The Psychological skills service was set up last year to address gaps in psychological treatment that exist between primary and secondary care. It is a service that is continually developing and expanding. As a service, we put a strong emphasis on psychological formulation and a phased approach to treatment.

We are delighted to be recruiting a CAP trainee to work in the Psychological Skills Service. This new work based training role will increase diversity in our psychology workforce and provide an opportunity for psychology graduates to deliver patient facing care developing their career in the NHS.

The CAP trainee role is a degree level apprenticeship which is a job with academic training to develop new knowledge & skills, gaining the qualification and practical experience for your long-term career path. As an apprentice, you are employed and paid a salary for the work that you do. You are entitled to the same rights as other employees: a contract of employment, 27 days paid holiday per year, plus bank holidays.

This is an exciting new psychology profession that has been approved as a Degree Apprenticeship. During your training phase of around 18 months you will be undertaking the CAP Masters Programme with the University of East Anglia (UEA) while working to develop the clinical skills and competencies essential to the role.

Start date with UEA September 2024 (TBC)

Main duties of the job

Your time will be divided between academic teaching and academic requirements and your clinical role. As a trainee and post qualification you will work within the new Psychological skills service (PSS).

Within the role you will also be part of the ongoing development of this service. This will include helping to finalise group programmes and going through a core part of the role in this project will also be to work alongside the Clinical leadership team to analyse complex data sets to audit and evaluate this pilot service and ensure safe and effective patient flows across the Cambridge Mental Health network. Your data analysis will be a key part of how we decide if the project is effective, deciding whether we need to make changes and how we continue to secure funding.

As a CAP trainee, you will receive supervision and training from clinical psychologists and work alongside the wider professional team including Psychiatrists, GPs, Assistant Psychologists, Mental Health Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals, Pharmacists, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners, High Intensity Therapists (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies-IAPT).

On qualification, CAPs move to a band 6 role. To progress to a band 6 you must complete all course requirements.

About us

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental & physical health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, Social care, Research & Development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high calibre candidates that share our vision & values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people & members of our ethnic minorities & LGBTQ+ communities.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities

Entry requirements:

You must meet the entry requirements to the Clinical Associate in Psychology Degree Apprenticeship as specified by UEA, have the right to work in England and have valid and eligible residency status to meet the criteria for apprenticeship funding in accordance with Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) rules.

You will also need to have experience relevant to working in health, mental health and/or psychological service setting. You must also be able to travel for work purposes.

During the course you will be at your work base for half of the week. The other half of your week will be spent attending the course. The course will involve approximately 50% face to face teaching at UEA in Norwich and 50% remote learning.

Responsibilities:

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.

To provide brief psychological interventions (BPIs) and maintain a clinical caseload, under supervision.

To support the psychology team and wider team in psychological assessment, care planning and the delivery of evidence-based interventions.

To assist the psychology team in the development of individual or group clinical materials/training materials, such as the development of treatment manuals and group interventions.

To lead the collection, analyses and presentation of outcome measures to support the case for proving the clinical and cost effectiveness of psychological therapies in the team.

To support the team in delivering, managing and evaluating other psychological interventions, such as psychology groups.

To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service

Develop the ability to professionally deliver psychological assessments, formulations, interventions and research within defined scope of practice.

Use applied service research and evaluation to inform interventions.

Work with individuals and groups with complex needs.

Act as a psychological resource providing support to the wider health or social care teams

Develop ability to deliver treatment interventions developed with a Clinical Psychologist who will review practice through supervision..

Develop ability to conduct risk management assessments and evaluations.

Maintain a compassionate, caring and safe care environment

Develop a range of psychological treatments working within defined scope of practice, whilst the supervising Clinical Psychologist retains overall clinical responsibility, reporting to a Clinical Psychologist in terms of psychological assessment, formulation and intervention.

Develop understanding of how to analyse and appraise the range of cognitive-behavioural and other psychological assessment methods used within applied clinical practice to underpin assessment, drawing on formulations in psychological theory, providing a clinical framework describing an individuals problem and/or needs, whilst providing a rationale for how problems have developed and are maintained.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

• Bachelors degree in Psychology accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as conferring Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBS), or Bachelors degree plus master degree, or PGDip in Psychology accredited by the BPS as conferring GBC (minimum 2:2)
• GCSE pass (A* to C) in Maths and English or level 2 equivalent
• Eligibility to work in the UK
• Demonstrate ability to study at masters level
• Understand British Psychological Society (BPS) Professional Code of Conduct

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrate experience of delivering individual therapy and/ or group therapy based on psychological principles
• Demonstrate experience of effective working with others including peers, managers and more junior members of staff

Desirable

• Demonstrate experience of evaluation or audit in a healthcare setting demonstrate how new ways of working can be communicated in a healthcare setting
• Demonstrate experience of evaluating risk in a healthcare setting demonstrate how critical incidents or severe adverse events are appropriately identified and assessed

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Communicate effectively, share information and check understanding using clear language and appropriate, written materials, making reasonable adjustments where appropriate in order to optimise people's understanding
• Able assess limits of professional boundaries and capacity and understand when to seek appropriate supervision/advice on practice and whom to refer to ensure best care
• Demonstrate the ability to reflect, review and discuss personal and professional responses to work
• Able to correctly handle confidential information know how and when to share this information for appropriate professional purposes and only with appropriate individuals, with appropriately gained consent
• Demonstrate commitment to Masters level study and continued professional development
• Understand and recognise professional duty to challenge and report discriminatory behaviour
• Ability to maintain accurate clinical records and why all entries in clinical and practice records are dated, timed and signed
• Understand and utilise learning styles, tools and techniques that can be used to support learning
• High quality record keeping skills
• Accurate computer skills and willingness to embrace new systems
• Proficient in using a variety of software packages

Desirable

• Demonstrate experience of patient care across a broad range of patient needs
• Demonstrate knowledge of CBT for anxiety and depression
• Demonstrate knowledge of CFT/ACT or DBT
• Recognise and accommodate sensory impairments during all communications and the use of personal communication aids
• Demonstrate experience of delivering/ contributing to group programmes based on CBT/ DBT

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Skilled in continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills
• Dedicated in treating patients with dignity, respecting individuals' diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy and preferences
• Able to show respect and empathy for patients and colleagues and have the courage to challenge concerns, working to evidence-based best practice
• Adaptable, reliable and consistent, show discretion, resilience and self-awareness and demonstrate professional and clinical competence

Other

Essential

• Ability to travel independently where required
• Adhere to NHS and employers values and legal & ethical responsibilities as a supervised associate practitioner psychologist including professional (BPS) standards of conduct for patient consent and confidentiality

Employer details

Employer name

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Chesterton Medical Centre

35 Union Lane

Cambridge

CB4 1PX

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

310-ASMH-6339403