Assistant Psychologist

Job overview

We are delighted to advertise two exciting opportunities for Assistant Psychologists to join the expanding psychology provision within our female adult acute inpatient ward in Tameside.

These full-time Band 4 permanent positions forms part of significant new investment in our service and form a key part of developing, supporting and strengthening our female model of care. As part of our improvement journey, our female acute wards strive to create a safe, respectful and trauma and gender-informed environment where women and staff feel valued, heard and supported. Care is shaped by dignity, choice and collaboration, with clarity around individual needs. We want each admission to be both purposeful and therapeutic.

The successful candidates will join qualified practitioner psychologists and the wider multidisciplinary team to support the delivery of high-quality, compassionate, psychologically informed care for women experiencing a distressing mental health crisis.

The postholders will be required to work flexibly, which will include evening and weekend hours to meet service needs.

Main duties of the job

As outlined in the job description, the main duties include:

• To support and enhance the psychological care of adults within acute mental health wards setting. This includes supporting the delivery of the female model of care, ensuring the ward environment and daily interactions reflect psychological and gender- and trauma‑informed and recovery focused principles
• Providing psychological assessments and interventions under clinical supervision. This may be through 1:1 and/or group sessions, to adults with complex mental health needs.
• Carrying out structured assessments, observations and outcome measures
• Supporting the development of care plans and ward‑based formulations
• Assisting with audits and projects, evaluation, and service improvement activity
• Helping to maintain high-quality clinical documentation and data collection
• Attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary meetings, reflective spaces, staff support, and the wider ward culture

You will receive clinical supervision from a Practitioner Psychologist and join peer supervision with other Assistant Psychologists in the acute pathway.

Working for our organisation

Our acute and crisis pathway provides an evidence-based, high quality service across psychiatric intensive care units, adult acute wards, Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams and Mental Health Liaison Teams covering half of Greater Manchester.

The Trustwide acute and crisis psychology team meets regularly for team meetings, CPD and a facilitated reflective group and has leadership from a Clinical Lead for the adult acute pathway.

We are passionate about staff well-being and compassionate leadership. Our staff survey results support this. In the latest national NHS Staff Survey (2024) Pennine Care was ranked as the best mental health and learning disability trust in the North .

We support staff to work flexibly and recognise and respect the roles our colleagues hold outside of working hours. This focus helps us to retain staff and ensure people are happy in their place of work.

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the top of our agenda. We know a diverse, inclusive and engaged culture is vital; that everyone's value should be recognised and respected.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a more detailed overview of the roles job description and main responsibilities, please see the attached job description and personal specification.

Please refer to the essential criteria in the person specification which will highlight the skills, knowledge and experience you will need to demonstrate in your application, by way of example, to give yourself the best opportunity to be shortlisted.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential criteria

• A first or upper second class honours degree in psychology
• Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Desirable criteria

• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and / or research design and analysis

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working with people with mental health problems
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Previous experience as an Assistant Psychologist

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience of paid or voluntary work in an acute mental health setting
• Experience of working with complex mental health difficulties including psychosis
• Experience of adapting materials to make them accessible for people with cognitive difficulties.
• Experience of using neuropsychological and psychometric assessments.
• Experience of service evaluation.
• Experience using word processing tools, spread sheets and statistical

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Have an understanding of psychological approaches to understanding complex mental health difficulties
• Have a good knowledge of psychological theories.

Desirable criteria

• High standard of report writing

Skills and Abilities

Essential criteria

• High level of communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive and challenging.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in way that enhances psychological mindedness.

Desirable criteria

• Ability to design and evaluate research projects relevant to Applied Psychology.

Work Related Circumstances

Essential criteria

• Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs
• Willing to carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies
• Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure.
• Be able to work flexibly in accordance with service need (e.g. evenings, weekends)

📝 Application support - We recommend tailoring your application to each role you apply for, particularly your supporting information. This gives you the best chance of success. Your supporting information should clearly explain, with examples, how your skills and experience meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role.

We understand that some candidates may use AI tools to help prepare their application. This is not restricted, however, any AI support should only be used to enhance your own writing and must reflect your genuine skills and experience. You will be asked to talk about your application at interview. Applications that contain false or misleading information may be removed from the recruitment process.

We also offer virtual application support sessions each month, where you will learn some hints and tips to support you in completing your application form. To secure your place, and to find out more visit the on our website.

🌍 Sponsorship Information - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the

📬 After You Apply - Once your application is submitted, you’ll receive updates via email. Shortlisting is based on how well you meet the criteria outlined in the person specification. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview, and invitations will be sent by email.

✅ If You're Offered the Role - If successful, the hiring manager will contact you directly with a verbal offer. They will then notify the Recruitment Team and submit the necessary paperwork. You’ll receive a formal conditional offer via email

🔍 Pre-Employment Checks - To confirm your suitability for the role, we will carry out pre-employment checks in line with . These include:

• Identity verification
• Right to work check
• Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role)
• Professional registration and/or qualification check
• Occupational health assessment
• Employment history and reference validation

All applicants external to Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust will be required to provide their to cover the most recent three years employment. This information will used to validate employment history and references.

If you require sponsorship, we will assess your eligibility based on current If the role is not eligible and you cannot demonstrate your right to work, your conditional offer may be withdrawn.

🚀 Once Checks Are Complete -

The Recruitment Team will coordinate with you and the hiring manager to confirm a start date. You’ll be booked onto a Trust Welcome Session and receive your Pennine Care NHS Terms and Conditions.

📣 Additional Information -

We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the communities we serve. We actively encourage applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds to help us grow, innovate, and improve.

If you wish to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, you will be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact us on 0161 716 3181 as early as possible so we can support you.

Please note:

• We do not accept unsolicited contact from recruitment agencies. Hiring managers should not be contacted directly.

• We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. If you have a disability or long‑term health condition and need extra time or adjustments to complete your application, please contact us as soon as possible. We will ensure you are not disadvantaged where a reasonable adjustment is appropriate.