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Job summary

Main area
Forensic Psychology
Grade
Band 5
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
267-FS7481374
Employer
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Marlborough House
Town
Milton Keynes
Salary
£31,049 - £37,796 per annum + RSU allowance £1,446 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
30/09/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust logo

Assistant Psychologist - Forensics - Milton Keynes and Aylesbury

Band 5

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.

We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.

We actively support anti-racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.

We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under-represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio-economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.

Good luck and we hope to hear from you.


 

Job overview

Our Forensic Psychology department is recruiting for full-time Assistant Psychologist to join two of our services:

  • Marlborough House in Milton Keynes: 28-bedded male medium secure forensic unit. The unit comprises of 2 wards, an acute assessment ward and also a rehabilitation-focused ward.
  • Woodlands House: a men's low secure forensic unit situated adjacent to the Whiteleaf Centre in Aylesbury. 

You'll be assisting with the planning and delivery of psychological interventions (group and individual); undertaking interview and psychometric assessments, assisting with the development of research and projects as well as teaching work. 

You'll be responsible for ensuring the provision of a high quality psychological service, engaging with a challenging but rewarding population. There is an emphasis on close multi-disciplinary team working within a very supportive context. Staff support and working with families/carers are an important part of this role. 

There will be opportunities to get involved in projects and research in order to contribute significantly to improving the quality of the psychological services that we provide. Our psychology department is proud of the diversity of therapeutic approaches utilised in our work, where supervision and continuing professional development is prioritised.

If you're looking for a role within Forensic Services where you can make a real difference to patient outcomes and therapeutic research, we would love to hear from you! 

 

Main duties of the job

  • Assisting Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologists in psychological input, including developing psychological formulations, interventions, and evaluations.
  • Carrying out structured risk assessments and neuropsychological assessments, as well as involvement in projects and research.
  • Undertake protocol-based psychological assessments of clients, including neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.  
  • Assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment 
    and/or management of a client’s problems, including risk of violence and protective factors, 
    under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist, in inpatient/residential settings.  
  • Assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups.  
  • To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings.  

Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties. 

Working for our organisation

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”

Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

•    Excellent opportunities for career progression
•    Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
•    27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
•    NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
•    Competitive pension scheme
•    Lease car scheme
•    Cycle to work scheme
•    Employee Assistance Programme
•    Mental Health First Aiders
•    Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
•    Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application. 

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

 

Person specification

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • How might you explain the trauma-informed care approach to service users or colleagues working in forensic settings?

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Detail one brief intervention you have you used in a previous role that might be helpful in this role.

Behavioural

Essential criteria
  • Describe a time you showed initiative in an assistant psychologist role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStep into healthNHS 75th BirthdayDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Niollie Brown
Job title
Principal Clinical Psychologist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01865 901088
Additional information

At Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we want to employ people not just with experience, but with the aptitude and motivation to succeed and whose values resonate with our own.

Therefore, if you don’t meet all the requirements of the role and are unsure about applying but are excited about the opportunity, please do get in touch. We will be happy to discuss the requirements in more detail ahead of making a written application. 

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