiration is to have great people, provide great care, be a great place to work and a great partner.

Approximately 568,000 people live here. A third of people who live in Cornwall are supported by acute hospital services in Devon. As a result, we also work closely with our partners in Devon. In the summer, and during other holidays lots of people choose to visit the area. This increase the numbers of people who use out services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To view a detailed job description and person specification including the main responsibilities of this role please see ‘supporting documents’.

Education / Qualifications and Relevant Experience

• Degree in Psychology
• Understand British Psychological Society (BPS) Professional Code of Conduct, local and national policies and procedures that define scope of practice
• Understand the range of behavioural change models including health belief models to synthesise best practice in the absence of a strong evidence base, or existence of clinical practice guidelines
• Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the BPS where applicable
• Demonstrate study at masters level (120 credits)
• Experience of working within an acute adult mental health setting

Skills

• Understand how to analyse and appraise key theoretical concepts of psychological models of treatment both at individual and group level recognised in evidence-based national guidelines
• Able to assess limits of professional boundaries and capacity and understand when to seek appropriate supervision/advice on practice and whom to refer to so as to ensure best care
• Knowledge and implementation of local, regional and national policy

At Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust we are proud to prioritise the development of our people. To support this, the following opportunities are available:

• Career conversations and individual development plans for succession planning and talent management
• Protected CPD time for registered staff
• Access to a dedicated central development fund supporting CPD for all staff
• Leadership and Management development programmes
• Coaching and mentoring opportunities
• A full clinical induction programme for operational skills
• Access to a care certificate programme for our band 1-4 clinical staff
• A bespoke and robust preceptorship programme to support newly qualified staff

Being part of a successful NHS Foundation Trust brings a portfolio of rewards and benefits for our staff. These include:

• Suite of health and wellbeing initiatives to support our colleagues physical and mental health
• Free access to individual HARP portfolios to support revalidation for nursing staff
• Free DBS checks where required
• Discounts available from retailers, UK hotels and main attractions
• Salary sacrifice car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• The Trust reimburses all application costs for staff eligible to apply for EU settlement status.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process you will be contacted via TRAC.jobs email regarding interview details.

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust welcomes and values individuals with lived experience of mental or physical ill health joining our workforce. We aspire to have a culture that develops, promotes and supports lived experience roles - throughout the organisation.

If you are successful, you agree to Occupational Health accessing your health records from your current or previous employer to check the status of your inoculations and screening tests. Appointments are subject to full three year satisfactory references therefore please ensure you include correct contact details for your nominated referees including email addresses.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.

The Health Jobs UK website has jobs from numerous employers, within health and care across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust provides acute medical, surgical and specialist services to a population of around 500,000 which can increase significantly during the busy holiday periods.