Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Assistant Psychologist

This job is now closed

Job summary

Please be aware that this post is not eligible for sponsorship. You must have ongoing right to work for the duration of the post to be considered for this role.An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 4 Assistant Psychologist to join the Central and West Adult Mental Health Inpatient Team at the Chorley Inpatient Unit. The Chorley Inpatient Unit comprises of a 15-bed female acute ward, a 15-bed male acute ward and a 6-bed female psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU). The Inpatient unit provides care for people with complex mental health needs in the least restrictive and safest way. The aim of inpatient admission is to provide a service which can offer a whole pathway of support locally, identified in both national plans and clinical guidance, which would include an inpatient service offer that is matched against the identified need of LSCFT population.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a suitably qualified and experienced individual with a genuine interest and desire of working with this client group. You should have good verbal and written communication skills, be able to co-work effectively with colleagues and enjoy working in a busy multi-disciplinary team. The successful applicant will support assisting the qualified psychologist in enhancing the delivery of psychological care provided within the inpatient unit that meets LSCFT Trust objectives, national strategic and policy guidelines and user and carer needs and expectations.

The role involves the administration, scoring and report writing of psychometric assessments, standardised risk assessments, clinical formulation, support/consultation to staff and individual and group interventions.

You will be a strong team player, confident, motivated and well organised. You will have a good understanding of the role of therapeutic boundaries and the importance of multi-disciplinary working. Patience and commitment are essential, but above all you'll be someone with a genuine desire to help others at a point of crisis. We are looking for someone with a good degree in Psychology (BPS accredited) and preferably previous experience within an Assistant Psychologist role.

About us

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

Date posted

08 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

351-CEN2361-CC-A

Job locations

Chorley Inpatient Unit

Chorley and South Ribble Hospital

Chorley

PR7 1PP

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information about the role, please see the attached recruitment pack which includes a detailed job description and person specification, or visit our website via Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS FT.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

An honours degree in psychology and eligibility for graduate membership of BPS

Knowledge

Essential

Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively in both oral and written formats, and in environments which are highly emotive and stressful
Commitment and ability to work with clients where there may be significant clinical, service, and system barriers to engagement
Ability to organise and prioritise workloads within competing demands and goals, identified with psychological lead
Understanding of clinical, personal, and professional challenges of working in institutional settings and with risk-related needs
Ability to work independently and using own initiative on a day-to-day basis
Ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary and agency services and teams
Computer literacy including skills in statistical packages, databases, and spreadsheets and in undertaking literature searches

Experience

Essential

Experience of working with clients with complex and enduring needs

Skills

Essential

Willingness and ability to engage in breakaway and/or physical interventions and restraining training
Commitment to promoting clients' rights and collaborative user involvement practices
Ability to establish clear personal and professional boundaries
Commitment to utilising supervision and to engaging in independent reflective practice
Demonstrable skills in coping with stressful environments and workloads
Ability to meet the travel requirements of the role

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

An honours degree in psychology and eligibility for graduate membership of BPS

Knowledge

Essential

Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information effectively in both oral and written formats, and in environments which are highly emotive and stressful
Commitment and ability to work with clients where there may be significant clinical, service, and system barriers to engagement
Ability to organise and prioritise workloads within competing demands and goals, identified with psychological lead
Understanding of clinical, personal, and professional challenges of working in institutional settings and with risk-related needs
Ability to work independently and using own initiative on a day-to-day basis
Ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary and agency services and teams
Computer literacy including skills in statistical packages, databases, and spreadsheets and in undertaking literature searches

Experience

Essential

Experience of working with clients with complex and enduring needs

Skills

Essential

Willingness and ability to engage in breakaway and/or physical interventions and restraining training
Commitment to promoting clients' rights and collaborative user involvement practices
Ability to establish clear personal and professional boundaries
Commitment to utilising supervision and to engaging in independent reflective practice
Demonstrable skills in coping with stressful environments and workloads
Ability to meet the travel requirements of the role

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

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Chorley Inpatient Unit

Chorley and South Ribble Hospital

Chorley

PR7 1PP

Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Chorley Inpatient Unit

Chorley and South Ribble Hospital

Chorley

PR7 1PP

Employer's website

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