Named Professional and Lead for Safeguarding Adults

Named Professional and Lead for Safeguarding Adults

Band 8b

Main area Safeguarding Grade Band 8b Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Service is Monday to Friday) Job ref 339-CNO4218-CB

Site Trust Headquarters Town Bristol Salary £66,582 - £77,368 pa pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 09/11/2026 23:59

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1 st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This creates an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.

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Job overview

The post holder will operate with a high level of professional autonomy, acting as the Trust’s senior safeguarding adults lead within the integrated safeguarding service . They will provide authoritative advice to senior operational leaders, the Chief Nurse, and the Executive Team on adult safeguarding, MCA/ DoLs / LPS, Prevent, and PiPOT matters.

The post holder acts as a senior escalation point across the organisation, ensuring the Trust meets statutory responsibilities under the Care Act (2014), Mental Capacity Act (2005), forthcoming Liberty Protection Safeguards, Prevent Duty (2023), and the NHSE Safeguarding Accountability & Assurance Framework (SAAF).

The post holder is accountable for independent expert decision-making in situations of high complexity, sensitivity, and organisational risk related to their specialism. This includes cases where national guidance requires interpretation for local adaptation, where significant legal implications exist, or where safeguarding decisions may affect Trust reputation, regulatory compliance, or multiagency outcomes.

Main duties of the job

Please see the attached Job Description for the full details of the role which incorporates responsibilities under the areas of:

• Clinical responsibilities,
• Leadership and management,
• Education, training and supervision,
• Communication and coordination,
• Audit, monitoring and research,
• Governance, policy and service development.

Working for our organisation

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description for full detailed information on the roll and its responsibilities and accountabilities as the Named Professional and Lead for Safeguarding Adults.

Person specification

Education and qualifications

• Registration with the NMC, HCPC, SWE or other appropriate professional regulator.
• Master's level qualification in a safeguarding field or demonstrable equivalent postgraduate specialist knowledge and experience.
• Post-registration safeguarding training.
• Evidence of advanced clinical leadership development or recognised leadership qualification.
• Teaching qualification or recognised education/facilitation training.

Knowledge skills and abilities

• Extensive specialist safeguarding knowledge relating to adults, underpinned by advanced theoretical knowledge and significant practical experience.
• Expert understanding of safeguarding adults, with up-to-date knowledge of current legislation, national guidance and best practice.
• Expert knowledge of the Care Act (2014), Mental Capacity Act (2005), Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) where applicable, the Intercollegiate Documents for Safeguarding Adults and Children, and the NHSE Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework
• Extensive knowledge of safeguarding research and its application to safeguarding adults practice.
• Ability to provide strategic leadership for safeguarding education, developing, delivering and evaluating safeguarding training across the Trust and with multi‑agency partners.
• Ability to analyse, interpret and apply research evidence to influence safeguarding practice, policy and service development.
• Demonstrates expert professional judgement in highly complex safeguarding situations
• Excellent teaching, presentation and communication skills for diverse professional audiences.
• Ability to communicate highly complex and sensitive information effectively in challenging situations.
• Advanced IT skills, including development of educational resources, audit and performance reporting.
• Expertise in evaluating training effectiveness and demonstrating organisational impact.
• Ability to develop, implement and review safeguarding policies, procedures and clinical guidance.
• Ability to establish and influence professional networks across health, social care and partner agencies.

Experience

• Significant experience leading safeguarding adults practice within health and/or social care settings.
• Experience developing, delivering and evaluating safeguarding education programmes, including induction and specialist training (e.g. Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, Domestic Abuse and PREVENT).
• Experience providing professional leadership, safeguarding supervision and management.
• Experience leading the development and implementation of safeguarding policies, procedures and clinical guidance.
• Experience leading audit, quality assurance, service evaluation and improvement programmes.
• Experience presenting complex safeguarding information and reports to Trust committees, Boards and multi‑agency partnerships.
• Active engagement in clinical and safeguarding supervision.
• Experience of providing evidence in legal proceedings and attending court.

Personal Qualities

• Demonstrates a commitment to continuing professional development and maintains professional registration.
• Adheres to professional codes of conduct and Trust policies.
• Demonstrates integrity, credibility and professional authority, acting as an expert resource for safeguarding practice.
• Embraces the Trust's values and demonstrates an attitude which respects and values patients, families, carers and colleagues while actively promoting staff wellbeing.
• Recognises the harmful effects of discrimination and inequality on health outcomes for adults and children, and actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Demonstrates resilience, strategic thinking and flexibility in leading teams and supporting organisational change.

We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.

As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.

BFT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.

If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.

The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

By applying for this post, you are agreeing to Bristol NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

IMPORTANT:

Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.

As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.

When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

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