Assistant Psychologist

Closing date: 13 August 2026

Job summary
We are looking for a fix term or Secondment cover for 12 months, the post holder will have the opportunity of working alongside the Clinical Psychologist within the service.

The post holder will contribute to the overall psychology provision within the prisons. Clinical duties will include; facilitating psychologically informed therapeutic groups, individual psychology assessments (including neuropsychology assessments), and working with staff teams to support the management of service users. Working independently according to a plan agreed with a qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures. To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, and development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.

Regular and routine clinical supervision with the Psychologist will be provided as well as access to the wider Trust CPD opportunities, including a specific monthly Assistant Psychologist CPD group.

Important Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.

Main duties of the job

• To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holder's professional and team/operational manager(s).
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
• To prepare test materials and visual aids as required.
• To undertake specific administrative duties as required.
• To perform other duties of a similar kind appropriate to the grade as might be required by the line manager for the post.

About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

We're Kind
We're Fair
We Listen
We Care

Details
Date posted: 30 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 4
Salary: £30,392 to £33,157 a year
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 277-7940118-COOK-A
Job locations: HMP Cookham Wood, Sir Evelyn Road, Rochester, ME1 3LU, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

• To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients applying psychological principals, 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 clients care, under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
• To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a clients problems, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist.
• To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups or clinical projects. This includes evaluating the efficacy of the groups.
• To work with other staff to assess or support service users and contribute to multidisciplinary discussions or care guidelines as agreed with the clinical psychologist providing supervision.
• To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings.
• To provide feedback to MDT about psychology input.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.

You will need to provide:

• Proof of right to work documentation
• Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID
• Proof of address documentation
• Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.

Address History:

5 years address history will be needed.

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from: Apply through our website

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (Apply through our website).

Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential

• An upper second class honours degree (2:1) or higher in psychology.
• Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Desirable

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

Experience
Essential

• Work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
• Experience of facilitating psychologically informed groups

Desirable

• Experience of paid work in direct care provision.
• Experience of working with a psychologist
• Experience of providing psychological interventions
• Working on an adult inpatient psychiatric ward

Skills
Essential

• Knowledge of evidence-based psychological interventions suitable for challenging behaviour, i.e. Positive Behaviour Support Plans.
• High level of interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to work and effectively communicate complex or sensitive information in highly emotive and emotionally charged settings involving conflict and significant personal distress.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance.

Desirable

• Driving License, access to vehicle

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Apply through our website).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Apply through our website).

Employer details
Employer name: Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Address: HMP Cookham Wood, Sir Evelyn Road, Rochester, ME1 3LU, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Recruitment & Retention Resourcing Officer
Clare Denny
View email address on meeveem.com
View phone number on meeveem.com