Higher Assistant Psychologist

NHS Jobs; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is advertising a Higher Assistant Psychologist to contribute to two OPD community pathway services: PICS and Rebuilding Lives. The post-holder will work independently under supervision within a range of settings, providing psychological formulation and supporting probation service users in community integration and risk reduction.

The role involves training across partnership agencies, producing written reports, and contributing to local

Responsibilities

• Work independently under supervision within a range of settings, representing CNTW within the multi-disciplinary team and across the OPD partnership.
• Attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary referral and case discussion meetings, collaboratively identifying suitable service candidates, and using ongoing psychological formulation to identify needs and intervention plans.
• Provide written reports and summaries following interventions and consultations, to communicate psychological needs and recommendations.
• Engage service users / people on probation in psychologically informed interventions, under supervision, to support community integration and risk reduction.
• Develop and deliver training across the partnership agencies to support workforce development initiatives and increase knowledge and confidence when working with personality difficulties.

Job description

The post-holder would contribute to two OPD community pathway services; a Psychologically Informed Consultation service (PICS) and Intervention service (Rebuilding Lives). PICS is a service that provides formulation based support and consultation to HMPPS staff members, as well as workforce development activities aimed at enhancing staff confidence and knowledge around personality difficulties. Rebuilding Lives is a psychologically and socio-occupationally informed intervention service. The overall aim of the OPD pathway is to help reduce risk of reoffending, by helping the individual to understand the factors that have contributed to their behaviour, and develop alternative life skills and coping strategies. This Higher Assistant Psychologist post-holder will: Work independently under supervision within a range of settings, representing CNTW within the multi-disciplinary team and across the OPD partnership. Attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary referral and case discussion meetings, collaboratively identifying suitable service candidates, and using ongoing psychological formulation to identify needs and intervention plans. Complete referral assessments and providing suitability feedback to the MDT, alongside qualified / registered practitioners. Engage service users / people on probation in psychologically informed interventions, under supervision, to support community integration and risk reduction. Develop and deliver training across the partnership agencies to support workforce development initiatives and increase knowledge and confidence when working with personality difficulties. Work alongside qualified / registered practitioners to provide advice to Probation Practitioners (PP) on engagement and relational challenges linked to personality difficulties and risk, using psychological formulation approaches. Provide written reports and summaries following interventions and consultations, to communicate psychological needs and recommendations. Undertake and contribute to local research activities and OPD service evaluation. Receive weekly clinical supervision from a Clinical Psychologist and designated supervision as required. Maintain effective relationships with colleagues across different agencies and work to uphold the shared vision and values of OPD. In addition to the essential qualifications and criteria described, due to the nature of the setting and client group, experience of direct community based clinical work with a forensic population is desirable, as well as experience in research and evaluation. Given the geographical spread of the service, a current driving licence is desirable but not essential if the travel requirements can be met by the successful applicant. Please find attached job description for full details. Advertising date : 29th October 2026 Closing date : 12th November 2026 We welcome your application.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust