Clinical Associate Psychologist Eating Disorders

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people's own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.
We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking 'what matters to you'.
We're passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.
Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.
It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us ., This is a fantastic opportunity to join Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Eating Disorders Service. As part of the ongoing transformation of our mental health services we are developing Clinical Associate Psychologist roles to support innovation and develop our services' provision.
We are looking for 1.0 WTE Associate Psychologist to start working as soon as possible with our Eating Disorders Service.
The successful candidate will :
· Promote the psychological health and well-being of service users in the Eating Disorders Service
· Under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist, to provide psychological assessment, intervention, research, and evaluation services to individuals, or groups of service users
+ Under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist, to assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, and development of audit and / or research projects, teaching, and project work, Please see the attached Job description and person specification for more detail about the roles.
Clinical
· Undertake protocol based psychological assessments of service users applying psychological, including neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the service users care
· Assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and / or management of a service users problems, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist within the team.
· Assist in the planning, coordination and running of staff support forums such as reflective practice, case discussion, formulation and CPD workshops
· Work with other staff to assess service users and review their care in preparation of multi-disciplinary reviews
· Attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings
· Maintain appropriate records in electronic or hard copy in line with Trust policies and Professional guidelines. Includes workload data and using word processing skills to produce service user related reports
Leadership / Management
· Assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required
· Personal of duty of care in relation to safe/careful use of equipment and resources
· Work within budgetary limits.
· Authorise orders and spending alongside Team Manager as appropriate.
Teaching, training and supervision
· Assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all service users of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
· Contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care.
Research and service evaluation
· Assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.
· Undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
· 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.
Professional
· Manages work independently according to goals agreed at intervals with their manager, working independently on a day to day basis
· Works within guidance and direction of qualified Psychologist and guided by the Profession's standards including the British Psychological Society (BPS) Code of Conduct, Ethics Guidelines for Chartered Psychologists, and registration.
· Carries out Continuous Professional Development (CPD) activity and to maintain a CPD. log suitable for submission to the BPS, which demonstrates 70 hours per year CPD. CPD to include gaining wider experience of professional psychology within the NHS over and above that provided within the principal service area where the post-holder is employed. Also to include developing skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties
Other
· Prepare test materials, visual aids and undertake specific administrative duties as required.
Perform other duties of a similar kind appropriate to the grade that may be required from time to time by their Psychology Manager.
When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:
+ Free car parking at many of our sites
+ 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
+ A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
+ A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
+ Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
+ Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
+ Recognition and long service awards
+ Fast Track physiotherapy
+ Our Wellbeing line
+ Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application.
For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.
Salary Update
With effect from 1 April 2024, there is a 5.5 per cent consolidated uplift for all Agenda for Change (AfC) staff on NHS terms and conditions. This may change the salary that is advertised on this advert.
The national NHS Employers team are working through the processes required to implement the recently announced new Agenda for Change pay award for 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025. The related national Pay Advisory Notice (which confirms the details including dates) is yet to be issued to employers.
If there is any further information, we will ensure you are updated accordingly.

Have proven experience: You bring a wealth of experience in a psychological role, specifically working with adults in a community mental health context.
Delivers psychosocial Interventions: You excel in providing psychosocial interventions both 1:1 and in group settings, using formulation to adapt interventions to meet individual needs.
Manages complexities with ease: You have the ability to navigate relational patterns and other complexities in delivering psychosocial support.
Ensures safety and accountability: You are experienced in assessing and managing risk, seeking supervision appropriately, and taking necessary steps to manage and document risk effectively.
Thrives in a team environment: You are adept at working as part of a multidisciplinary team in both traditional community service contexts and voluntary sector settings.
Drives service development: You have engaged with service development projects and audits, contributing to service change in alignment with broader trust strategies.
Exhibits exceptional organisational skills: You are highly organised, self-motivated, and proactive in your roles.
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

We have in excess of 5000 staff working over 50 sites, providing a diverse range of services. We strive to support an organisational culture that is welcoming, builds and celebrates inclusivity and diversity and provides a sense of belonging and trust.
The annual NHS Staff Survey gives our people the opportunity to tell us about their experience working at the Trust. For the 2023 survey just over 2800 colleagues gave us their views (58.5%). It was great to see from the results that colleagues are saying that:
+ 89.7% believe they are making a positive difference to patients/service users;
+ 73.3% would recommend the organisation as a place to work;
+ 82.4% agree that care of patients and service users is the organisations priority;
+ 76.7% would be happy with the standard of care for a friend or relative
Our results put us as 5th nationally as a Community, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities NHS Employer of Choice and 1st equal amongst all NHS Provider Trusts in the South West. However, we know we have more to do and will continue to drive forward our commitment to making GHC a Great Place to Work.