Job summary
The Post will be part of the Trust-wide Eating Disorder Team and will be based in Huntingdon and include work in our clinics in Peterborough or Cambridge. The team provides an outpatient service to children and young people up to the age of 18 who present with an eating disorder and their families / carers.
This post would suit an experienced assistant psychologist with an interest in eating disorders who is passionate about working with children, young people and their families. We are looking for an organised and capable individual to work under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist to support our group programme and provide psychological assessments and interventions. The post-holder will play a key role in evaluation of the service.
The post-holder will be offered the opportunity for continued professional development within a well-established multi-disciplinary service. Our service has a strong commitment to professional development through individual supervision, training, appraisal and an ethos of close multi-disciplinary working.
The post is permanent and full time. Please note that this vacancy will be closed after the first 50 applicants have been submitted.
We are committed to equal opportunities and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community to ensure our workforce is representative of the population we serve.
Main duties of the job
To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients within the CAMHS Eating Disorders service, providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist, working independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures.
To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics and development of audit and/or research projects.
Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.
*DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website
About us
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental & physical health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, Social care, Research & Development.
To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high calibre candidates that share our vision & values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people & members of our ethnic minorities & LGBTQ+ communities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
- To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients within the CAMHS Eating Disorders service.
- Providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified professionalpsychologist.
- Working independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the teams policies and procedures.
- To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics and development of audit and/or research projects.
- 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
- 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.
- To work within the risk assessments undertaken within the team in line with Trust and inter-agency policies and procedures.
- To work with other staff to assess patients and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) has been successful in gaining additional funding to expand the CAMHS Eating Disorders Service. CPFT has led on the Adult Provider Collaborative implementation of the New Models of Care process in the NHS Eastern Region for Adult Eating Disorders and is now leading the eating disorders specialist pathway for Childrens mental health.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
- To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients within the CAMHS Eating Disorders service.
- Providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified professionalpsychologist.
- Working independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the teams policies and procedures.
- To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics and development of audit and/or research projects.
- 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
- 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.
- To work within the risk assessments undertaken within the team in line with Trust and inter-agency policies and procedures.
- To work with other staff to assess patients and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) has been successful in gaining additional funding to expand the CAMHS Eating Disorders Service. CPFT has led on the Adult Provider Collaborative implementation of the New Models of Care process in the NHS Eastern Region for Adult Eating Disorders and is now leading the eating disorders specialist pathway for Childrens mental health.
Person Specification
Education/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, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
Experience
Essential
- Work with children and adolescents with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
- Experience of working as a psychology assistant within a multi-disciplinary team
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with an eating disorder
- Experience of working in NHS CAMHS
- Experience of working with families
- Experience of conducting psychological assessments
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
- Experience using computers for databases or data-analysis, especially SPSS for Windows
Desirable
- High standard of report writing.
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care and eating disorders
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care
- An understanding of the importance of robust risk management within a multidisciplinary approach
- Awareness of current, evidence based, stepped care models of care as detailed in NICE guidance
Physical Requirements
Essential
- Post-holder may be working in the community, i.e. schools or GP practices, and/or outpatient clinics
- Responsibilities include sitting and concentrating for long periods of time at the computer, in consultation with patients, and in meetings
- Clinical practice involves frequent contact with emotionally distressed children and families and occasionally violent patients
- Assessment activities may include carrying heavy equipment
Person Specification
Education/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, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
Experience
Essential
- Work with children and adolescents with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
- Experience of working as a psychology assistant within a multi-disciplinary team
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with an eating disorder
- Experience of working in NHS CAMHS
- Experience of working with families
- Experience of conducting psychological assessments
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
- Experience using computers for databases or data-analysis, especially SPSS for Windows
Desirable
- High standard of report writing.
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care and eating disorders
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care
- An understanding of the importance of robust risk management within a multidisciplinary approach
- Awareness of current, evidence based, stepped care models of care as detailed in NICE guidance
Physical Requirements
Essential
- Post-holder may be working in the community, i.e. schools or GP practices, and/or outpatient clinics
- Responsibilities include sitting and concentrating for long periods of time at the computer, in consultation with patients, and in meetings
- Clinical practice involves frequent contact with emotionally distressed children and families and occasionally violent patients
- Assessment activities may include carrying heavy equipment
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).
