NHS
Apprentice Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP)
This job is now closed
Job Description
- Req#: C9327-25-0392?language=en&page=574&sort=publicationDateDesc
- Single or Joint Honours Degree in Psychology (2:1 or above or 2:2 with substantial relevant experience)
- Evidence of training / CPD to develop knowledge and theory relevant to work in the specialism
- Eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society via qualification recognition or by alternative route.
- GCSE in Maths and English Level 4 / C above or Level 2 functional skills in Maths / English
- Willingness to work in the face of emotive and distressing problems, and possible verbal abuse / threat of physical abuse. Experience preferred.
- Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.
- Prior experience with the service user group or experience in a clinical setting
- Some experience of using /manipulating Psychological test equipment for use in formal testing situations
- Additional knowledge/ experience of research methodology
- Strong listening skills, empathic towards people in distress.
- Practical working knowledge of at least one relevant psychological approach (e.g. CBT)
- Experience of working in multidisciplinary team
- Single or Joint Honours Degree in Psychology (2:1 or above or 2:2 with substantial relevant experience)
- Evidence of training / CPD to develop knowledge and theory relevant to work in the specialism
- Eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society via qualification recognition or by alternative route.
- GCSE in Maths and English Level 4 / C above or Level 2 functional skills in Maths / English
- Willingness to work in the face of emotive and distressing problems, and possible verbal abuse / threat of physical abuse. Experience preferred.
- Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing clinically sensitive information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues, both within and outside the NHS.
- Prior experience with the service user group or experience in a clinical setting
- Some experience of using /manipulating Psychological test equipment for use in formal testing situations
- Additional knowledge/ experience of research methodology
- Strong listening skills, empathic towards people in distress.
- Practical working knowledge of at least one relevant psychological approach (e.g. CBT)
- Experience of working in multidisciplinary team
Job summary
We are looking to recruit an apprentice Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) within the Acute Inpatient Service (five wards), Wotton Lawn Hospital in Gloucestershire.
Ideally, we are looking for people with experience of working with service users who present with acute and complex mental health problems but would welcome your application if you have other relevant experience.
Provision of specialised interventions under supervision will be part of the remit of the CAP, but the role will also support the provision of psychologically informed work across the whole service through indirect work, teaching and training.
Main duties of the job
As an apprentice, you will undertake Clinical Associate Psychology Masters training in conjunction with Plymouth University, whilst employed by and working in Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Trust. This is a masters level qualification for working with adults, recognised by the British Psychological Society. You will join a wider cohort of trainee Clinical Associate Psychologists from the South West region.
This is an 18- month apprenticeship with twelve months on programme learning and six months to complete the End Point Assessment. There is a requirement to complete and pass all elements of the apprenticeship to successfully register with the BPS as a Clinical Associate Psychologist.
To work within the psychological therapies team at Wotton Lawn consisting of two qualified clinical psychologists, an art psychotherapist, a qualified CAP and an assistant psychologist. To develop your competencies inline with the masters programme in order to achieve qualification.
About us
We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.
Date posted
28 April 2025
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 5
Salary
£29,970 to £36,483 a year per annum
Contract
Apprenticeship
Duration
18 months
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
327-25-319
Job locations
Wotton Lawn Hospital
Horton Road
Gloucester
GL1 3WL
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
To undertake specialised and protocol based psychological assessments - including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the service users care
To assist in the development of psychological formulations of complex clinical problems and the development and delivery of care plans, which include psychological treatment and/ or management of the service user problems including risk assessments.
To determine appropriate psychological intervention, considering a range of potentially conflicting clinical information and dynamics under the supervision of a clinical psychologist.
To design, implement and modify bespoke psychological interventions with service users and groups under the supervision of a clinical psychologist.
To communicate confidential and personal information concerning psychological needs, obtained through assessments and interventions, to colleagues within and outside of the Trust and to the service user and their family
To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups.
To work as a member of a multidisciplinary team and attend meetings as appropriate.
To follow a person-focused and evidence-based approach and work in partnership with service users and their families/carers.
To work in accordance with National NHS and GHC policies and regulations, as well as those of relevant professional bodies.
To receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with programme requirements and good clinical practice.
To assist in the planning, coordination and running of staff support forums such as reflective practice, case discussion, formulation and CPD workshops
To maintain appropriate records in electronic or hard copy in line with Trust policies and Professional guidelines. Includes workload data and using word processing skills to produce service user related reports
Leadership / Management
To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required
Teaching, training and supervision
In conjunction with the clinical supervisor and University Tutor, to plan and prioritise own workload, research and individual and group sessions.
