Assistant Psychologist | North Bristol NHS Trust
| Posting date: | 10 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £28,407 - £34,581 per annum, pro rata for part time roles. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 09 January 2026 |
| Location: | Bristol, BS10 5NB |
| Company: | North Bristol NHS |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7652447/339-NMSK2447-JJ |
Summary
This post is a long-established role in the multi-disciplinary pain management and health psychology team based in the NMSK division of NBT. The job extends into ASCR division with a substantial role currently in project work in the intensive care unit. Applicants will have a long term commitment towards a career in applied psychology and the post has a strong track record of individuals moving into doctoral training programmes in clinical psychology. Applicants should have achieved a high standard of academic attainment in psychology as is required to progress to doctoral training and should have accumulated NHS experience in an assistant psychology role, ideally in a relevant specialist area to this post. They should be proficient in IT systems, statistical analysis relevant to project work undertaken by this service, be an effective communicator and team player with knowledge of psychological models as applied in acute sector settings.
To undertake supervised psychological and interdisciplinary interventions with patients.
To undertake the administration, processing, analysis and presentation of psychological measures including maintenance of data bases concerning the work of the service.
To support project work being undertaken by the team as directed by the line manager and service lead.
Maintain a caseload and balance of activities within the service as directed by the line manager/head of service; this being in line with service priorities that will change from time to time.
To support individual volunteers and their work within the department including training and face-to-face work with patients.
Sustain concentration for unbroken periods of up to an hour in order to conduct group-based psychological therapies, the assessment of individuals, and the administration of psychometric tests.
Sit for periods of at least an hour and a half in a confined space in order to conduct clinical work. This will at times involve sustaining an awkward posture for the administration of psychometric tests.
Lift and move equipment (but not patients) using safe systems of work and postural guidelines
Use display screen equipment for communication, data analysis, and clinical networking. Use audio-visual aids for group work and academic presentations.
Travel as required to fulfil agreed work objectives. This involves providing clinical services in several hospital, health centre, and community settings.
The post holder will respond flexibility to frequently changing work priorities to ensure the continued safe and effective running of the service. For example where sickness absence of a team member creates disruptions of the treatments being provided the post holder will often be required to contribute to temporary reorganisations that offset the potential disruption of patient care. This is in liaison with the lead psychologist/head of department.
This department of health psychology specialises in interventions concerning health crisis and long term conditions, involving trauma, surgery, cancer and other life-changing health matters. As such the post holder:
• will undertake an appropriate level of clinical supervision, making all reasonable efforts to ensure the effectiveness of the supervision arrangements in providing safe and effective psychological care for patients.
• will prioritise and manage their own face-to-face work with clients whilst also balancing this, through a process of line management, with the collective responsibilities and goals of both the department and North Bristol NHS Trust.
This department is constantly engaged in project work and service improvement, processes, often in partnership with, or under contract to, external organisations. Assistant psychologists have a close involvement in delivering these and are responsible for ensuring compliance with any specified standards and procedures associated with such projects in addition to usual NHS standards and criteria. Usually this means that the post holder is therefore required to follow research protocols involving additional consent, evaluation, and data processing commitments. This is in addition to always adhering to the policies and procedures of both the department and NBT.
The specific areas of duty and responsibility in this post are:
1) To compile and maintain databases in association with the head of department regarding the clinical assessment, audit, and research activities undertaken by the department.
2) To support the recruitment, training and on-going support of volunteers in the service, including on-going evaluation of the roles that volunteers take and the re-design prompted by findings/feedback.
3) The provision of psychology input to assigned areas of the service, providing psychological interventions with individual patients and groups referred to the service who have been assessed as needing such interventions. This is likely to also involve organising and coordinating aspects SMP delivery for pain, cancer recovery, and pain-related insomnia. The prioritising and throughput of this work is agreed with the line manager.
4) The coordination of audit data gathering, conducting psychometric assessments of patients referred to the service. Providing research advice and consultation within the department for the preparation of new research protocols and for the presentation and dissemination of research findings.
5) Participating in the training and support of staff from outside the department in respect of the principles of psychological care and biopsychosocial interventions in long term conditions.
6) The post holder will work to a Job Plan (reviewed at least annually) and linked to this, a professional development plan, to advance competencies and knowledge regarding the clinical work of the department. This is established and monitored through participation in a performance review.
7) The post holder will fully participate in clinical governance processes, service meetings, clinical audit, the development and observation of service standards and improvement initiatives, observing local and national guidance.
8) The post holder will undertake regular clinical supervision with a senior clinical psychologist from the department (usually the line manager) in line with explicit supervision arrangements. The post holder will at all times observe professional, and ethical guidelines, and stated good practise guidelines for clinical psychologists, as set out by the BPS and HCPC.
9) Participate in the professional organisation of psychologists and related professionals within NBT
This advert closes on Sunday 28 Dec 2025