DEMENTIA AND FRAILTY (Older People’s Mental Health)
Band 5 Assistant Psychologist
South Hub CMHT & Care Home Liaison Team 1.0 wte
Job type: Fixed-term until March 2027
Community Enablement and Recovery Team (CERT) 1.0 wte
Job type: Fixed-term 12 months
Rosemary Suite 0.6 wte
Job type: Fixed-term until March 2028
All posts based at The Juniper Centre, Moseley, Birmingham
Interviews in-person only.
Please consider the details in the Job Description and demonstrate how you meet these requirements in your application, including your supporting statement.
We are seeking enthusiastic and experienced assistant psychologists to join our Dementia & Frailty psychology team within BSMHFT, providing mental health services to the culturally and socially diverse population of Birmingham and Solihull.
We have three fixed-term vacancies available. The first post will support both our South Hub CMHT and our Care Home Liaison Team (CHLT). The CHLT provides support and interventions for care home residents experiencing a range of mental health issues, and people living with dementia (PLWD), with the aim of preventing placement breakdown and hospital admission. The second post will work within our CERT service which provides intensive community support to older people and PLWD, with the aims of admission prevention and facilitating timely ward discharges. The third post will be based within Rosemary Suite, an inpatient ward providing assessment and treatment for women mainly living with dementia.
These roles support older people experiencing mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety and psychosis, and people living with dementia. Some individuals may be highly distressed or display behaviours that can be challenging. Staff are supported by experienced psychology colleagues and a well-established multidisciplinary team with strong clinical and operational partnerships.
The post holder will contribute to direct clinical care for service users, families and carers, while promoting access to evidence-informed psychological approaches. This includes supporting the use of psychologically informed assessments, protocols, guidelines and procedures across the multidisciplinary team. Travel is frequently required for home visits and meetings, particularly within the CERT and Care Home Liaison services operating across Birmingham and Solihull.
Our services are innovative and committed to delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Staff are actively involved in quality improvement initiatives that enhance recovery, reduce restrictive practices and support the least restrictive care and discharge options. You will join a welcoming and supportive psychology service that values research, continuing professional development, high-quality supervision and training. The service regularly hosts trainee clinical psychologists and psychology students and provides opportunities for peer support and learning.
Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.
Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.
For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job descriptions and person specifications.
In your supporting statement, we ask that you dedicate 300 words describing a specific example of your work with an older person experiencing mental health difficulties or a person living with dementia. What did you learn from this experience, and how has this shaped your clinical practice? If you have not worked with older people or people living with dementia, describe another example from your clinical experience and explain how the knowledge and skills gained would apply to working with these populations.
We highly recommend you submit your application as soon as possible, this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.
