Assistant Psychologist (XR04)

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE/SUMMARY

The role will involve providing a short-term therapeutic intervention to patients with long term health conditions, referred to any of the sub-specialties within adult medicine (eg pain psychology, gastro psychology). Duties will largely consist of delivering a low-intensity psychological intervention, based on a manualised four-session treatment protocol. Therapy may be conducted face-to-face or online.

The role will also involve supporting psychologists to run groups for patients with long term health conditions.

The role may involve facilitating discussions with people about their experiences including with patients, carers and staff. Duties to include administrating and scoring psychological tests; assessment of participants enrolled in research studies; developing resources; maintenance of databases; data collection and analysis; and assistance with writing papers and research proposals. This can include the use of a database (Excel); advanced systematic literature searches and retrieval; data collection, entry and analysis using SPSS and liaison with a variety of professions. The appointee will be supervised by an applied psychologist.

To undertake clinical work, which will include administrating and scoring a range of psychological screening tools with patients presenting with various levels of psychological distress.

To provide research assistance for the assessment of participants involved in research projects.

To conduct data collection and analysis and assist with writing papers and research proposals.

To use a database (Excel); conduct advanced systematic literature searches and retrieval; data collection, entry and analysis using SPSS.

To liaise with a variety of professions.

To be supervised by an applied psychologist working in clinical and health psychology.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Clinical & Research

1. To administer and score psychological screening tools with adult patients

2. To support the delivery and evaluation of brief psychologically informed interventions for patients.

3. To assist psychologists in running groups for patients.

4. To develop, administer and analyse service evaluation measures and conduct conversations with patients, carers and staff to understand their experience of services.

5. To undertake data collection, data entry and analysis.

6. To undertake searches of evidence-based literature.

7. To provide coordination and assist in the running of research activities.

8. To be responsible for organising and co-ordinating own workload.

9. To work constructively with other staff

10. To attend and contribute to appropriate project related meetings.

11. Travel.

Supervision

1. To receive regular supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.

2. To gain wider experience of professional psychology within the NHS over and above that provided within the principal service area where the post-holder is employed.

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

General

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 post-holders professional manager.

2. To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society, Trust and Department policies and procedures.

3. To undertake specific administrative duties as required, including; filing and storage of research data.

4. To perform other duties of a similar kind appropriate to the grade, which may be required from time to time by the service.

To be noted:

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities and the post holder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the manager.

This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing service requirements and any such changes will be discussed with the post holder.

The post holder is expected to comply with all relevant Trust policies, procedures and guidelines, including those relating to Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and Confidentiality of Information.

5. THE LEEDS WAY VALUES

Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are:

Patient-centred

Collaborative

Fair

Accountable

Empowered

All our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values.

6. WEST YORKSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF ACUTE TRUSTS (WYAAT)

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

By bringing together the wide range of skills and expertise across West Yorkshire and Harrogate we are working differently, innovating and driving forward change to deliver the highest quality care. By working for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust this is your opportunity to be a part of that change.

WYAAT is the acute sector arm of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership, one of the largest integrated care systems in the country. The Partnerships ambition is for everyone to have the best possible health and wellbeing, and the work of WYAAT, and each individual trust, supports that ambition.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a health care setting.
• An understanding of multidisciplinary working
• Use of statistical programmes and analyses

Desirable

• Experience of working directly with service users in health care or other relevant settings

Qualifications

Essential

• An upper second-class honours degree or higher in Psychology.
• Entitlement to Graduate Membership of the British Psychological Society.

Desirable

• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, and/or research design and analysis.

Skills & Behaviours

Essential

• Effective use of supervision
• High-level of developed communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate with medical and nursing staff.
• Experience using computers for creation and management of databases or data-analysis, especially Excel and SPSS for Windows.

Desirable

• Ability to work as part of a health care team.
• Skills in the administration and scoring of complex psychological tests frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Address

St. James's University Hospital

Beckett Street

Leeds

LS9 7TF

Employer's website

https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)