The Assistant Psychologist will provide structured assessments and manualised treatments (individual and group) under the supervision of an experienced and qualified Psychologist. The post holder will also support the work of psychological therapies in the Adult Community Eating Disorder Service and VCSE partner Caraline by undertaking file/case review, audit, service evaluation and/or research. Further specific duties will be determined on the basis of skills and experience and operational service requirements, and may vary occasionally as service needs/priorities change.
This post will work across both the Adult Community Eating Disorders service and VCSE partner, Caraline. Some evening work will be required and TOIL will be given for this.
• To work under the supervision of a qualified psychologist to undertake structuredassessments and interventions
• To support the work of psychological services through collection, collation and analysis ofmeasures for evaluation and improvement of services
• Undertake service audit and research as required
• To work collaboratively in the spirit of co-production with service users, families/carers,colleagues and partners to develop and improve services in line with national policy andevidence-based care, meeting the needs of people with disordered eating in Bedfordshireand Luton.
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Patient Care
• To establish and maintain rapport with service users to enable the arrangement of meetings and engagement in the group activities of the service.
• To be responsible for providing verbal and written feedback regarding assessments and psychological interventions to service users, multidisciplinary team members, families and carers of service users, some of which may be sensitive in nature.
• To work collaboratively with other psychologists and multidisciplinary colleagues to contribute to the multidisciplinary care of services users.
Clinical
All clinical duties will be carried out under the supervision and direction of a qualified Psychologist. The Assistant Psychologist has a responsibility to perform all tasks within the spirit and the policies of the East London NHS Foundation Trust and Caraline. Under such direction and with these conditions the duties will be:
• To carry out or assist in carrying out specified assessments, including standardised psychometric tests and the scoring, analysis and initial preparation of formal reports.
• To deliver standardised individual and group psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified member of staff.
• To undertake file/case reviews to support clinical decision making of the psychology and multidisciplinary staff.
• To attend psychology and multidisciplinary meetings about service users to share and obtain information, disseminate report findings and convey opinion and analyses.
• To contribute to risk assessment and management of service users, and to immediately report any instances of harm or suspected harm/risk to a service user or others to qualified members of the team in line with safeguarding and risk management policies and protocols.
Administration
• To maintain clear records of all client work carried out in Trust and / or Caraline client case note. To maintain high standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording and report writing and responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of conduct and practice of the BPS/HCPC and Trust policies and procedures.
• To maintain a high level of written and verbal communication with multidisciplinary colleagues, GPs, service users, carers.
• To use all Trust and Caraline information systems as required and in a timely manner to enter patient data, activity data, using email and diaries, and any other systems in compliance with NHS and Caraline information governance and local Trust and Caraline requirements
Human Resources
• 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 post-holder’s professional and team/operational manager(s).
• To undertake mandatory training in line with Trust and Caraline requirements.
• To undergo regular performance appraisal and review.
Performance and Quality
• To contribute to team audits carried out as part of routine service review and evaluation, and specific audits as required, under supervision.
• To participate in carrying out service orientated and clinically relevant research (as agreed by the Trust, Locality Director and Professional Psychology Lead).
• To utilize theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
• To design databases, undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes as required.
• To develop knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to adult and older adult mental health.
• To contribute to the development of colleagues’ understanding of psychological aspects of care through informal and formal discussion/presentation.
• To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a qualified Psychologist in accordance with good practice guidance from the BPS. To participate in peer group support with other assistant psychologists within CEDS and Caraline and the wider Trust.
• To keep abreast of developments in psychological assessment and treatment of people with eating disorders and other mental health difficulties through self-directed reading, attendance at CPD events, and through own supervision.
Financial and Physical Resources
• Responsible for the safe and secure use and storage of all Trust-supplied equipment, in line with Trust policies.
This advert closes on Thursday 12 Sep 2024