Job overview
Apprentice Clinical Associate Psychologist
Department: Psychology
Apprenticeship, Band 6 - Annex 21
Fixed-Term Contract until March
Hours: 37.5 per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
An exciting apprentice opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and committed individual to join our Clinical Health Psychology Team.
CAPs are a new addition to the Psychological workforce and support the wider NHS agenda to develop and expand the psychological provision. A CAP is a semi-autonomous psychological practitioner working under the direct supervision of an experienced and HCPC registered clinical psychologist, within their scope of practice. CAPs are scientist practitioners who utilise psychological knowledge, research, and theory to reduce psychological distress and to enhance psychological wellbeing in the clients they work with. They work with specific client groups in a range of services, acting as a resource of psychological skill and competence to a team of healthcare practitioners. They are trained to provide effective evidence-based care to National and local guidelines and will manage a caseload and take responsibility for proactive care delivery decisions, within their scope of practice and under the supervision of a clinical psychologist. They will be trained to plan, assess, implement, and evaluate programmes of care. CAPs are expected to maintain a compassionate, caring, and safe care environment.
The CAP Apprenticeship is an 18 month course, divided between work-based practice and academic teaching and study, leading to a Masters-level qualification. CAPs are trained to work with a particular service user group; at MKUH they will be trained to work adults with chronic pain. If successful in their training, on qualification, CAPs can apply for a band 6 role.
Interview date: 22.07.
Main duties of the job
The Apprenticeship programme will be delivered by our NHS approved training provider. You will take part in interactive workshops and be assigned a tutor to support you throughout the programme, as well as receiving support from the MKUH Apprentice team.
Please ensure you meet the Person Specification criteria, especially the qualifications noted. You must have physical copies of your certificates to bring to interview, if invited as these are required.
In line with Apprenticeship Funding rules, please only apply for this role if all of the below factors apply to you. If you are unsure of any of these, please email us on, highlighting the role you are applying for an what your query is.
1. You are 16 years old or over,
2. You have resided in the UK or EEA for at least the past 3 years,
3. You can produce evidence of your Maths & English GCSE (or equivalent) qualifications,
4. You will not be in full-time education at the point of starting this role,
5. You have not previously undertaken a similar or higher qualification (e.g. already have an MSC in Psychology)
This role is Fixed-term for 20 months and will be paid versus Annex 21 terms. In year 1, you will receive 70% of band 6 pay and for the remainder of the contract, receive 75% of band 6 to reflect increased competencies. For existing members of staff, Annex 30 may apply, of which pay rates may differ. To find out more, email us on
Working for our organisation
"We Care We Communicate we Collaborate We Contribute"
"We're proud to be a leader in Flexible Working and Work-Life Balance, with scores of 6.40 and 6.49 respectively - both significantly above average " (NHS Staff Survey )
You can expect a warm welcome at Milton Keynes University Hospital, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At MKUH we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:
6. Free on-site parking
7. Free tea and coffee
8. Great flexible working opportunities
9. Discounted gym membership
10. Lease car scheme
11. Generous annual leave and pension scheme
12. On site nursery (chargeable)
13. Extensive staff health and well-being programme
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital; we conduct research and teaching on site to improve the care of our patients. The hospital is undergoing significant investment, and we are proud to be rated good by the CQC. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Main duties:
14. Understand fundamentals of psychometric principles to guide the use of standardised assessment tools, using observations and measurement tools to evaluate psychological treatments and improve the quality of clinical practice.
15. Provide a range of psychological treatments working within their scope of practice, whilst the utilising supervision. Using a range of evidence-based psychological models and protocols when addressing individualised patient need and critically appraise these models and interventions to inform treatment planning and appropriate choice of treatment protocols.
Communication:
16. To communicate confidential and personal information concerning psychological needs, obtained through assessments and interventions, to referring agents and to the patient themselves.
Research and service development:
17. Participate in the delivery of audit and service improvement projects leading to the continuous enhancement and quality improvement of clinical practice.
Management:
18. Ensure personal performance meets job requirements and standards at all times, managing a caseload while undertaking their own clinical programmes of work, within their scope of practice.
Financial and physical resources:
19. Contribute to the responsible management of equipment and resources required for the ongoing provision of a high standard of psychological service to the directorate.
Admin:
20. Produce and maintain clear, legible and contemporaneous electronic patient records regarding direct and indirect patient contacts and wider working within teams adhering to Trust policy, professional and ethical standards.
Please refer to the attached Job Description for further details.