SHIP Nursing team Lead in London

Join our Sexual Health and HIV service as a SHIP (Sexual Health Intervention and Prevention) Nursing Lead – Safeguarding (Band 7) on a fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave for one year. Based at Camberwell Sexual Health Centre, you will lead a dynamic team delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. You will provide expert clinical and professional leadership, acting as a visible role model while driving excellence in safeguarding for adults, children and young people, and supporting the ongoing development of an innovative and responsive service.

In this role, you will combine advanced clinical practice with leadership, managing complex safeguarding cases and overseeing key pathways such as partner notification, risk reduction and support for vulnerable patients. You will deliver specialist sexual health and contraceptive care, including IUD fitting and removal, implant insertion and removal, and STI diagnosis and management, ensuring safe, effective and responsive care.

We are looking for an experienced, compassionate and motivated nurse with strong expertise in safeguarding, sexual health and contraception. You will bring advanced clinical skills, proven leadership experience and a passion for developing staff, helping to improve outcomes for the diverse communities we serve.

Main duties of the job

• To lead a team of Sexual Health Intervention and prevention (SHIP) nurses to deliver high standards of clinical care, provide professional and clinical leadership within the nursing teams.
• To be responsible for the clinical leadership of the SHIP within Sexual Health, demonstrating a supportive and flexible leadership approach and a proactive, responsible attitude to promote confidence in the team and the service.
• To act as a clinical role model to ensure that the nursing team provide sexual health intervention, safeguarding and prevention care that is efficient and patient focussed.
• To identify, develop, implement, coordinate and teach on an ongoing programme of education regarding Safeguarding.
• To maintain robust procedures and processes for safeguarding, partner notification, contact tracing, results management within Sexual Health and HIV services.
• To maintain robust procedures and processes for the provision of health promotion, risk management/reduction, behavioural interventions and focussed psychological support for patients attending Sexual Health and HIV Services.
• To be responsible for direct line management of delegated staff, ensure robust staff management and performance.
• To work as an expert practitioner in the field of contraception, Sexual Health and Safeguarding.

Clinical Responsibilities

• To provide advanced level, autonomous nursing care to patients with sexual health and contraceptive needs – to include diagnosis and treatment of STI’s and related conditions.
• To supply and administer medication as required via PGD or Independent prescribing as appropriate.
• To utilise advanced knowledge and skills and undertake procedures and practices such as bimanual examination, proctoscopy, contraceptive implant insertion and removal, IUD insertion and removal, cervical cytology and specialist follow up clinics.
• To develop and participate in specialist nurse delivered clinics as appropriate to the intervention and prevention needs of the service.
• To ensure that robust procedures for enhanced partner notification are implemented in practice in line with National Guidance.
• To ensure that all safeguarding patients are managed and processes are in place to support a consistent and effective active recall procedure for patients at risk of STIs, HIV, unplanned pregnancy and repeat abortion.
• To act as the team lead on adult and child safeguarding processes and to ensure clinical staff are supported in managing complex cases.
• To manage the pathway for patients newly diagnosed with HIV to ensure rapid access to services, provide support as required and to ensure robust partner notification.
• To manage and oversee the pathways for women diagnosed with STIs in pregnancy aged under 18, or if deemed to have a vulnerability, in particular ante‑natal syphilis.
• To be highly visible, accessible and approachable to staff, patients and the public to ensure that open and honest communication channels are created and sustained.
• To maintain an overview of the standards of care being delivered across defined clinical areas and instigate remedial action if necessary.
• To ensure that patients follow agreed pathways of care and are supported in safe and effective outcomes.
• To provide advice on Sexual Health and HIV issues as required both internally and externally.
• To work collaboratively and develop relationships with external agencies, particularly those working with young people and other vulnerable groups, to promote the service and facilitate patient referrals.
• To plan, develop and implement education and outreach activities in line with agreed service priorities.

Safeguarding

• To have knowledge of and adhere to local and national guidelines, policies and procedures specific to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults.
• To deputise for the departmental safeguarding lead as appropriate.
• To liaise with King's College hospitals safeguarding departments, and attend any trust or local authority safeguarding meeting as requested/required.
• To monitor the safeguarding spreadsheet and confirm that any urgent actions have been made.
• To support the Beckenham Beacon Safeguarding Meetings and have clinical oversight of the safeguarding patients.
• To support the departmental ‘all staff’ safeguarding meetings, highlight any training needs and arrange training sessions as appropriate.
• To attend case conferences for patients with safeguarding concerns as required.
• Be the named point of contact within the department for Kings College Hospital Safeguarding departments, social care departments and MASH teams.
• To manage the SHIP referrals.
• To take a lead in safeguarding audits within the department.

Leadership and Management

• Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team in line with good people management practices. Ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.
• To assist in the resolution of any conflicts within the clinical area, resolving informal complaints locally and assisting in the investigation of and response to formal complaints as required.
• To ensure that all nursing clinical and patient care is conducted in line with the NMC code of conduct and trust behaviour standards.
• Adopts an appropriate management style in accordance with changing circumstances.
• As required, to investigate accidents and incidents; identify and implement corrective action where necessary, in conjunction with the matron.
• To lead on specific service and team development projects as agreed with the matron.
• To actively participate and support the use of Adverse Incident reporting within the service.
• In conjunction with the Matron, support the clinical services to maximise resources, ensuring that the service priorities are met and kept within the allocated budget.
• To contribute to recruitment and selection of appropriate staff.
• To assist in identifying and implementing appropriate retention initiatives.
• To lead the team in the delivery and planning of a robust audit programme to improve patient care delivery.
• To develop tools to improve the quality of the service through audit.
• To act as a clinical role model, mentor and clinical supervisor for team members as required.
• To lead and support the development of clinical and management skills within the nursing team.
• To represent the Service at appropriate trust or external meetings as required.
• To assist the Matron/Charge Nurse in implementing new policies and service developments within the team.
• Ensures compliance with the Trust's Equality and Diversity Policy, supporting the delivery of the Trust's Race Equality Scheme and the Trust's duty to positively promote race equality and equality of opportunity for disabled people ensuring services are responsive to the needs of equality groups.

Education and Training

• To contribute to an assessment of own educational needs, developing and agreeing a professional development plan with the line manager.
• To support the training and mentorship of staff, students and trainees within the department.
• To keep up to date with clinical and nursing developments as required to meet NMC revalidation standards.
• To deliver training on external courses delivered by the department (e.g. STIF) and ad‑hoc training both within the Trust and outside, e.g. to primary care, as appropriate.
• In conjunction with the matron and charge nurse to ensure there is a robust and detailed process for ensuring nursing, health improvement, prevention and intervention competencies and assessment within the team.
• To act as a resource for junior staff.
• To guide and support developmental projects and advise on further resources inside and outside the Trust as appropriate.
• To promote, initiate and participate in appropriate nursing research.
• To ensure representation at local, national and international conferences.
• To support the matron on benchmark and quality audits including Observations of Care, ensuring that staff receive feedback on the results, and to implement action as directed.

Person specification

• Education and Qualifications: RN, Recognised Contraception Module, Letter of competence in Insertion and removal of Intra uterine devices (or to complete in the first 6 months in post), Letter of Competence Implant (insertion/removal of Implants), Cervical Cytology qualification and active PIN, Non Medical Prescriber.
• Experience: Substantial experience at a band 6 level or above, Extensive experience of child, young person and adult safeguarding, Extensive experience in assessment and onward referrals, Experience of line management.