Assistant Psychologist HMP WoodhillinMilton KeynesinMilton KeynesPUBLISHED FRI 20 DEC 2024

Job Overview

To support and enhance the psychological care of men across the Mental Health Service in HMP Woodhill. This includes providing mental health assessment and interventions under the supervision of a qualified psychologist, working independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures and those of the wider prison service.

Main duties of the job

• To participate in clinical governance and utilise research skills for audit, service development and research within the area served by the multi-disciplinary team.
• To undertake clinically-related administration and project work.
• To provide assessments and mental health interventions to clients under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist
• To work independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the clinic’s policies and procedures
• To liaise with other professional services (resettlement workers, probation, CMHT) sharing information where appropriate
• To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work
  
  

Working for our organisation

We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.

We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Please see attached JD&PS for full details of duties and responsibilities.

• To support psychologists in the assessment of male patients within HMP Woodhill. This may include using self-report measures, risk assessment, rating scales, direct and indirect observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care. Assessments will involve making judgements involving complex facts or situations, which require the analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options, as well as requiring prolonged concentration
• To work in a highly emotive atmosphere with clients with offending histories and / or mental health problems on a regular basis, and be able to communicate sensitive and complex information, whilst maintaining a high degree of professionalism at all times
• To attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary meetings
• To support psychologists in preparing for and conducting psychological interventions, both group and individual. To co-facilitate groups with both psychology and non-psychology colleagues when appropriate
• To work closely with senior colleagues to ensure information in relation to risk is collected and communicated sensitively and comprehensively
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping, including electronic data entry and recording
• To attend and contribute to other prison meetings, and to present the view of Mental Health Team [JR1] for relevant clinical issues. To ensure any actions taken from these meetings are met or that the appropriate individual to carry out the action is informed
• To ensure that efficient pathways of care are being created for the clients, including collecting collateral information for new clients and making appropriate referrals into the community when they are approaching discharge.
  
  

Person specification

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Relevant clinical and research skills
• Experience of working as part of a team
• Basic knowledge of databases, research skills and methodology
• Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a health context
• An understanding of psychology applied to health care
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with people with complex needs
• Experience of working with people with disabilities, in a health or Mental Health setting and or work with people with complex needs
• Experience of the use of psychometric tests
• Experience of group work and individual therapeutic contact
• Experience of in-patient settings
• Experience of teaching other health professionals
• Lived experience of mental health issues
  
  

Training & Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Honours degree at 2:1 or above in Psychology, or equivalent. Eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartership with the BPS
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Further post graduate training in relevant area of professional psychology, health and social care practice, and / or research design and analysis
  
  

Skills

Essential criteria

• Communication/Relationship skills: To be able to communicate effectively under pressure and maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times
• To be able to provide and receive complex sensitive or contentious information in a potentially highly emotive atmosphere. To be able to work with resistance to ideas
• High standard of report writing
• Analytical & Judgement skills: To assimilate complex information and use reflective/analytic thinking, to apply psychological perspectives in work in a healthcare setting
• Planning & Organisational skills: Abil