Senior Assistant Psychologist | Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust; London; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in London is looking for a compassionate and motivated Assistant Psychologist to contribute to psychological care within cancer services. This role includes managing clinical referrals, supporting therapy services, and participating in research and service evaluation. Candidates should have a relevant psychology degree and an interest in cancer care. Excellent support and opportunities for professional development are provided.

Benefits

CPD activities support

Supervision and training opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience or interest in cancer, palliative, and end-of-life care.
• Self-motivated and professional during significant distress.
• Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Manage and conduct clinical triage for referrals to POST.
• Support the delivery of psychological therapy services under supervision.
• Contribute to the development of operational processes.

Skills

Compassionate approach

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Relevant degree in psychology

Job description

The Senior Assistant Psychologist works within a team of Clinical Psychologists, Counselling Psychologists, Psychotherapists, a Consultant Psychiatrist and trainee psychologists and psychotherapists to contribute to the psychological care of patients and carers within DCC and the wider Oncology and Haematology Directorate. This is a challenging and exciting role, which offers the opportunity to develop in a range of clinical, operational and organisational skills and competencies, for which there is excellent support.

The successful applicant will work as one of two Assistant Psychologists. The main focus is: to manage and conduct clinical triage for referrals to POST, communicate with multidisciplinary colleagues across the trust in relation to referrals, co-facilitate and contribute to the development of CBT/ACT / psycho-education groups, support with service project work and audit and support with the delivery of psychological therapy services under the supervision of the Psychology team.

You will benefit from the support of individual and peer supervision, and will be encouraged to undertake relevant CPD activities both within the speciality and via contact with other psychologists and assistants within the Trust. There are strong links to the local Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Program as we are key providers of academic and clinical experience components both in terms of teaching and supervision.

The role includes contributing to the development of operational processes within the referral pathway and provides an opportunity to work with service leads. You will consider the interface between the delivery of clinical services and the processes required to improve patient pathways and care, and learn about operational and change management using psychologically informed approaches to understand these. Assistants will also contribute to outcome database and undertaking statistical analyses to support the team to audit and research their work. Attendance at weekly MDT meetings is a key aspect of the role, and the AP team share and discuss both clinical and audit information with the broader POST team. The role involves significant contact with patients (and their carers) accessing cancer treatment across Guy's Cancer Centre (Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup). This is a busy role and the postholder will not hold their own clinical caseload.

The successful applicant will demonstrate a capacity to maintain a compassionate approach to patients and staff in the face of significant distress. And you will be aware of the ways power and discrimination will inform a persons’ experience of and access to physical health care. You will be self-motivated and professional, enjoy working as part of a multidisciplinary team and interested in pursuing a career in applied psychology. An interest in cancer, palliative and end-of-life care is essential.

This assistant psychology post sits operationally within the Psycho-oncology Support Team (POST) in Dimbleby Cancer Care Centre (DCC) and within the wider Oncology, Haematology and Cellular Pathology Directorate.

Established in 1997, DCC is committed to an interdisciplinary approach to supporting the needs of patients and families affected by cancer and complements the medical care, primary information and support provided by other medical and clinical staff.

POST provides specialised psychological care to individuals affected by cancer and receiving on-going medical care across Guy's Cancer services across Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, and Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup. The service is delivered to individuals as inpatients and outpatients, as well as their families and carers.

The Psycho-oncology Support Team provides specialised psychological care to individuals affected by cancer and receiving on-going medical care across Guy's Cancer (including Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup). The service is delivered to individuals as inpatient and outpatients, as well as their carers.

Clinical

1. To triage referrals to the service, assess risk under supervision of triage leads/practitioner psychologists, book appointments, communicate via email, letter and/or phone with referrers, MDTs and GPs.

2. To assist in the organisation and facilitation of CBT/third wave psychoeducation programmes.

3. To work within a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to enhance the quality of care to individuals, carers and families affected by cancer and other haematological disorders.

4. To attend and contribute as appropriate to multi-disciplinary meetings, specifically to the weekly team meeting at Dimbleby.

5. To help develop clinical resources for use by individuals seen within the service.

6. To contribute to project work and audit of existing service delivery

Teaching, Training and Supervision

1. To attend and contribute to regular peer supervision with other pre-qualified members of staff.

2. To contribute to the training and support of other staff providing psychological care

including preparation of teaching resources and other materials and co delivery of information sessions/teaching.

3. To receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.

4. To gain an experience of professional psychology within the NHS through

attendance at training workshops/meetings, departmental psychology meetings and

by attending regional assistant psychology meetings.

5. To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.

Management, Recruitment and Service Development

1. To assist in the implementation of service development projects within the service as required.

2. To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.

Research and Service Evaluation

1. To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.

2. To undertake data collection, entry and analysis and assist in the presentation of reports and summaries, using IT and computerised statistical programmes.

3. To undertake evidence-based literature searches and research to assist qualified Psychological practitioners in evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

Professional Development

1. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the Consultant Clinical

Psychologist in DCC.

2. To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping (in both medical notes and psychology case notes) and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the BPS and Trust policies and procedures


This advert closes on Tuesday 29 Jul 2025