Job summary
Assistant Psychologist, Acute Psychology Service
Are you an innovative and creative aspiring psychologist who thrives in a fast-paced environment focussed on development and change? We want you to work with us!
Elmleigh Hospital is an acute mental health inpatient Ward. We offer high quality, recovery focused care to adults with a range of mental health needs, across inpatient and crisis services. We work transdiagnostically with a range of presentations, including psychosis, trauma, and relational difficulties.
You will contribute to the implementation of the Comprehend, Cope and Connect (CCC) approach as we continue to embed this within the service. Our Assistant Psychologist will provide support to both qualified and pre-qualified psychology staff in delivering assessment, formulation and direct interventions.
A key part of the role will be in supporting the development and implementation of our group programme. With appropriate support and supervision, there will be opportunities for direct work with service users within individual and group settings, and you will contribute to the screening and prioritisation of referrals.
You will receive weekly clinical supervision from a qualified psychologist. We work closely alongside other local psychological services, offering a rich network of both qualified and pre-qualified psychologists.
The advert will close once a specified number of candidates have applied.
Please see Job description for more information.
Main duties of the job
Please see job description.
You will work directly with service users and provide support to the wider team. Your working week would include some admin duties, facilitating groups, 1-1's and audits.
About us
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.
Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.
We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.
Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence
Details
- Date posted: 22 June 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 5
- Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time
- Reference number: 348-SAC-11651
- Job locations: Elmleigh, 61a New Lane, Havant, Hampshire, PO9 2JJ, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities
Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.
We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Paid work with adults with severe and enduring mental health problems.
- Driving license and access to a vehicle for work
Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology.
- Entitlement to Graduate Membership for Chartered Membership (GBC) from the British Psychological Society
- This must be commented in your application.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance.
- To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with people who may have specific difficulties in understanding and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or highly emotionally disturbed.
- High standard of report writing.
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities.
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care.
- An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
- An ability to interact with people with mental health problems and their carers
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Assistant Psychologist - Elmleigh with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in Southampton, South East, England. It is listed as a Band 5 Healthcare support worker role. The advertised salary is £32,073 to £39,043 a year. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 28 Jun 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (22 Jun 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHS job search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
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