North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) has recently announced a collaboration with Health Education England (HEE) for the Aspiring Psychologist Programme 2023.
The scheme, a nationally-funded programme by HEE, aims to improve access to psychology training for people of all backgrounds. The trust encourages psychology graduates from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic minorities along with care leavers and first-generation graduates to apply the programme.
Through the collaboration, candidates will be offered paid work experience opportunities in a bid to support the NHS Long Term Plan aim to improve diversity within the workforce.
Graduates joining the programme at NELFT will have access to “high calibre clinical supervision and regular forums”, the trust says, adding their hope that candidates will be in a strong position to apply for a substantive role within the healthcare workforce upon completion.
NEFLT will offer successful candidates two six month placements across a variety of settings, such as:
- Adult inpatient units
- Refugee services
- Eating disorders services
- Perinatal services
- Psychosis pathway for secondary care adult mental health
- Community psychology within the mental health and wellbeing service
- Psychotherapy services
- Adolescent inpatient units
- CAMHS mental health support services
Judith Friedman, Clinical Director of Psychological Professions, said of the programme: “We provide healthcare services to communities across North East London, Essex and Kent and we are keen to ensure that our colleagues represent the diversity of service users. We acknowledge our wider responsibility to address social inequalities in healthcare and this new programme is an exciting step towards this.”
