Job summary
Assistant Psychologist, Band 4 Fixed Term - Full Time - 37.5 hours per week
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Assistant Psychologist position on a male psychiatric intensive care unit. The post will work alongside the existing Clinical Psychologists in the unit.
Oxleas House Mental health unit comprises 4 inpatient wards; an older adults ward, a male and a female acute ward, and the psychiatric intensive care unit. The Greenwich crisis resolution and home treatment team, as well as the Health based Place of Safety are also based on the unit. Each ward is staffed by a multi-disciplinary team of nursing, health care assistants, lived experience practitioners, psychiatry, OT and a ward dedicated clinical psychologist. The unit clinical psychologists will provide the post holder with regular clinical supervision, consultation and support.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will have the opportunity of working alongside the existing Clinical Psychologist on the Tarn Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. This is a permanent full time (37.5 hours) position. Working hours will be Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm; though this can be negotiable as necessary. Specific opportunities and roles will involve facilitation of psychologically informed therapeutic groups on the wards including transdiagnostic psychoeducation groups that are informed both by Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The role will also include any associated individual and family psychotherapeutic provision (such as crisis management planning and dual diagnosis work). Individual work may also include neuropsychological assessments. Experience of complex mental health environments i.e., an acute ward or dementia ward as well as experience with DBT or CBT programmes would be desirable. Regular and routine clinical supervision with the Ward Clinical Psychologist will be provided as well as access to the wider Trust CPD opportunities. There is also Trustwide specialist Assistant Psychologist training that is conducted monthly that the post holder will have access to. Other roles will include proactive engagement with staff training as well as support and involvement in clinical audit, quality improvement project work and clinical research studies.
About us
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values: o We're Kind o We're Fair o We Listen o We Care
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Task and Responsibilities
- To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients applying psychological, including neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care, under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist.
- To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients problems, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist, in both community and in-patient/residential settings.
- To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups or clinical projects.
- To work with other staff to assess or support service users in community or inpatient settings and contribute to multidisciplinary discussions and reviews.
- To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
- To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings.
Management responsibilities
- To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required under supervision of line management and qualified psychologists.
- To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.
- There will be no management responsibilities in terms of other team members.
Leadership:
- Accountable to Ward Psychologist.
- Line management via Ward Manager.
- Performance accountability shared between professional and line management.
Clinical:
- Relevant clinical experience is essential
- Role requires some autonomy though under supervision of qualified psychologists. Qualified psychologists not on-site full time.
- No supervision of other staff required though consultation as per psychological care planning will be likely.
Research:
- Involvement in research projects is likely and will require appropriate post graduate status.
Communication
- Management and development of positive working relationship is essential.
- Report writing and document maintenance essential and as per post graduate status
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Task and Responsibilities
- To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients applying psychological, including neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the clients care, under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist.
- To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients problems, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist, in both community and in-patient/residential settings.
- To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups or clinical projects.
- To work with other staff to assess or support service users in community or inpatient settings and contribute to multidisciplinary discussions and reviews.
- To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
- To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings.
Management responsibilities
- To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required under supervision of line management and qualified psychologists.
- To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.
- There will be no management responsibilities in terms of other team members.
Leadership:
- Accountable to Ward Psychologist.
- Line management via Ward Manager.
- Performance accountability shared between professional and line management.
Clinical:
- Relevant clinical experience is essential
- Role requires some autonomy though under supervision of qualified psychologists. Qualified psychologists not on-site full time.
- No supervision of other staff required though consultation as per psychological care planning will be likely.
Research:
- Involvement in research projects is likely and will require appropriate post graduate status.
Communication
- Management and development of positive working relationship is essential.
- Report writing and document maintenance essential and as per post graduate status
Person Specification
Essential and desirable
Essential
- Relevant qualification
- Interest in working in inpatient settings
- Relevant experience in adult mental health settings
Desirable
- Experience of running groups
- Experience of DBT
Person Specification
Essential and desirable
Essential
- Relevant qualification
- Interest in working in inpatient settings
- Relevant experience in adult mental health settings
Desirable
- Experience of running groups
- Experience of DBT
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
