Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 354-FH-20660-1
- Employer
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Firs
- Town
- Hellingly
- Salary
- £57,528 - £64,750 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 29/10/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Prison Liaison practitioner (Clinical)
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Come and join us
We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.
At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.
We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.
We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience.
Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page.
We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.
Job overview
We are seeking an experienced and confident advanced clinical practitioner to join our Trust and Provider Collaborative secure and forensic patient flow and bed management team. Working across Sussex, Kent and Surrey, and closely with prison healthcare services, this role will support the effective identification, clinical review and timely admission of men requiring transfer from prison to secure inpatient care. Based within secure services and working into the male prison estate, including HMP Lewes, HMP Wandsworth and HMP Elmley, the post holder will provide expert clinical advice, oversight and support to prison mental health teams and secure inpatient services. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to safe, coordinated pathways for men with complex mental health needs while working collaboratively across a specialist regional network
Main duties of the job
Based within the Forensic Healthcare Services and providing clinical support to teams in prison healthcare within male prisons and secure inpatient teams this post provides expert advanced level clinical expertise and support to men awaiting transfer to secure services from prison and the clinical teams responsible for their care. This requires the post holder to assess and review patients using advanced level clinical skills whilst in prison and in secure services in an unpredictable environment. The post holder does not provide treatment directly but provides expertise to prison based mental health services.
Working for our organisation
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, learning disability and neurodevelopmental services across diverse coastal, rural and urban communities, with strong links to partners across health, social care, probation and criminal justice. Within Forensic Health Services, you will be joining committed multidisciplinary teams and senior leaders who want the psychological professions to be visible, valued and influential in improving care. Together, we are working to strengthen reflective, compassionate and inclusive approaches for people who may present with complex mental health needs, offending histories, trauma and risk.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Five key responsibilities
- Provide advanced clinical assessment and expert advice for men referred from prison to secure mental health services.
- Coordinate timely referrals, assessments, admissions and remissions, ensuring safe transitions and compliance with the Mental Health Act.
- Maintain clinical oversight and manage risk for patients awaiting transfer, including developing crisis and behavioural support plans.
- Work collaboratively across prison healthcare, secure services and patient-flow teams throughout Kent, Surrey and Sussex to support effective care pathways and bed management.
- Lead clinical improvement and workforce development through supervision, training, audit, evaluation and the implementation of consistent standards and protocols.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Registered Nurse mental health, Registered Nurse Learning Disability Level 1 OR Registered allied health professional or social worker
- Registration with relevant professional body, NMC, HCPC or SWE
- Evidence of significant relevant professional development
Experience
Essential criteria
- Substantial evidence of recent relevant clinical Practice in Forensic Mental Health or prison healthcare
- Advanced level expert knowledge of clinical practice and multidisciplinary team working in mental health
- Experience of working with trauma informed principles of practice
- Experience of working in specialist forensic or prison mental healthcare
- Advanced decision-making skills that reflect a patient/ carer focus
- Evidence of inter-professional collaboration
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Rosalind Green
- Job title
- Associate Clinical Director
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07341737674
- Additional information
Debbie Barrington-Smith
Tel: 0300 304 2062
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