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Job description

Are you an Assistant Psychologist who would like an opportunity to working a within a new Specialist Forensic Mental Health Team?

Somerset FT have recently received significant funding to establish and build a Specialist Community Forensic Team(SCFT) and are seeking a skilled and motivated assistant psychologist to help support the psychology provision within the MDT.

The SCFT will be responsible for overseeing the care of Somerset patients who are currently detained to a secure hospital within the South West Provider Collaborative region.

The aim of the SCFT is to reduce the length of patient stay for patients in secure hospital and work to prevent admission to secure care by

• Providing enhanced community support, to facilitate, support and maintain discharge processes.
• Providing clear, tiered levels of intervention with the aim of admission avoidance, including risk management.
• Encouraging proactive discharge discussions for longer stay patients who may have faced barriers to the discharge process.
• Supporting community placements.

The post holder will be an assistant psychologist who will support the delivery of psychologically informed, risk managed care for a cohort of patients with complex forensic mental health needs.

Early applications are advised - NB post may close early if number of applicants are exceeded.

Key role responsibilities will include:

• Supporting psychological interventions for patients actively under the care management of the SCFT
• Delivering tiered levels of psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for the SCFT caseload, appropriate to experience and under supervision
• Autonomous work within professional guidelines
• Utilising research skills for audit, policy, and service development.
• Supporting individual / group supervision for SCFT staff as appropriate.
• Delivering psychology-based training to the MDT as identified.

The team office will be in Bridgwater, however there will be an expected element of reimbursed travel across the County of Somerset and the South West Provider Collaborative region.

As an organisation, the NHS offers a wide range of benefits including flexible working, fantastic pension contributions, market leading annual leave allowance, career progression and regular conversations, not to mention our Blue Light Card and NHS exclusive discounts.

The benefits of working in Somerset include the idyllic countryside, with our areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines. You will get to enjoy these perks whilst still only being a stone’s throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London.

There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable. You will experience the best of both in Somerset, the countryside and the cosmopolitan – there is truly something for everyone!

Please see attached JD for full list.

Duties and Responsibilities.

Communication and Key Working Relationships
The role involves working along wider health care teams, agencies, including probation, courts, and the police. There is therefore a need to communicate complex information in an accessible way.

Key Relationships:

• SCFT Lead Psychologist and Team Psychologist
• Somerset Specialist Community Forensic MDT
• Forensic Operational Service Manager
• Community Psychology colleagues
• Inpatient psychology colleagues
• Other MDT’s within the Forensic Service
• Somerset FT Forensic Locality Leads
• Criminal Justice agencies, including police and court staff
• South West Provider Collaborative colleagues
• Trust staff across professions
• Trust audit department
• Service users and their families

Responsibility for Patient / Client Care, Treatment & Therapy

• To support Psychologists in undertaking assessments of service users. This may include practicing and administering psychological measures, risk assessments, self-report measures, rating scales and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the service user’s care.
• To access electronic patient record systems and extract pertinent information in order to assist psychological assessments.
• To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving brief, planned psychological interventions to address issues under the supervision of a qualified Psychologist.
• To develop therapeutic relationships with service users within appropriate, professional boundaries.
• To communicate effectively with a wide range of health professionals, voluntary sector colleagues, and peer support workers.
• The post-holder will provide compassionate care that is based on empathy, kindness, respect and dignity.