Psychologist

Salary: £72,000 per year

Job Title: Psychologist

Location: Newcastle

Salary: up to £72,000FTE pro rota to £36,000 per year

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 3 days per week (24 hours)

About Us

Optima Health are a UK market leader in the provision of Occupational Healthcare and wellbeing services. Our aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of the UK workforce by supporting healthy high performance in our client organisations, helping them to achieve their full potential through their people.

We deliver comprehensive services, including absence management, fitness for task assessments, health surveillance, vocational rehabilitation, and wellness programmes, as well as a full range of diagnostics and treatments

We are a forward-thinking, rapidly growing organisation who are keen to invest in people and support them to ensure their long-term career progression. We are a company who are going places and we want you to come with us!

Role Summary

The primary function of the psychologist(s) in the clients occupational health is to provide psychological perspective to an interdisciplinary setting in line with the holistic case management protocols. Mainly concerned with the psychosocial factors in the work environment, promoting the wellbeing of employees in relation to a work-life balance, workplace discrimination, health and safety issues and advising departments on strategies for the management of stress and burnout.

This job description identified occupational health areas where applied –health and industrial-organizational psychology converges with the practice of OHA’s and OHP’s thus making its contribution as an integral part of the case management outcome.

The function runs parallel to the counsellors, mental health advisor, OHA’s and OHP’s intervention from referral to case closure. Hence psychological inputs are chronologically formulated to ease the

case management process. The remits are clearly defined, and expectation is outlined to remove any professional ambiguity.

This role is mainly onsite delivery in the Northumbria geographical area but there is some flexibility for virtual delivery where agreed with our client.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• To provide psycho-education to specific groups for preventative measures (such as stress management, mindfulness techniques). These could include one off group sessions, or up to 8 designated sessions.
• To facilitate trauma support for individuals and teams following traumatic incidents.
• To work flexibly and independently, as an autonomous clinical practitioner, closely alongside the OHAs team. This is especially relevant to the triage function of psychological referrals.
• To actively support reduced waiting for psychology referrals in OHAs.
• To offer advice and consultation on staff psychological care to psychology and non-psychology colleagues, working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service’s policies and procedures.
• To support the expansion of the psychological component of Health and Wellbeing within Optima and Northumbria. This will include the development of links with Health & Well-being services in and outside the organisation to ensure preventative works address mental health and stress, and to promote health and wellbeing training events.
• To work closely with colleagues and the team in the OH department, and in this capacity to offer consultation, training and supervision to non-psychology staff when required.
• To work closely with other psychologists and non-psychology colleagues in OH & WB service, in order to be able to demonstrate a high standard of clinical skill, multidisciplinary engagement, and flexibility.
• To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research, including contribution to the annual OHAs audit plan. To enhance the psychological profile of OHWb by attending and contributing to OH meetings and external specialist interest groups.
• To deliver a culturally and ethically sensitive, equitable psychological therapy service to all minority groups regardless of race and ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, culture, religion, and disability; to include service users in the design and delivery of the service.
• Lead by example and be an inspirational role model for the Optima Health values –One Team, Take Responsibility, Deliver on our Promises, Professionalism and Excellence, Continually Learn and Develop

Experience, skills and knowledge required for the role

• HCPC registered practitioner Psychologist either as a counselling Psychologist or Clinical Psychologist

• Knowledge of OH services and experience would be advantageous
• Knowledge and experience delivering trauma interventions
• Engage with appropriate CPD in line with their profession

What We Can Offer you

• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Plenty of career progression opportunities
• Extensive induction with ongoing mentoring and support from some of the top Occupational Health professionals in the industry
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Eye care test vouchers
• Annual flu jabs
• Perkbox retail reward and discount scheme
• Car discount scheme
• Life assurance

Optima Health is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants meeting the minimum criteria for the role will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, gender or gender expression, disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief or sexual orientation.