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Head of Healthcare
The closing date is 22 February 2026
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) is pleased to announce an opportunity to apply for the substantive post of Head of Healthcare at HMP Lowdham Grange. HMP Lowdham Grange is a Category B closed training prison for adult males, with capacity for 920 men, many serving long‑term sentences. Following its return to public sector management in 2024, the prison is undergoing significant transformation to improve safety, performance, and outcomes. This is a unique opportunity to lead healthcare in a challenging yet rewarding environment.
The Head of Healthcare at HMP Lowdham Grange will oversee all aspects of the healthcare service, including strategic, operational, and clinical leadership for all healthcare services within the prison.
We are looking for an experienced senior manager with an innovative and enthusiastic approach to service improvement and development.
The successful candidate will join the NHFT’s Specialist and Secured services senior team. You will report directly to the Assistant Director of Specialist and Secured Services. The Specialist and Secured care delivery pathway includes prison healthcare across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire prisons and a range of specialist services including SARC, Gender Identify Service and Medium Secure facilities.
Main duties of the job
The Head of Healthcare will provide strategic and operational leadership across integrated healthcare services, developing and delivering improvement plans aligned with national standards. You will oversee clinical governance, ensuring high‑quality care, effective management of incidents and reviews, and full compliance with safeguarding, infection control, and regulatory duties.
You will lead mental health and substance misuse services, including psychological therapies, crisis pathways, and harm‑reduction work, contributing to the wider establishment drug strategy. Strong workforce leadership is essential, ensuring the recruitment, development, and wellbeing of a skilled multidisciplinary team.
The role also includes responsibility for budgets, performance reporting, and delivering safe cost improvements. You will build strong partnerships with prison leadership, commissioners, and external providers to support continuity of care. Finally, you will contribute to emergency response arrangements and participate in the on‑call rota.
About us
NHFT is an award‑winning Trust recognised as an outstanding provider of health care with consistently exceptional levels of staff satisfaction. We believe in making a difference for you with you, by striving for continual innovation and a collective vision of outstanding, compassionate care. If you hold our PRIDE values of People first, respect and compassion, improving lives, dedication and equality, then the NHFT family would welcome your interest.
Job responsibilities
For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the About You Section of the document.
Person Specification
Qualification / Experience
* Registered nurse (or hold an equivalent healthcare qualification) or be an experienced manager with robust operational experience.
* Experience of working in a multidisciplinary environment.
* Experience of working within a prison environment.
* Experience of change management/improvement.
* Be able to communicate with a wide range of people, using a variety of skills, including the ability to utilise effective verbal and non‑verbal communication skills.
* Be person centered and trauma focused, working collaboratively with key partner organisations, clinicians, and other practitioners within the multi‑disciplinary team.
* Attend relevant meetings and give formal presentations when required.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust
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