Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- 12 months (Fixed Term/Secondment for 12 Months)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Mon-Friday)
- Job ref
- 346-FMH-059-26-A
- Employer
- Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Lanchester Road Hospital
- Town
- Durham
- Salary
- £32,073 - £39,043 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 08/11/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Higher Assistant Psychologist
NHS AfC: Band 5
We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.
From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care —our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.
We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.
We’re committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.
We won’t rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, enthusiastic, and highly motivated Higher Assistant Psychologist to work as part of the Enhanced RECONNECT Team across the North East of England.
Enhanced RECONNECT is a pilot scheme which builds on the RECONNECT service and is available for individuals identified as high risk of harm to the public and who have complex health needs. The pilot utilises a partnership approach working with partner organisations in supporting individuals who are high risk and have complex health needs. Enhanced RECONNECT will work with partner organisations, to improve the continuity of care of individuals with high complex health needs leaving prison.
This is a trauma informed model delivered under the Reconnected to Health partnership. In the North East it is led by Spectrum CIC with Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS, ReThink and Humankind as service delivery partners.
This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route. However, sponsorship can only be provided where applicants meet the specific requirements, therefore, we recommend that you assess your eligibility before applying for this position. Visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
Main duties of the job
The successful applicant will join the multi-disciplinary health team, working alongside members of prison and probation staff.
Tasks will include, although not exhaustive of, assessment of mental health, psychometric scoring and interpretation, individual intervention, audit, staff training and report writing. Experience of delivering evidenced based therapies, i.e. CBT and DBT either individually or within a group setting would be desirable. The successful post holder will have good communication and interpersonal skills and preferably will have some experience of risk management in forensic settings.
There is a commitment to providing support and supervision. The post holder will be encouraged to undertake continuing professional development.
Working for our organisation
We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.
From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care —our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.
We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.
We’re committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.
In order to continue to develop and maintain high quality services, ongoing opportunities will be made available to help further your own skills, knowledge and development to uphold your leadership role.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information about this post.
Psychologists & Psychological Therapists provide key leadership roles within the Trust. To support this we have developed leadership profiles for each psychology band and the profile card associated with this post is attached on NHS Jobs. You can find more information about the NHS Leadership Academy’s Healthcare Leadership Model and the profiles at their website. We encourage you to look at these resources as they will play a part in the interview process.
This role is subject to Prison Vetting and the successful candidate must pass this before commencing employment. This includes a thorough review of personal information, including a criminal record check (both spent and unspent), a review of financial standing, and social media checks. Please note that vetting checks may also extend to family members and associates. You must also have resided in the UK for 3 years at the point of application. This will be considered as part of the shortlisting criteria and your application may be rejected if you do not meet this criteria.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Degree in psychology.
- Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
- Resident of the UK for at least 3 years
Desirable criteria
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice, youth work, work with offenders and/or research design and analysis
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience working as an assistant psychologist (or equivalent)
- Previous involvement in clinical audit, research or service evaluation
- Experience using statistical software packages e.g. SPSS
- Experience of using psychometric assessments
- Experience working with people using services in psychological, mental health and/or social care settings. This may include, for example, personal experience or supporting a family member to access services.
- Experience of communicating sensitive information
- Experience of work interacting with the public
- Experience in discussing and responding to issues related to cultural diversity, intersectionality and inclusivity, including working with vulnerable groups (e.g. those for whom English is not their first language)
Desirable criteria
- Experience working in a multidisciplinary team
- Experience of increasing access to psychological services/healthcare for minoritized communities
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental ill health or learning disabilities
- An understanding of the application of psychology to health care.
- Understanding of confidentiality
- Knowledge of the British Psychological Society Code of Conduct.
- An ability to apply psychological knowledge to the population described in the job advert
- Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures
- Awareness of systemic barriers to accessing psychological services/healthcare for minoritized communities.
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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sarah McCrory
- Job title
- Psychological Professions Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
List jobs with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors






.png)


