Job summary
- Main area
- Crisis and Emergency
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 455-NLFT-0132
- Employer
- North London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Dennis Scott Unit - Edgware Community Hospital
- Town
- Barnet / Herts
- Salary
- £42,939 - £50,697 Per annum inclusive of Outer London HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 19/06/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 26/06/2025
Employer heading
Clinical Associate Psychologist
NHS AfC: Band 6
Thank you for your interest for the North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT), it is an exciting time to join us and being part of our journey to improve mental health care across North London and deliver excellent services to our local people. We will achieve this through the North London Way, as we:
- Collaborate at every level by living our Values to create the right conditions for us all to work together.
- Develop our new Trust culture, to help make our new Trust a great place to work and to receive great care.
- Empower our teams to lead the planned improvements in our services, by skilling them and giving them the tools to make the changes.
- Focus on delivering excellence at every level to improve our performance and ensure consistently high-quality care across all our services.
- Ensure that research, Quality Improvement, and technology lead the way and are embedded in our services.
- Take a trauma informed approach to everything we do
We proactively welcome diversity in our workforce and pride ourselves on being an inclusive employer. We aim to recruit from our local communities and provide opportunities to all including apprenticeships, veterans, care leavers and more.
The North London Way to deliver, Better Mental Health, Better Lives, Better Communities.
Our trust website is: https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/
Job overview
The post holder will provide formulation-based psychological interventions for service users admitted to an acute mental health ward. They will work collaboratively to develop a shared understanding of the individual’s complex challenges, coping mechanisms, and the impact these have on their mental and physical well-being, as well as on those around them (psychological assessment and formulation). Under supervision, they will explore social, psychological, therapeutic, and other potential interventions to improve health outcomes and support service users in achieving their agreed goals.
The Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) is a new addition to the Psychological workforce and supports the wider NHS agenda to develop and expand the psychological provision. Clinical Associates in Psychology fill an identified skills gap between assistant psychologist and qualified clinical psychologists. They are able to practice autonomously with appropriate support, working within their scope of practice, under the supervision of a registered clinical psychologist.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work with service users experiencing high levels of distress and complex mental health difficulties, some of whom may present significant risks to themselves or others. Assessments and interventions will be delivered in person on the ward, in close collaboration with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) and the Urgent Care Psychology Team.
The post holder will have a strong interest in working within an all-male inpatient acute ward and a specialized focus on psychological perspectives relevant to men’s mental health.
Working for our organisation
Why choose to join the North London NHS Foundation Trust?
We believe that by working together, our Trust can achieve more for the residents of North Central London and our patients than we can by working apart.
Our Five-Year Strategy:
1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.
Why NLFT?
· Transforming and creating a positive environment for our service users, staff and visitors.
- We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
- We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
- NHS Discounts, generous annual leave allowance and NHS pension scheme
- We have excellent internal staff network support groups.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As a qualified CAP, the post holder will provide effective evidence-based care to National and local guidelines and will manage a caseload and take responsibility for proactive care delivery decisions, within their scope of practice and under the supervision of a registered clinical psychologist.
The post holder will plan, assess, implement and evaluate programmes of care. CAPs are expected to maintain a compassionate, caring and safe care environment.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide high quality, evidence-based psychological interventions, to inform practice with formulations derived from specialist psychological assessment, to work effectively with populations from different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs, and to draw on an understanding of applied service-related research to support service evaluation and improvement.
Other roles within the programme will include reviewing care plans and conducting risk assessments and formulations. The CAP will work alongside the Lead Psychologist, Urgent care Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists, as well as other colleagues within the multi-disciplinary team.
The post will be inpatient and Urgent care based with an expectation that CAP provides a service in an integrated across the crisis and emergency pathway.
Person specification
Abilities / Skills
Essential criteria
- To be able to assess and formulate someone's experience drawing on a range of psychological models and theory.
- Experience of Group work / Group facilitation in mental health settings for severe and enduring complex emotional needs
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working closely with experts by experience, local communities, Community and Voluntary and Social Enterprises, to coproduce and co-develop services.
- Experience working in Acute and /or inpatient mental health setting
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- Adept in understanding and using models of clinical supervision and requirements for practice in line with the evidence -base and professional codes of conduct
- Skilled in continuous self reflection , seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills
- Dedicated in treating service users with dignity, respecting individuals' diversity, beliefs , culture, needs, values, privacy and preferences.
- Able to show respect and empathy for service users and colleagues. Having the courage to challenge concerns, working to evidence-based practice
Desirable criteria
- Lived experience of using services , and /or being a carer for someone
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Completed BPS (British Psychological Society) accredited CAP apprenticeship training programme including EPA to IFA standards
- Registration on the BPS Wider Psychological Workforce register
- An approved qualification in psychology conferring eligibility for graduate basis for registration with the BPS (Class2.2 or higher)
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
- Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines at all bandings / grades
- Ability to work independently , reliably and consistently with work agreed by manager at regular intervals.
- Ability to maintain professional boundaries and form positive therapeutic relationships with service users and carers
- Ability to manage stress and work under pressure
Other
Essential criteria
- Adherence to NLFT Trust values
- Ability to travel independently where required
- Disclosure and Barring Service check
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Michelle Durant
- Job title
- Senior Urgent Care Psychology Lead - Barnet
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 02087024031
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