Assistant Psychologist | 306 North London NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Assistant Psychologists to join our large Psychological Therapies Service at HMP Wormwood Scrubs.This posts has a strong clinical component to it, since the post holder will support the team in delivering evidence-based 1:1 and group interventions for men with complex difficulties, including trauma and personality disorders.

The successful applicant will support the team's Therapy Lead & Specialist Health Psychologist in a range of activities such as group work and management of individual caseloads, as well as delivery of training and contribution to service improvement initiatives and evaluations. The post holder will contribute to risk assessment and management, working alongside partner agencies and prison colleagues to improve outcomes for those most at risk. Additional opportunities in supporting men with neurodevelopmental needs are available, since the Therapies service leads on the assessment of and provision of intervention for men with ADHD, ASD and Intellectual Disability., The post holder will be required to support the delivery of care currently in the form of New Models of Care (NMOC), enabling the service to meet the London Wide service specification standards for Prison Healthcare

To post holder will be expected to support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients within the service, across all sectors of care. This will include: providing psychological assessments; providing assessment and management of risk of harm to self/suicide; facilitatinggroup and individual psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist; working independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the service's policies and procedures. To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, and development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.

The successful applicants must have excellent communication skills, professional attitude, a strong academic record with excellent IT literacy skills, and proficiency in data collection and evaluation. We are looking for candidates who can engage positively and sensitively with people with mental health difficulties, and who have the ability to work collaboratively with other professions in order to provide high quality person-centred care.

The partnership between Barnet,Enfieldand Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH) and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust (C&I) is going from strength to strength since it was originallyestablishedin 2021 forming the North London Mental Health Partnership.

In order tomeet the needs of the new Partnership services you may berequiredfrom time to time to work atdifferent locationsto your normal place of work. This may mean that youare required towork at any location that fall underBarnet,Enfield and Harringay Trust and Camden and Islington Trust. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

The post holder will be working in a remand prison estate with men presenting with complex needs including trauma, mood disorders and personality difficulties. Specialist skills and 'forensic awareness' are required of all staff. This includes vigilance at all times on issues of safety and security, the capacity to de-escalate risk of violence, and the ability and capacity to deliver clinical input within a custodial setting.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical:

· To work across the service functions including early days in custody, planned care, crisis care and release and transfer

· To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients by applying psychological, and neuropsychological testing, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client's care as and when appropriate.

· To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a client's problems, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist, in a custodial setting.

· To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups.

· To work with other staff from within the NHS and multi-agency working.

· To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.

· To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings

· To assist with various research projects and service improvement projects as required.

Teaching, Training and Supervision

· In common with all psychologists, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.

· 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.

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

· To contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care.

Management, recruitment and Service Development

· To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required.

· To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.

IT Responsibilities:

· To use computers to write reports and record data, including the use of statistical packages as part of psychological testing, research and assessment when needed.

· To develop, maintain and provide regular reports from a database to monitor the service provided and support audit and service evaluation.

Research and Service Evaluation:

· To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.

· To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.

· To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinical psychologists in evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

General:

· 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-holder's professional and team/operational manager(s).

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

· To prepare test materials and visual aids as required.

· To undertake specific administrative duties as required.

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

· To prepare test materials and visual aids as required.

· To undertake specific administrative duties as required.

· To perform other duties of a similar kind appropriate to the grade, which may be required from time to time by their Psychology Manager.