Higher Assistant Psychologist (Band 5) - Research - Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS [...]

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is looking for dedicated Assistant Psychologists to join their innovative team in Newcastle upon Tyne. This role offers the chance to contribute to groundbreaking research in psychological therapies for individuals with psychosis. You will be part of a supportive environment that values inclusivity and personal development. The position promises a dynamic work atmosphere, fostering career growth while making a meaningful impact on the community. If you are passionate about mental health and research, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Childcare schemes

Staff discounts

Cycle to work scheme

Lease cars

Qualifications

• Experience in research and clinical settings.
• Ability to manage multiple components of projects.

Responsibilities

• Screening and recruitment of patients for psychological trials.
• Conducting assessments and maintaining recruitment databases.

Skills

Communication Skills

Research Methodology

Data Analysis (SPSS)

Interpersonal Skills

Psychological Knowledge

Education

Upper 2nd class honours degree in psychology

Eligibility for graduate membership of British Psychological Society

Postgraduate training in psychology

Tools

SPSS

Job description

Main area Research Grade Band 5 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (The post may be extended on meeting recruitment targets) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (We generally work monday to friday 9-5 but some flexibility may be required.) Job ref 263-SS25-034-EW

Employer Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site St Nicholas Hospital Town Newcastle upon Tyne Salary £29,970 - £36,483 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 22/05/2025 23:59

Higher Assistant Psychologist

Band 5

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 Association
• 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.

Always improving

CNTW is regulated by the national healthcare regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Our last two inspections have rated us as an outstanding organisation. 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

We are recruiting three Assistant Psychologist posts (AP) (3.0 wte) to help evaluate the benefit of new psychological therapies for people with psychosis.

The currently advertised post is for 12 months with the likelihood it will be extended if the trials recruit successfully to target.

The Sleeping better and feeling safer trials are investigating whether a new psychological treatments help reduce distress in people with psychosis, and improves their quality of life.

We have two posts on Feeling Safer and one for Sleeping better. Both are multi-centre studies of a psychological intervention and are funded by grants led by Professor Daniel Freeman, and Dr. Felicity Waite from the University of Oxford. The post-holder will be based with Robert Dudley’s research team in the Early intervention in Psychosis service and colleagues working on other psychosis research projects at St Nicholas Hospital in Newcastle, and will work in CNTW NHS Foundation Trust.

Main duties of the job

The posts will help deliver large-scale studies to evaluate the real world use and clinical effectiveness of a new psychological treatment for people with psychosis or for sleeping better also those with an ultra high risk of developing psychosis. The pos ts will be based in Newcastle but will involve travel across the Trust. The post holders will act as a research assistant and work with the trial therapists, trial coordinator and the site lead to help evaluate the treatment trials.

The ideal candidate will have experience in research and or clinical settings. It may help if you have experience of working with people who have experienced difficulties with paranoia and unusual experiences like hallucinations. They should have the ability to organize and manage multiple interlinked components of the project and their work. They will need to demonstrate a high level of interpersonal skills and be able to conduct interviews and assessment with potentially vulnerable individuals. Most importantly, they will need to be enthusiastic about the research area and have a high level of motivation and commitment.

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The main role of the trial assistant will be as outlined below:

• Screening, recruitment, and assessment of patients for the sleeping better or feeling safer controlled trial of psychological treatment. This will involve speaking to referrers regularly, attending clinical team meetings, visiting teams. There are monthly recruitment targets.
• Participants will be seen in clinic settings or at home across a large geographical area. This means there will be extensive travel whichwould be facilitated by having valid driving licence, and access to own or other independent means of transport.
• Good record-keeping will be needed, including updating medical records with trial progress and completing the recruitment database.
• You will need to produce regular reports on the recruitment process (including managing the recruitment database) and assessments.
• You will need to regularly enter and check data in the study databases.
• Attendance at supervision will be expected, and at appropriate research team meetings, including training at the lead site, London.

Please find attached job description for full details.

Likely interview dates: 4th to 6th June 2025

We welcome your application.

Please note - this vacancy may close early if a suitable number of applications are received.

Person specification

Skills and Competencies

• High level of communication skills (written and oral), including an ability to communicate and work in highly emotive circumstances.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to clients, carers and colleagues.
• 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.
• A high standard of report writing.

Education and Qualification

• Upper 2nd class honours degree, or higher, in psychology.
• Eligibility for graduate membership of British Psychological Society.
• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.

Knowledge and Experience

• Paid or unpaid work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
• Experience as an assistant/research psychologist.
• Knowledge of evidence based practice
• 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.

Research experience

• Relevant research experience at undergrad or masters
• Experience of recruitment for trials, or worked in a clinical setting doing assessments

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.

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.

Application numbers

Please be aware this vacancy may close earlier than the stated closing date, should an appropriate number of applications be received.

Name Rob Dudley Job title Consultant Clinical Psychologist Email address [e-mail] Additional information

Please email to arrange a time to speak, or contact Louise Ross, trial manager for sleeping better to discuss further

[e-mail]