Job summary
We recruit people based on their values and believe that their lived experience is an advantage. We seek out potential, not perfection, and this means that together we are as diverse as the communities we care for.Simply put, when we employ caring people who act with integrity and have the right skills, we can give those with mental health challenges, learning disabilities and neurodiversity high-quality care and support to live fulfilling lives, and make our staff feel purposeful, happy and valued.
All our information is available in accessible formats. Please contact the Recruitment team recruitment.lypft@nhs.net if you need a form, leaflet or other information in any of the following formats: Braille, large print, other formats such as Word, or coloured paper version.Attached to this advert is our candidates guide to values based recruitment and supporting guidance on how to make a successful application.
If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Recruitment Team or see the attached candidate guide to reasonable adjustments.
Main duties of the job
Are you looking to join a service which prioritises psychologically informed and innovative approaches, with an emphasis on collaboration and coproduction? A service where the workforce prioritises service users driven by a combination of mental health professionals and people with lived experience working side by side?
CREST is an award winning (National Service User Awards 2023; Positive Practice in Mental Health awards 2024) and recently award-shortlisted (Nursing Times 2024 awards category - 'Best Recruitment Experience') regional community mental health service. Hosted by LYPFT on behalf of the West Yorkshire Integrated Care System (ICS), supporting individuals from the five places across West Yorkshire: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield. CREST delivers new ways of working for people placed out of area (OOA) in locked settings, often termed "complex rehabilitation", across the country, to support them to be effectively repatriated from inpatient settings and forge new lives in less restricted environments. The aim is to empower people to define, build and live meaningful, independent, and satisfying lives nearer to home. Recurring feedback from evaluation with service users/families, providers and other stakeholders is that people working with the programme "feel included", "clear on the plan" and appreciative of "commitment", "transparency" and "coproduction".
About us
The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.
There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme, coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers.
We also have an incredible bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank.
Applicants should be aware that for any individual who requires a visa to work in the UK, the Trust provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles only. This is an essential requirement of the role, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you are unable to meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.
Job description
Job responsibilities
As an assistant psychologist with existing expertise drawn from previous assistant psychologist practice or work in psychological settings, you would be working alongside a growing team of psychological practitioners, a full MDT and peer recovery workforce. Co-working with people who hold lived experience is embedded in our service. You will support and enhance the clinical work and research activities of CREST.
Under supervision, you would contribute to the psychological delivery of the service, to help develop a team-based and psychologically informed understanding of the service users needs, through a variety of methods, including clinical interventions, training, research and development. This will involve embedding trauma informed practice directly with service users and team members. You would expand your knowledge about Trust and region-wide ICS clinical and systemic practices. As CREST is a relatively young and developing service, you would have the opportunity to take a role in aspects of service development and evaluation, supporting the team delivered effective approaches utilising both best practice and cutting-edge innovation to deliver the highest quality care.
CREST is looking for a highly motivated and compassionate Band 5 Assistant Psychologist. The post holder will build upon their existing experience to support and enhance the psychological care offered within CREST. The post holder will support individuals whose difficulties are often described as complex and may have traditionally been understood through diagnoses such as psychosis, bipolar disorder, personality disorder and complex trauma. Under supervision of registered psychologists, the post holder will contribute to the psychological delivery of the service, through a range of clinical care activities, including completion of detailed histories, multidisciplinary discussions, and contribution to assessment, formulation and care plans. There will be opportunities to work directly with service users in the appropriate setting, including joint working with members of the MDT, to scaffold and model low level psychological interventions.
The post holder will assist in clinically relevant administrative tasks. There may be opportunities to support the conduct of audits, collection of statistics/data, development of evaluation and/or research projects, teaching and project work. All work will be carried out within the overall framework of the teams policies and procedures.
The post holder will receive regular clinical supervision and management supervision in line with professional and Trust guidance, as well as attending team reflective practice. The post holder will have an annual appraisal and be supported to engage in CPD in line with their appraisal goals and objectives. The post holder will be responsible for maintaining associated records of clinical and research activity.
CREST is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to creating a supportive workplace. The post holder will work with people from different cultural backgrounds and experiences and should be committed to equal opportunities.
We are passionate about supporting teams and services to be psychologically informed, maximising therapeutic potential and proportionate risk management. The successful applicant will have a keen interest of working within an MDT environment and adapting interventions for people with complex, diverse needs, and who may pose a risk of harm to themselves or others, including individuals with offence histories. They will share the teams service-user-centred approach, promoting collaborative formulation and risk assessment, accounting for links between trauma, distress and behaviours of concern. They will have a strong commitment to promoting recovery and supporting service users develop and work towards values-based goals to improve their quality of life.
