Verified Skilled Worker sponsor

Assistant Psychologist

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Dartford, DA2 7AF £33,262 – £36,027 a year Fixed-Term Posted 28 August 2026 Apply by 10 September 2026

Home Office register entry: Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Dartford

Visa sponsorship

This role is listed by an employer that holds a live Home Office sponsor licence on the Skilled Worker route.

Closest occupation match: SOC 2225, Clinical psychologists. Pay for this occupation is set by national pay scales (NHS bands), so no single Home Office going rate applies.

This occupation falls under the Health and Care Worker route. Public reference figures for that route: the general salary minimum is £25,000 a year, and salaries set by national pay scales (NHS bands) at or above the relevant band rate typically meet the occupation's requirement. Individual eligibility depends on personal circumstances. These figures are public reference information, not advice or a verdict on this job.

Role description

Job summary

To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients. To provide psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist, work 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.

Main duties of the job

To support and enhance the professional psychological care of clients.

To provide psychological assessment and psychological interventions under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist, work 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.

In common with all clinical psychologists, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines.

To gain wider experience of professional psychology within the NHS over and above that provided within the principal service area where the post holder is employed.

To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.

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

Date posted

28 August 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£33,262 to £36,027 a year pa inc

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

277-8093000-FOR-B

Job locations

Bracton Centre

Dartford

DA2 7AF

United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients applying psychological theory, including neuro-psychological 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.

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, in both community and in-patient/residential settings.

To assist in the coordination and running of therapeutic groups or clinical projects.

To work with other staff to assess or support service users in residential and day service settings and contribute to multidisciplinary discussions or care guidelines as agreed with the clinical psychologist providing supervision.

To assist in the development of a psychological based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.

To create graphs or charts to collate or summarise data on individual interventions or treatment programmes.

To assist in producing visual or material or user-friendly information for interventions with clients.

Research

To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.

To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.

Communication

Liaises with other psychology members of the team and other disciplines and agencies responsible for clients care.

Management responsibilities

To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects with the service as required.

To attend meetings in which service developments are planned and discussed.

Leadership

To contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care.

All roles will involve additional responsibilities to meet the wider need of the psychological therapies team (e.g. carer involvement, Trauma Informed Care initiatives).

Person Specification

Education/ Qualifications

Essential

A lower second class (2.2) honours degree or higher in psychology. Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.

Experience

Essential

Work with people with mental health problems and/or learning disabilities and/or offenders.

Desirable

Experience of paid work in direct care provision, particularly in the care group of the specialty of this post.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

Essential

High levels of communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be emotive.
Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance.
An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems/offending behaviour or learning 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 interest in working within forensic settings with individuals with mental health problems.

Desirable

Mental Effort - Frequent concentration required when assessing clients, writing up reports and when undertaking client sessions
Emotional Effort - Contributes to therapy service working with emotionally demanding clients.

Other Requirements

Essential

An ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
Able to travel throughout the catchment area, without unnecessary delay.

Desirable

A desire to explore a career in Professional Psychology
Driving licence & car owner

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.

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.