Assistant Psychologist Norwich, England
Job description
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.
At any one time, around 23,000 people in Norfolk and Suffolk are receiving care and attention from the Trust. We believe in whole life care - seeing people in the context of their whole lives, understanding the importance of good physical health, friends, family, spirituality, culture, home, work, education and a sense of purpose and achievement to experience good mental health.
Nearly 3,200 full and part-time practitioners care for our service users in hospitals, in the community and in their own homes, whilst an additional 900+ staff provide non-clinical support, including cleaning, delivering supplies, ward administration, information technology, human resources and financial services.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.
We are committed to delivering quality driven mental health services. Every individual makes a valuable contribution. We are proud of our staff who have been commended for the care they provide. Do you value working positively, respectfully and together? If so, we’d love you to join us!
We will consider flexible working arrangements for our roles, please indicate in your application if this is something you require
JOB DESCRIPTION/PERSON SPECIFICATION
Please read the job description/person specification carefully and ensure your application reflects the knowledge, skills and experience needed.
YOUR APPLICATION
It is important that you complete a formal application form as CV’s alone will not be accepted.
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Job overview
Assistant Psychologist
We have an exciting opportunity for somebody to work as an Assistant Psychologist in the At-Risk Mental State (ARMS) Service in Norfolk and Waveney.
As part of the selection process, we would like candidates to write a brief essay (of no more than 500 words) with the title, “Why is it important to provide a service for people experiencing at-risk mental states, and how might this differ from an early intervention service?” The essay should be written at the start of the supporting statement and should be followed by a supporting statement of no more than 500 words. Please note that applications that do not follow these guidelines will not be considered for shortlisting. Please do not copy and paste generic job applications without following this guidance as your application will not be accepted.
The ARMS Service is a newly funded service that will sit under the Norfolk and Waveney Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) service. The ARMS service will provide early detection and prevention to young people aged 14-35 years old who are at risk of developing psychosis. The successful candidate will be joining the service at an exciting time as we develop and grow. They will join a Principal Clinical Psychologist, Community Team Manager and four trainee psychological therapists with further workforce expansion planned throughout 2023/2024.
Main duties of the job
The Norfolk and Waveney EIP Service has several teams, including one in King’s Lynn (West team), one in Great Yarmouth and Waveney (East team) and two in Norwich (North and South teams). The ARMS Service will provide treatment and support across the same area.
The Norfolk and Waveney EIP Service is part of the Specialist Service care group in Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT). EIP offers assessment and treatment for people aged 14-65 years with a first episode of psychosis, in line with the NHS England Access and Waiting Time Standard. EIP in Norfolk and Waveney has undergone significant expansion over the last seven years following funding from NHS England so that these standards can be achieved. As part of the wider EIP service, you will be part of a thriving MDT with psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychological therapists, assistant psychologists, case managers, nurses and support workers.
Working for our organisation
Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.
Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established nursing networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.
Some of the benefits you can expect:
- NHS pension
- a comprehensive in house & external training programmes
- career progression
- starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
- staff physio service
- NHS discounts and many more
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
It is expected that the Assistant Psychologist role will develop and change over time, but it will initially focus on data collection, analysis, and preparing papers for publication. It is expected that in time this will expand to include administering and scoring psychometric screening measures, with a view to evaluating them alongside assessment measures such as the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental State (ARMS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The post would ideally suit someone with a strong research background, who would be looking to develop or build on their skills in clinical practice. As part of the wider EIP teams across Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Waveney and Kings Lynn, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work psychologically across both EIP and ARMS services.
Supervision will be provided by the Principal Clinical Psychologist. There will also be opportunities for continuing professional development, including attendance at regular training events, team case discussion and reflective practice groups. The Norfolk and Waveney EIP service has clinical and research links with the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programme at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
In line with Trust guidance, the Norfolk and Waveney EIP teams are embracing a hybrid working model. This reflects a new and effective way of working and need to balance work and home commitments together with our commitment to high level service provision. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work from base and from home, engaging with face to face, telephone and video conferencing as appropriate. Please note that the amount of time spent at base versus home will depend on individual circumstances and Service needs and may therefore change over time. The successful candidate will be provided with the necessary equipment for working from home and regular clinical and management supervision will be available.
Where necessary, travelling within the community will be required. The successful post holder will therefore need to have the ability to travel and be willing to travel to base or appointments.
You must possess a degree in psychology which is BPS accredited.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- A BPS accredited degree in Psychology
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of quantitative research.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of research in the NHS
Skills
Essential criteria
- Skills using microcomputers for databases or date analysis, especially SPSS for Windows
Desirable criteria
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients and colleagues.
- Presentation Skills
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of mental health
- Knowledge of quantitative research.
- High standard of report writing.
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care.
Desirable criteria
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities.
- An ability to apply existing knowledge to a mental health context.
Other
Essential criteria
- An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
- An ability to interact with clients with mental health problems
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- Ability to travel independently
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.
Additionally, people with disabilities that fall under the Two Ticks - Guaranteed Interview Scheme will be offered an interview providing they meet the minimum criteria for the post (outlined in the Person Specification).
DISCLOSURE AND BARRING SERVICE CHECK (formerly CRB)
FOR POSTS WITH DIRECT SERVICE USER CONTACT - Please be advised that due to recent changes in the DBS Service, organisations no longer receive copies of DBS Disclosures – these are sent directly to candidates only. Therefore, it will be your responsibility, if successful, to ensure that this is taken to the appointing officer as soon as you receive it.
Alternatively, if you have subscribed to the update service, we will be able to check your status once we have your authority to do so.
The Trust has now introduced a DBS Update Service which is a contractual requirement. You need to subscribe when you have applied for your DBS clearance and there is a time limit to subscribe of 19 days after receipt of your DBS disclosure. Please ensure that this is completed within the set time scale.
This update service is an annual subscription at a cost of £13 to you. This will enable the Trust to have instant online access to your DBS record, with your consent, and so will remove the need for you to have to apply for this repeat check again.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
