Assistant Psychologist

About The Role

UNLOCK YOUR BEST WORK LIFE

+ MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO EVERY LIFE

We have an exciting opportunity for an Assistant Psychologist to join the Mental Health team at HMP Sudbury a category D prison located in Ashbourne, Derbyshire.

HMP Sudbury is a male open prison for low risk prisoners nearing the end of their sentences. We are recruiting for an Assistant Psychologist to support the Mental Health team.

The role of Assistant Psychologist is to support and enhance the professional psychological care of patients within the service/ team, across all pathways, providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions. To work under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist working independently, where appropriate, according to a plan agreed with the clinical supervisor and within the overall framework of the organization’s policies and procedures.

Please note - Although this role is predominantly based at HMP Sudbury, this is a cross site role and you will be working 1 day per week at HMP Foston Hall which is located 10 minutes from HMP Sudbury.

Hours

Monday - Friday

Normal office hours (can be flexible with start / finish times.

Salary

This position is full time, you’ll receive an annual salary from up to £33,510 per annum.

How will we support you?

• Bespoke induction, including our Introducing Health in Justice training course
• Competency framework
• Regional and national career development opportunities
• Our bespoke Learning Management System to address your learning needs
• Support from the wider team

Candidates are required to have a Legal right to work in the UK and due to the nature of the role, offers of employment will be subject to additional vetting and security checks

What you'll be doing

As an Assistant Psychologist your responsibilities will vary. You will:

• Identify patients who may benefit from psychological intervention, following mental health triages and in discussion with the multi-disciplinary team and, where demand exceeds capacity, prioritise according to clinical need, risk presentation and release planning in line with agreed service policy and under the guidance of the qualified psychologist.
• Provide comprehensive psychological assessment, including risk assessment, and develop psychological formulations to support patients and other members of the MDT in making sense of their difficulties in line with agreed guidance from the qualified psychologist.
• Identify and deliver appropriate individual and group interventions to patients in line with the Psychological Therapies Service (PTS) pathways and in line with agreed guidance from the qualified psychologist.
• To monitor and evaluate psychological interventions using appropriate measures as per PTS guidelines.
• To maintain accurate clinical records and keep the PTS dashboard up to date with outcomes data for patient/service and staff outcomes.
• To communicate both verbally and written, highly complex information concerning assessment, formulation and intervention plans to patient.

If you are interested in career development, we have a wide range of opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience, which include both internal and external options for development and learning.

What we'll look for in you

The Health in Justice team at Practice Plus Group makes a real difference across over 53 prisons, young offenders and immigration removal centres. We’re the UK’s leading independent provider of NHS services to over 40,000 patients in secure environments, always putting their needs first, regardless of their background.

Practice Plus Group’s purpose is to Unlock your best work life and we stand by our core values:

• we treat patients and each other as they would like to be treated
• we act with integrity
• we embrace diversity
• we strive to do things better together

We are looking for caring, compassionate but also driven professionals who can help us drive our vision for a fair and inclusive healthcare access to all.

Qualifications, skills and experience required:

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology; entitlement to graduate basis for chartered membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society.
• Master’s degree is advantageous.
• Evidence of foundation training in at least one evidence-based psychological framework i.e. CFT, CBT, DBT, ACT
• Experience of providing evidence based psychological interventions to adults with a range of mental health problems.

Secure environments are one of the most challenging, yet rewarding places for healthcare professionals to work. If you’re looking for a role where you can develop your existing healthcare skills and learn something new every day in an environment that never stands still, then this could be the right opportunity for you.