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Job summary

Main area
Offender Healthcare
Grade
Band 8b
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday)
Job ref
277-7245552-ELM
Employer
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
HMP Elmley
Town
Eastchurch, Sheerness
Salary
£64,215 - £74,293 pa inc £2000 RRP
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
29/06/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust logo

Head of Healthcare

Band 8b

Job overview

An exciting opportunity for a new Head of Healthcare at HMP Elmley has become available.

You will be responsible for leadership and operational management of the healthcare service at HMP Elmley. You will work closely with the Regional Service Manager, fellow Heads of Healthcare, the Elmley healthcare operational team and HMPPS colleagues, and you will regularly link with key stakeholders including commissioners and prison governors.

You will ensure that effective clinical governance is in place, including organising and chairing local Quality Management and LDQB meetings, and participating in regional management meetings, contract monitoring activity and financial reviews. You will be responsible for liaising with data analyst and quality management colleagues to ensure that all relevant reporting requirements are fulfilled.

You will support operational managers and team leaders to provide safe, effective, high quality care; leading and encouraging effective partnership and multidisciplinary working to provide responsive and patient-centred care.

This role is based on site at HMP Elmley.

Important Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.

Main duties of the job

  • To provide direction and co-ordination in conjunction with Prison Governors / Heads of Departments and relevant managers in shaping and implementing the future provision and quality of services provided.
  • To develop and maintain strategic oversight over healthcare services and represent Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust as a member of the Prison Senior Management Team
  • To foster and maintain effective relationships with HMPS senior management team, Governors and partner provider management and staff.
  • To exercise a high degree of personal and professional autonomy,and have the ability to plan and reach complex / critical judgments, using decision making skills that satisfy the expectations of the role. 
  • To deputise for the Prisons Services Manager as required.
  • To strategically develop, deliver, clinically audit and evaluate the Integrated Healthcare Service for the prison. This will include acute & primary care, Pandemic / Outbreak response and management, long term conditions management, enhanced assessment/diagnostic intervention services and health promotion activities in line with the NHS Plan, NICE Guidelines, public health indicators and National Service Frameworks.
  • To demonstrate and provide robust expert clinical leadership 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.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas – 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

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

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 an 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).

Management responsibilities

Operational

To be responsible for the development and delivery of an effective integrated healthcare service clinical model. 

To develop, implement and maintain the National Standards for Health Care in Prisons for the service

Ensure all clinics and consultations are delivered in a clinically effective and timely way, in line with service needs. 

Develop robust systems for the collection triage & allocation of referrals as appropriate and monitoring and auditing the quality and effectiveness of service delivery.

Management

Develop strategies designed to promote and improve health and prevent disease, working proactively and collaborating with other professionals, organisations and agencies as required.

Maximising resources to target need, including the deployment and supervision of staff. 

Delegate appropriate responsibility and authority to team members, whilst retaining overall responsibility and accountability for the service's performance & results. 

To develop and maintain an effective case management service to ensure care and continuity of treatment is maintained throughout a patient care pathway whilst detained in prison. 

To monitor and review the implementation of appropriate & effective and accredited care planning tools/ CPA for all prisoners/ patients that are subject to the process in accordance with agreed Trust Policies. 

To develop effective systems and interfaces with community and acute health services ensuring continuity of care on release or discharge. 

To actively promote and demonstrate working across professional and organisational boundaries. 

To develop and maintain close working partnerships with all services that may be involved with the care and management of offenders, (prison staff, Ministry of Justice, Trust & Directorate senior managers & relevant forums, CMHT staff, NHS Hospitals, Probation Services, CPS, Courts, GP's, community health services, Housing/Benefit services, social care, community multiagency forums etc.).

Human Resources

Responsible for day-to-day management & co-ordination of the Integrated Healthcare Team. 

Responsible for the selection recruitment and retention of appropriately skilled staff. 

To ensure systems are in place for clinical supervision to team members including annual appraisal and identification of specific service, training, and personal development needs.

Governance

Ensure the clinical policies are fair and equitable and that they support the needs of the Commissioners and offenders and are in line with Trust key performance targets and Clinical Governance Frameworks

Ensure staff compliance with all Prison and Trust clinical policies and procedures as appropriate. 

Responsible for the management of all matters relating to discipline, complaints and serious & untoward incidents and investigations as required. 

Ensure appropriately skilled & qualified staff comply with the administration and management of medications according to their responsibilities in accordance with all relevant policies, guidance, and procedures. 

Ensuring high standards of electronic record-keeping competencies and offender confidentiality in line with trust & prison policy and systems, through effective monitoring and auditing processes.

General

To liaise with other senior Trust personnel to share expertise, promote ideas and to ensure the service is working collaboratively with the Trust's other Directorates as required. 

To effectively manage and continuously monitor all budgets and physical resources within the post holder's sphere of control. 

To act as budget holder and authorised signatory for the Integrated Healthcare team.

Develop and maintain inter-disciplinary and inter-agency working with all relevant agencies and organisations. 

Undertake other duties agreed in conjunction with the Prisons Services Manager.

Communication

Liaises with Clinical Lead, multi-professional teams, HMPS staff, Trust senior directors and staff, commissioners, independent service providers, CMHTs, multi-agency protection panels, community health providers, acute services, probation service, court services, criminal justice agencies, offenders, carers and families.

 

Person specification

Eduction and Qualification

Essential criteria
  • Evidence of Leadership / Management qualification
  • Degree or equivalent experience

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Previous middle management experience in a multi-disciplinary healthcare provision environment (minimum 3yrs)
  • Experience of working within prison settings
  • Experience of managing diverse staff groups across 24hr, 7 day period
  • Experience of service implementation, development and change management

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Working knowledge of current issues/ agendas facing prison healthcare
  • Working knowledge of the criminal justice system and its application to healthcare services
  • Up-to-date knowledge of the National Offender Management Services approach to healthcare for offenders

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareNo smoking policyAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthPride In Veterans

Applicant requirements

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 for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Clare Denny
Job title
Recruitment & Retention Resourcing Officer
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07504877653
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