Assistant Psychologist

Job summary

The post-holder will support a team of qualified Clinical Psychologists, working within a specialist Pain Centre, providing Pain Management Programmes (PMPs) for people with Chronic Pain*.

Please be aware that we may close applications early than the deadline and we request that you declare AI use in your application statement.

Interviews are provisionally scheduled for 9th and 10th November.

*Please note this is not a role within The Neuropsychology Team. Applicants that reference this intended role in their applications will be rejected.

Main duties of the job

The role involves a variety of clinical and project related work, enhancing the care of patients within the service, whilst under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist. The post should enable the successful candidate to gain a good understanding of the role of Clinical Psychology in physical health services, gaining specific knowledge about Chronic Pain. The candidate will also be able to develop clinical skills in communication, working psychologically with patients, evaluating patients' progress and working within a large multidisciplinary team.

A large proportion of this role is dedicated to research activity supporting the activities of the PMP Research Committee and contributing to research output within the field of pain management.

We provide a full induction on recruitment and our team has a genuine commitment to training and development for Assistant Psychologists, with regular clinical and research supervision.

About us

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only NHS trust to hold dual accreditation for the Investors in People. We invest in people and we invest in wellbeing standards and have been awarded Gold status for both. The Walton Centre is a leader in the treatment and care of neurology and neurosurgery, placing the patient and their family at the heart of everything we do. As the only specialist hospital trust in the UK dedicated to providing comprehensive neurology, neurosurgery, spinal and pain management services we are proud to be rated as an Outstanding Trust by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and champion change throughout the field of neuroscience. Originally formed in 1992, the Trust received Foundation Trust status in 2009.

With around 1,450 staff, The Walton Centre treats more than 127,000 outpatients and 18,000 inpatients each year. We have leading specialists and incredibly dedicated staff delivering excellent clinical outcomes for brain, spinal and neurological care nationally and internationally. Teams across our site in Fazakerley, Liverpool, offer a world-class service in diagnosing and treating injuries and illnesses affecting the brain, spine and peripheral nerves and muscles, and in supporting people suffering from a wide range of long-term neurological conditions.

Job responsibilities

Clinical activity:

• Where appropriate, to provide individually tailored psychological support to service users, under the supervision of a Clinical Psychologist (e.g.behavioural and cognitive behavioural interventions).
• To participate in frequent supervision from a qualified Clinical Psychologist.
• To liaise closely with the Clinical Psychology team and identified supervisor, regarding any significant issues relating to patients progress and care.
• To assist the Clinical Psychology team in their assessment of patientssuitability for a group rehabilitation programme, administering and scoring questionnaires, and supporting patients through the process.
• To attend and contribute to meetings as appropriate to discuss the needs of allocated patients, service activities or projects.
• To actively contribute to continuing professional development (CPD), through supervision and formal appraisals, to ensure training needs are identified and addressed.
• To be familiar with and work within, the framework of the Trusts policies and procedures.

Research and service development/evaluation:

• To contribute towards ongoing research and audit projects within the PMP department, under close supervision (e.g. conduct literature searches, data entry and data collection, planning research proposals, working towards posters and publications).
• As part of CPD, to attend relevant in house educational and researchmeetings and lectures offered within the trust.

Administration:

• To carry out the necessary administrative duties to help the PMP runefficiently and to support the Clinical Psychology team.
• To be competent in the use of basic IT packages.
• To liaise effectively with supervisors, the Clinical Psychology team and wider MDT, in the context of a busy service where clear, timely communication is essential.
• To organise and manage own time and deadlines as agreed with supervisor.
• To maintain all written records, both electronic and paper-based, according to trust policy and professional guidelines.

Working Conditions:

• To work with patients who may present as emotionally distressed, challenging or have complex needs, under the supervision of qualified clinical psychology staff.
• To work both individually and in a group setting if appropriate, to develop clinical skills and psychological knowledge.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualification providing graduate basis for membership of the British Psychological Society (2:1 or above).

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Relevant experience working in a healthcare or clinical setting.
• Evidence of the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.

Desirable

• Previous experience of work related to clinical psychology, either as an Assistant Psychologist or Research Assistant with relevant clinical input.
• Previous experience of working therapeutically in a group setting.

Skills & Attributes

Essential

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Time management and organisational skills.
• Well developed computer literacy skills.

Desirable

• Knowledge of statistical analysis packages (e.g. SPSS/Excel).

Other

Essential

• Committed to ensuring high standards of patient care.
• Organised and able to work in a very busy clinical environment.
• Interested in continuing professional development (CPD).