May assist with providing specialist training to other psychologists, trainees, assistants and other colleagues as appropriate.
To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all service users of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
Research and service evaluation
To plan, monitor and evaluate own work, using clinical outcomes assessments, small-scale research methodology and statistical procedures.
To plan and undertake formal MSc research, as agreed with the University programme staff as required by the Programme, complying with the requirements of research governance, evidence-based practice and ethical considerations.
To assist in the design and implementation of service-based audit and research projects using appropriate methodology and statistical procedures, as agreed with the clinical supervisor.
To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinical psychologists in evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
To enhance own knowledge of clinical psychology, specific client groups and types of psychological difficulty through reading, literature searches and personal study.
Professional
To manage work independently according to goals agreed at intervals with their manager, working independently on a day to day basis
To work within guidance and direction of qualified Psychologist and guided by the Professions standards including the British Psychological Society (BPS) Code of Conduct, Ethics Guidelines for Chartered Psychologists, and registration.
Assignment and Review of Work
Clinical work is assigned and reviewed by the clinical supervisor on a weekly basis. On a day-to-day basis, trainees work independently within set guidelines, referring as necessary to the clinical supervisor.
Academic, research and clinical learning outcomes are assigned as per the curriculum of the MSc Course and end point assessment with accountability to the Director of the University Programme.
Trainees are responsible for managing the competing requirements of both academic and clinical components of training.
Job responsibilities
Clinical
To undertake specialised and protocol based psychological assessments - including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the service users care
To assist in the development of psychological formulations of complex clinical problems and the development and delivery of care plans, which include psychological treatment and/ or management of the service user problems including risk assessments.
To determine appropriate psychological intervention, considering a range of potentially conflicting clinical information and dynamics under the supervision of a clinical psychologist.
To design, implement and modify bespoke psychological interventions with service users and groups under the supervision of a clinical psychologist.
To communicate confidential and personal information concerning psychological needs, obtained through assessments and interventions, to colleagues within and outside of the Trust and to the service user and their family
To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups.
To work as a member of a multidisciplinary team and attend meetings as appropriate.
To follow a person-focused and evidence-based approach and work in partnership with service users and their families/carers.
To work in accordance with National NHS and GHC policies and regulations, as well as those of relevant professional bodies.
To receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with programme requirements and good clinical practice.
To assist in the planning, coordination and running of staff support forums such as reflective practice, case discussion, formulation and CPD workshops
To maintain appropriate records in electronic or hard copy in line with Trust policies and Professional guidelines. Includes workload data and using word processing skills to produce service user related reports
Leadership / Management
To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required
Teaching, training and supervision
In conjunction with the clinical supervisor and University Tutor, to plan and prioritise own workload, research and individual and group sessions.
May assist with providing specialist training to other psychologists, trainees, assistants and other colleagues as appropriate.
To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all service users of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
Research and service evaluation
To plan, monitor and evaluate own work, using clinical outcomes assessments, small-scale research methodology and statistical procedures.
To plan and undertake formal MSc research, as agreed with the University programme staff as required by the Programme, complying with the requirements of research governance, evidence-based practice and ethical considerations.
To assist in the design and implementation of service-based audit and research projects using appropriate methodology and statistical procedures, as agreed with the clinical supervisor.
To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified clinical psychologists in evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.
To enhance own knowledge of clinical psychology, specific client groups and types of psychological difficulty through reading, literature searches and personal study.
Professional
To manage work independently according to goals agreed at intervals with their manager, working independently on a day to day basis
To work within guidance and direction of qualified Psychologist and guided by the Professions standards including the British Psychological Society (BPS) Code of Conduct, Ethics Guidelines for Chartered Psychologists, and registration.
Assignment and Review of Work
Clinical work is assigned and reviewed by the clinical supervisor on a weekly basis. On a day-to-day basis, trainees work independently within set guidelines, referring as necessary to the clinical supervisor.
Academic, research and clinical learning outcomes are assigned as per the curriculum of the MSc Course and end point assessment with accountability to the Director of the University Programme.
Trainees are responsible for managing the competing requirements of both academic and clinical components of training.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
Length and/or nature of expereince
Essential
Desirable
Professional/Managerial/Specialist knowledge
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications
Essential
Length and/or nature of expereince
Essential
Desirable
Professional/Managerial/Specialist knowledge
Essential
Desirable
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details
Employer name
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Wotton Lawn Hospital
Horton Road
Gloucester
GL1 3WL
Employer's website
https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer details
Employer name
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Wotton Lawn Hospital
Horton Road
Gloucester
GL1 3WL
Employer's website
https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ (Opens in a new tab)
About the company
National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.