Job summary
To ensure that new prisoners are supported with their mental health needs during their first 14 days in the prison. To identify the wider needs of patients, through the completion of a comprehensive mental health assessment and working in partnership with them and wider prison services, to co-produce a written care plan that addresses their health and social care needs.
Important Sponsorship Information
We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible to take part in reception screening for new prisoners on the day of first entry into prison. This will identify immediate health, risks, and safety needs. To be able to develop initial mental health crisis plans for patients who are presenting as particularly at risk of a mental health crisis and to review as part of the nursing process. The post holder will be responsible for carrying out comprehensive mental health assessment, obtain / check collateral and review as part of secondary screening, within fourteen days for all prisoners referred. For people that decline this assessment the team an assertive outreach approach will be needed to ensure a care plan is in place for any known risks and vulnerabilities and will proactively work with the person to undertake a secondary screen at a later stage.
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
Details
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £47,951 to £56,863 a year pa inc
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 277-8387982-WANDS
Closing date: 10 November 2026
Job responsibilities
- Assess, plan, implement and evaluate a plan of care in line with mental state examinations and the nursing process.
- To ensure that all of those seen have relevant collateral obtained and care plan generated, alongside comprehensive communication with wider prison teams.
- To ensure support for those at risk of self harm.
- To ensure communication with community teams is contemporaneous.
- To ensure that there is concordance of prescription regime and identify barriers to this.
- To support the wider team as is necessary.
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).
Person specification
Qualifications
- Essential: Registered Mental Health Nurse with minimum of two years experience
- Desirable: Practice Assessor or equivalent
- Desirable: Evidence of further education
Experience
- Essential: Minimum two years experience
- Desirable: Prison Experience
- Desirable: System One Experience
Attention to detail
- Essential: Evidence of in date application form
- Essential: NMC registration is in date
Employer contact details
Mental Health Operational Manager, Angela Smith, angela.smith88@nhs.net, 02085884432
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.
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. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.
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