As the role is regionwide, there would be combined direct and remote working to optimise both clinical delivery and staff wellbeing, following an induction period in the service. Flexible working hours can be considered in line with Trust processes.
As this is a regional service, there is a requirement for the post-holder to be able to drive to visit service users in a range of settings, including their own homes, supported living and inpatient settings as required.
Conversations about the post and CREST are welcomed, and you are invited to contact the people listed in this advert.
Please note, to support applicants demonstrate how they meet the criteria outlined in the job description and person specification in their supporting statement, this vacancy will NOT close early irrespective of the number of applications received.
Job description
Job responsibilities
As an assistant psychologist with existing expertise drawn from previous assistant psychologist practice or work in psychological settings, you would be working alongside a growing team of psychological practitioners, a full MDT and peer recovery workforce. Co-working with people who hold lived experience is embedded in our service. You will support and enhance the clinical work and research activities of CREST.
Under supervision, you would contribute to the psychological delivery of the service, to help develop a team-based and psychologically informed understanding of the service users needs, through a variety of methods, including clinical interventions, training, research and development. This will involve embedding trauma informed practice directly with service users and team members. You would expand your knowledge about Trust and region-wide ICS clinical and systemic practices. As CREST is a relatively young and developing service, you would have the opportunity to take a role in aspects of service development and evaluation, supporting the team delivered effective approaches utilising both best practice and cutting-edge innovation to deliver the highest quality care.
CREST is looking for a highly motivated and compassionate Band 5 Assistant Psychologist. The post holder will build upon their existing experience to support and enhance the psychological care offered within CREST. The post holder will support individuals whose difficulties are often described as complex and may have traditionally been understood through diagnoses such as psychosis, bipolar disorder, personality disorder and complex trauma. Under supervision of registered psychologists, the post holder will contribute to the psychological delivery of the service, through a range of clinical care activities, including completion of detailed histories, multidisciplinary discussions, and contribution to assessment, formulation and care plans. There will be opportunities to work directly with service users in the appropriate setting, including joint working with members of the MDT, to scaffold and model low level psychological interventions.
The post holder will assist in clinically relevant administrative tasks. There may be opportunities to support the conduct of audits, collection of statistics/data, development of evaluation and/or research projects, teaching and project work. All work will be carried out within the overall framework of the teams policies and procedures.
The post holder will receive regular clinical supervision and management supervision in line with professional and Trust guidance, as well as attending team reflective practice. The post holder will have an annual appraisal and be supported to engage in CPD in line with their appraisal goals and objectives. The post holder will be responsible for maintaining associated records of clinical and research activity.
CREST is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to creating a supportive workplace. The post holder will work with people from different cultural backgrounds and experiences and should be committed to equal opportunities.
We are passionate about supporting teams and services to be psychologically informed, maximising therapeutic potential and proportionate risk management. The successful applicant will have a keen interest of working within an MDT environment and adapting interventions for people with complex, diverse needs, and who may pose a risk of harm to themselves or others, including individuals with offence histories. They will share the teams service-user-centred approach, promoting collaborative formulation and risk assessment, accounting for links between trauma, distress and behaviours of concern. They will have a strong commitment to promoting recovery and supporting service users develop and work towards values-based goals to improve their quality of life.
As the role is regionwide, there would be combined direct and remote working to optimise both clinical delivery and staff wellbeing, following an induction period in the service. Flexible working hours can be considered in line with Trust processes.
As this is a regional service, there is a requirement for the post-holder to be able to drive to visit service users in a range of settings, including their own homes, supported living and inpatient settings as required.
Conversations about the post and CREST are welcomed, and you are invited to contact the people listed in this advert.
Please note, to support applicants demonstrate how they meet the criteria outlined in the job description and person specification in their supporting statement, this vacancy will NOT close early irrespective of the number of applications received.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology, or a post-graduate qualification e.g. Masters or Doctorate, with Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Skills
Essential
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information.
- Ability to work independently, reliably, and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of psychology applied to health care
Values Evidence
Essential
- Has the applicant displayed or described a way in which they meet 1 of the 3 Trust values? Caring, Simple, Integrity?
Additional Evidence
Essential
- Has the applicant evidenced lived experience, caring or volunteering experience within the supporting statement?
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology, or a post-graduate qualification e.g. Masters or Doctorate, with Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Skills
Essential
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information.
- Ability to work independently, reliably, and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of psychology applied to health care
Values Evidence
Essential
- Has the applicant displayed or described a way in which they meet 1 of the 3 Trust values? Caring, Simple, Integrity?
Additional Evidence
Essential
- Has the applicant evidenced lived experience, caring or volunteering experience within the supporting statement?
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.
