Assistant Psychologist

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.

TWITTER - The Trust now has it's own Twitter account for recruitment. Follow us on @NSFTjobs

PLEASE NOTE: If you use a hotmail, msn or yahoo e-mail account, you will need to check your "junk" mail regularly as these email providers will divert any communication from this Trust/NHS JOBS straight into your " junk" inbox.

Job overview

Are you a recent graduate in psychology looking to jumpstart your career in a cutting-edge field? Then look no further! Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Trust is excited to offer an incredible opportunity for an assistant psychologist to be a part of a ground-breaking project on the innovative use of psychological therapies and resources.

We've secured a block contract with a leading provider of digital therapies and are seeking a highly motivated individual to conduct an evaluation of the impact of this new service on our service users' wellbeing and on wider services. This is a unique chance to gain first-hand experience of new ways of working according to the NHS Long-Term plan, partnership with third sector, and research experience on a big scale evaluation project.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to be at the forefront of digital therapy evaluation within the NHS and be a part of shaping the future of mental health care. Apply now!

Main duties of the job

As an assistant psychologist at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Trust, you will have the opportunity to take on a variety of exciting and challenging responsibilities. Your main duties will include:

• Conducting research and evaluations on the impact of digital therapies on our service users and wider services

• Networking and communicating with stakeholders to gather insights and feedback

• Prioritizing and managing tasks effectively to meet project deadlines

• Being proactive and taking initiative to drive the project forward

• Providing insights and recommendations to improve the effectiveness of digital therapies in the NHS.

This is a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of digital therapy evaluation within the NHS and shape the future of mental health care. This position is open to both a secondment or a fixed-term appointment.

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 their experiences and learning from each other.

Benefits

Benefits included with this role are:-

• 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
• Relocation packages.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Interview dates are yet to be set; you will be contacted via email and invited to book a time. These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.

Please visit our Facebook and Twitter page @NSFTjobs

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 quantitative and qualitative research methods
• 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 learning disabilities.
• An ability to apply existing knowledge to a mental health/learning disability context.

Other

Essential criteria

• An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• An ability to interact with clients with learning disabilities
• 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

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.