About this role
Job summary
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is a leading provider of community, mental health& secure healthcare services across South-East London & custodial settings in England. Recognised as one of the Sunday Times Top 10 Best Places to Work (2023). Oxleas places strong emphasis on staff wellbeing, equity, teamwork& delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. This role based at HMP Wandsworth Inpatient Unit plays a vital role in delivering safe, effective, & compassionate mental healthcare to adults with complex mental health needs within a secure prison environment. Working as part of a skilled multidisciplinary team, you will contribute to the assessment, planning, implementation& evaluation of care, ensuring that healthcare delivered within custody is equivalent to that available in the wider NHS.
You will deliver evidence-based mental health nursing care to prisoners requiring inpatient treatment, exercising professional accountability & a high level of clinical judgement. The role requires the ability to manage complex clinical presentations, including acute mental illness, comorbid physical health needs, substance misuse& risk-related behaviours, while working within the legal, ethical, & security frameworks of a prison setting. This role will support integrated healthcare delivery, promote recovery-focused practice& contribute to service development in line with national policies, prison healthcare standards & Oxleas values: We're Kind, We're Fair, We Listen, We Care.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will exercise a high degree of personal and professional autonomy and have the ability to plan and reach complex and critical judgments and have decision making skills.
To deliver high quality clinical care within the Integrated Healthcare Service for the prison. This will include acute & primary care, long term conditions management, enhanced assessment and diagnostic intervention services and health promotion activities and be in line with the NHS Plan, public health indicators and National Service Frameworks.
To demonstrate and provide robust expert clinical skills with a sound understanding of evidence-based nursing practice to provide a pro-active approach to ensure quality and outcome driven practice on a day-to-day basis.
About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
We're Kind We're Fair We Listen We Care
Job description Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
Clinical Care
Deliver highquality, personcentred mental health nursing care within the IPU, including assessment, formulation, care planning, implementation, and review. Manage a defined caseload of patients with complex and acute mental health needs, ensuring continuity of care throughout custody and during transitions. Undertake comprehensive risk assessments and contribute to the management of risk related to selfharm, suicide, violence, vulnerability, and safeguarding. Ensure that care is delivered in line with evidencebased practice, national guidelines, and the National Standards for Health Care in Prisons. Administer medication safely and competently, including vaccinations, injections, infusions, and syringe pumps where required. Embed health promotion, disease prevention, and selfmanagement at every stage of patient contact. Care Coordination and Multidisciplinary Working
Work collaboratively with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, allied health professionals, prison staff, and external agencies to meet the holistic needs of patients. Ensure that patients with complex needs have a named care coordinator and a single, integrated care plan that is regularly reviewed. Actively participate in MDT meetings, case reviews, and care planning forums, contributing clinical expertise and professional insight. Support effective referral, triage, and allocation systems to ensure timely access to services. Professional Practice and Development
Maintain registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and practise in accordance with professional codes of conduct. Participate in mandatory training, clinical supervision, appraisal, and continuing professional development. Contribute to audit, quality improvement, and service evaluation activities. Support the development of evidencebased practice and engage with research and innovation where appropriate. Governance, Policies, and Record Keeping
Adhere to all Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust policies, prison standards, standing orders, and relevant legislation. Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential electronic clinical records in line with Trust and prison systems. Support infection prevention and control measures and comply with health and safety requirements. Uphold equality, diversity, inclusion, and human rights principles in all aspects of practice. Custodial and Security Responsibilities
Work safely and professionally within a custodial environment, recognising the unique challenges of prison healthcare. Comply with prison security procedures, including the safe handling of keys and adherence to all security instructions. Remain vigilant to risks to personal safety, patient safety, and the security of the establishment, reporting concerns and incidents appropriately. Contribute to effective risk management and incident reporting processes. Working Environment
This role requires resilience, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. The post holder must be able to work positively and effectively within a secure, sometimes challenging environment, while maintaining therapeutic boundaries and professional integrity. Values and Behaviour
All staff at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust are expected to demonstrate behaviour consistent with the Trusts values:
Were Kind treating patients, colleagues, and partners with compassion and respect. Were Fair promoting equity, transparency, and accountability. We Listen valuing feedback, concerns, and lived experience. We Care delivering safe, highquality care and supporting wellbeing. Additional Requirements
All post holders must successfully complete National Security Vetting to work in a prison setting. Staff must comply with Trust policies relating to confidentiality, safeguarding, infection control, sustainability, and professional conduct. Commitment to continuous improvement, learning, and delivering patientcentred care is essential. IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:
All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.
You will need to provide:
Proof of right to work documentation.
Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID.
Proof of address documentation
Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.
Address History:
5 years address history will be needed.
Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.
Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.
In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants.
If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Registered mental health nurse (NMC)
Desirable
Experiencing in Prison Experience in working in a high pressured environment Experience as a practice assessor
Experience Essential
Experience in working in an inpatient Unit
skill /Knowledge Essential
Ability to communicate effectively in verbal and Written with patient and staff and carer as well as the multidisciplinary team Ability to work effectively and autonomously Ability to lead and empower people to make decision and plan ahead Awareness of ACCT reviews
Desirable
Experience in working in a high pressured environment
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Address HMP Wandsworth
Heathfield Rd, London SW18 3HU
London
SW18 3HU
Employer's website http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)