Overview
This is a unique opportunity to be part of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and to work at one of the largest prisons in the UK. You will assist us to provide excellent primary care and substance misuse services for our population. Offenders are a challenging population group with complex healthcare needs, often with chaotic lives in the community and a history of poor engagement with community healthcare services. There are high rates of substance misuse and mental health problems, and this role offers a real chance to make a difference.
Important Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.
You will join our established team of nurses across the prison and be part of a multidisciplinary team supporting Primary Care services (including First Night in Custody screening, secondary screening, nurse clinics, long-term condition management, health promotion), Inpatient Unit, Emergency Response and Substance Misuse nursing services. You will be supported by a friendly team of healthcare staff in an environment where no two days are the same.
About the Role
We are looking for a Band 6 nurse from a wide variety of backgrounds. Experience of working with patients with substance misuse and mental health issues, or experience within a prison environment would be advantageous but is not essential, as full support and training will be provided.
Organisation
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Services include community healthcare (district nursing, speech and language therapy), care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care (psychiatry, nursing and therapies). Our multidisciplinary teams care for people of all ages and work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 staff work in hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes. We have over 125 sites in the South of England, including London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre (a medium secure unit for mental health needs). We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services, delivering care to prisons across multiple counties.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is supported by our values: We’re Kind, We’re Fair, We Listen, We Care.
Responsibilities (OB PURPOSE & KEY RESPONSIBILITIES)
* Provide specialist substance misuse care to offenders as part of an integrated multidisciplinary health service (which may include in-reach services, reception duties, resource centre services, dual diagnosis management and primary care nursing).
* Deliver a range of specialist interventions at primary and secondary care levels, including referral management, screening assessment, triage and evidence-based interventions.
* One-to-one and group-work facilitation; assertive outreach interventions; manage a mixed and challenging caseload.
* Contribute to alternatives to inpatient admission and, where necessary, assist with early discharge through substance misuse management clinical interventions and complex case management to ensure continuity of care for offenders on ordinary location.
* Perform robust assessment, screening and interventions for offenders with substance misuse concerns; ensure waiting times and interventions are delivered in a timely manner and contribute to service performance targets.
* Ensure integrated and collaborative working with other specialist services, including continuity of care and through-the-gate liaison; work with CMHTs to share information and ensure continuity of care and CPA where necessary.
* Provide comprehensive and timely reports and mental health expertise to MAPPA, police, probation services, solicitors and court liaison teams as directed.
* Provide supervision to junior staff and receive supervision as directed (line management and clinical).
* Participate in resource centre services, delivering group therapy and specialist activities under the team leader’s direction.
* Work in a psychologically minded way with offenders to achieve agreed goals and quality health outcomes.
* No direct budgetary responsibility but be aware of the financial impact of decisions.
* Build close working relationships with prison and Serco staff, including involvement in sentence planning, resettlement, safer custody and ACCT processes.
* Develop and take on a specialist lead role as appropriate and provide peer support and training in this area.
* Contribute to support, advice, consultation and training for other prison departments.
* Be part of skilled multidisciplinary teams comprising all healthcare staff and manage a single referral pathway.
* Undertake training to maximise uptake of screening, health promotion and prevention activities, including vaccinations.
* Allocate a named care coordinator for every patient with complex needs to ensure proactive, evidence-based clinical interventions, health promotion/prevention activity and management of acute and long-term conditions using a stepped care approach.
* Develop and regularly review a single, integrated care plan and conduct comprehensive risk assessments and needs-led review cycles.
* Tailor care coordination criteria and MDT meetings for patients with complex needs to the establishment’s requirements.
* Undertake training in evidence-based CBT approaches to enhance consistency and quality of care delivery.
* Support patients to manage their health at every stage, from oral health to long-term conditions; embed health promotion into all aspects of the service.
Important Information for Applicants
All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.
You will need to provide: proof of right to work, proof of ID (including 1 photographic ID), proof of address documentation. Non-UK passport holders need correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home Office share code. Address history for 5 years is required. Applicants not holding UK passports who have less than 5 years UK address history must provide an English-language Police Certificate from prior residences. UK passport holders who have lived abroad for more than six months in the last three years must provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resident in or visited. Guidance for obtaining a Police Certificate is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants. If the country is not listed, contact the relevant Embassy or High Commission. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office site has further details: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en
This advert closes on Tuesday 14 Oct 2025.
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