MAIN PURPOSE OF THE POST: To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients within the service, their families and carers, across all sectors of care; providing psychological / neuropsychological assessment and neurorehabilitation / psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified professional clinical psychologist, working independently and with initiative according to a plan agreed with a qualified clinical psychologist and within the overall framework of departmental and occupational guidelines and the OCE teams policies and procedures. To support the department in undertaking clinically and service related administration, clinical audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work. To participate in clinical supervision at agreed intervals to plan and assess results. WORKING ENVIRONMENT The working environment is a specialist NHS service for people with acquired brain injury and a wide range of long term and complex neurological conditions. This environment involves frequent exposure to emotionally demanding situations. There is also possible exposure to aggressive and disinhibited behaviour. Working in this environment requires intense concentration and excellent interpersonal skills. KEY RESULT AREAS Clinical: To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients applying psychological / neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members, including children and others involved in the clients care. Assessments require in-depth knowledge of psychological and statistical principles and the characteristics of particular test administration procedures and their statistical properties,



and to make detailed qualitative observations of test behaviours to inform qualified Clinical Psychologists judgements, within a context of clinical supervision by qualified clinical psychologists. As an integral part of neuropsychological assessment, to simultaneously exercise well-developed manual skills (i.e. accurate manipulation of a wide range of neuropsychological test materials, including physical materials, touch-screen computer tests), in which accuracy is significant and it is often necessary to take account of interfering factors (such as patient distractibility, or level of comprehension). 2. 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 clinical psychologist, primarily in an in-patient setting and in an out-patient setting as required. To provide a wide variety of neuropsychological / psychological interventions with individuals, families, carers and staff groups under clinical supervision. To assist and to take the lead in the coordination, running and evaluation of different therapeutic groups. 5. To provide orientation to inpatients within the unit and contribute to the maintenance and continual improvement of the inpatient rehabilitative therapeutic environment. 6.



To work with other staff to assess both inpatients and outpatients and to review their care and needs in preparation for multi-disciplinary goal planning and reviews. 7. To attend and to contribute to appropriate multidisciplinary goal planning and other meetings and to assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings where care takes place. 8. To produce patient reports and summaries under supervision in a timely fashion and to maintain high record keeping standards. 9. To communicate effectively, empathically and clearly with patients, families and carers regarding neuropsychological and psychological matters which will regularly be complicated (such as explanation of neuropsychological principles or abilities and disabilities), and will often be in an emotive atmosphere (such as communicating with patients with life-threatening conditions, traumatic experiences or psychological disorders), and which may require managing difficulties in understanding (such as cognitive deficits), or overcoming communication difficulties with patients, family or carers who are hostile, antagonistic, highly anxious, displaying risk behaviours or acutely mentally unwell etc. 10. In carrying out the duties of the post, to exercise high levels of mental concentration for prolonged periods (for example in neuropsychological assessments of up to 4+ hours), which can involve significant emotional concentration (for example in working with people/families/carers with life-threatening conditions , or in significant psychological distress), while sitting in a constrained position for extended periods, and also to make use of well-developed manual skills (in for example, manipulation of test materials, as well as keyboard skills,

📌 Assistant Psychologist (Oxford)
🏢 NHS Jobs
📍 Oxford