Primary Care Service Lead - HMP High Down
CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) is a leading integrated health and justice provider serving a diverse population across Milton Keynes and beyond.
You will be a key member of the health and justice team in a secure setting, responsible for the delivery of high quality, patient‑centred primary care and chronic disease management.
Job overview
Health and Justice Services, Children and Young People Service Line provides a high quality integrated and trauma informed service for young people within the youth justice settings. The Post focuses on the Health and Justice Services within HMP High Down.
Band 8a, NHS AfC: Full time, 37.5 hours per week, permanent. Salary £61,631 – £68,623 per annum (pro rata if part‑time). Closing 17/11/2025 23:59.
Responsibilities
* Overall responsibility for line‑management, clinical, operational and performance functions. This will involve ensuring effective and efficient resource utilisation, awareness of financial impact, delivery of evidence‑based patient care and a safe service.
* With the Head of Healthcare (HoH), provide clear, visible leadership, vision and clinical expertise to enhance the service user experience.
* Implement the contracted service development and improvements, day‑to‑day service clinical performance, workforce and budget management, professional clinical leadership and clinical governance incorporating meeting service quality, patient/offender safety and care standards.
* Monitor and report on all relevant contractual targets including the DoH Prison Health Performance & Quality Indicators.
* Act as the senior nurse manager contact for primary care on all managerial and clinical matters.
* Attend Trust & prison‑led meetings as required. Effectively integrate primary care services with all other aspects of prison health services.
* Operate flexibly within a challenging healthcare environment, involving multiple providers, while being an ambassador for Healthcare & CNWL.
* Support the team in creating effective pathways of care for patients served.
* Deputise for the HoH and oversee peer healthcare service manager areas as required.
* Work within a multidisciplinary service team approach.
Working for our organisation
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust offers its staff ongoing career progression through monthly supervision, access to internal and external training opportunities and a supportive work culture.
* Benefits include health and wellbeing services, season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme and a relocation package (subject to meeting criteria).
* Employees are entitled to MyTrustBenefits, an online portal offering discounts at over 1400 retailers nationwide and free online courses on a variety of topics.
* All sites in Surrey offer free use of onsite leisure facilities and free parking.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and personal specification for the full list of roles and responsibilities.
As Primary Care Lead for the service the post holder will:
* Deliver effective leadership and direction to all staff within the Primary Care Team.
* Ensure the service is cost effective, well organised, evidence‑based and service user focused.
* Meet all targets and performance indicators agreed with the Head of Healthcare, and communicate with the Regional Operations Manager and Business & Performance Lead when a risk is identified.
* Implement service changes with measurable outcomes and agreed timescales.
* Advance innovative ideas and strategies and provide vision and inspiration to enable staff to deliver care more effectively.
* Provide specialist primary care nursing advice to GPs and other colleagues in the prison.
* Lead the realisation of daily practice within a Clinical Governance framework, setting the developmental agenda and work programme, incident and complaint management.
* Ensure the clinical management of patients in in‑patients, segregation, wings/houseblocks and other areas of the prison.
* Oversee death in custody reviews and action plans, determine standards and audit performance against those standards, manage clinical risk and address remedial actions.
* Lead the development of nursing practice in primary care and chronic disease management.
* Maintain high standards of cleanliness, safety and infection control.
* Act as a role model for staff and ensure compliance with Nursing and Midwifery Council and CNWL Trust policy.
* Maintain compliance with the Caldicott Principles, Data Protection Act, Modern Matrons Charter and nursing care standards.
* Represent the prison healthcare service and CNWL Health & Justice Service at appropriate meetings.
* Ensure operations comply with NMC, NICE, CNWL and prison standards, and provide an accountable, quality‑centric culture.
* Work in partnership with prison and other healthcare providers to ensure clear operational policies, procedures and protocols.
* Participate actively in the ACCT process and other risk management processes.
* Ensure service users’ health needs are met with equity, fairness, respect and entitlement.
* Line‑manage the Primary Care Clinical Team leads, nurses and other staff, providing monthly supervision and annual appraisals in line with Trust policy.
* Lead recruitment to fill vacant clinical posts in primary care for the Health & Justice Directorate.
* Ensure all primary care nursing staff maintain professional registration and pursue continual professional development, including phlebotomy and wound management where relevant.
* Lead the implementation of care quality standards and keep updated with national policy and legislation.
* Provide cover for the Head of Healthcare as required.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
* Professional Registration RGN – Nursing and Midwifery Council.
* Evidence of continued professional development (e.g. ANP).
* Management qualification and understanding of management theory.
Experience
* Senior nursing positions in adult healthcare services.
* High level leadership qualities with multi‑professional and multi‑agency working.
* Preparation of reports and presentations to internal/external agencies.
* Safeguarding legislation experience.
* Experience delivering nurse/AHP‑led clinics and leading their development.
Other
* Ability to understand and implement the equal opportunities policy appropriately.
* Promotion of anti‑discriminatory and anti‑racist practices.
* Ability to work in a 7‑day a week service model.
Knowledge & Skills
* Knowledge of multi‑disciplinary and multi‑agency issues in prison healthcare provision.
* Knowledge of HR processes: training, recruitment, workforce planning, budgeting, performance management, union negotiation and disciplinary action.
* Good interpersonal skills including diplomacy, negotiation and problem solving.
* Working to deadlines under pressure.
* Developing training opportunities for professional and unqualified staff.
* Engagement with service users, carers and advocates to ensure their involvement in services.
* Managing and delivering new services in rapidly changing environments.
* Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
* Influencing people positively.
* Motivating and developing others to achieve objectives.
* Building and maintaining partnerships internally and externally.
* Working as part of a senior management team.
* Managing change proactively and positively.
* Linking and networking with statutory and non‑statutory providers.
* Chairing interdisciplinary meetings.
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. Vaccination is strongly encouraged and supported when working in healthcare settings.
* Due to high response levels some vacancies may expire prior to the advertised closing date; submit your application as soon as possible.
* Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Check eligibility under the UKVI points‑based system before submitting.
* Employment contracts are subject to a 13‑week probationary period.
* Upon offer, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary to provide Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name: Verity Miles
Job title: Head of Healthcare
Email: verity.miles@nhs.net
We are a friendly team and encourage any prospective candidate to contact us with any questions and/or to book an informal visit. You can also find more information on our services and the work we do within the Health & Justice Directorate at https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/health-and-justice.
Our healthcare services work on a 7‑day week working model, ensuring patient care is always managed and maintained to the highest standards.
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