Deputy Head of Healthcare

Main area Offender Healthcare Grade Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday 8am till 4pm) Job ref 277-8390117-WANDS

Site HMP Wandsworth Town London Salary £66,274 - £73,496 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 10/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

An exciting opportunity for a Deputy Head of Healthcare at HMP Wandsworth has become available to work alongside the Head of Healthcare and Senior Management Team.

The post holder will support the Head of Healthcare to ensure the effective day-to-day operational management of all clinical services across the prison and deputise for them in their absence

You will be accountable and manage a multi-disciplinary team that includes leading the mental health, primary care, substance misuse nursing, pharmacy and administration services, and work closely with partners to ensure the smooth running of all other services (GP services, optometry, podiatry, physiotherapy, dentistry, sexual health, drug & alcohol & IAPT services to the establishment).

The post holder will need to act up in the absence of the Head of Healthcare and needs to be flexible and willing to cross cover areas depending on service needs.

This role is based on site at HMP Wandsworth

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

Main duties of the job

The post holder will exercise a high degree of personal and professional autonomy and plan to reach complex and critical judgments and have decision making skills to satisfy the expectations of the role.

To strategically innovate, deliver, clinically audit, and evaluate the Integrated Healthcare Service for the prison. This will include leadership , alongside the Head of Healthcare, and oversight of acute & primary care, long term conditions management, substance misuse services, enhanced assessment and diagnostic intervention services and health promotion activities and be in line with the NHS Plan, public health indicators and National Service Frameworks.

To establish and provide robust expert nursing clinical leadership to the healthcare team with a sound understanding of models of care and evidence-based practice to provide a pro-active approach to ensure quality, trauma informed, and outcome driven services on a day-to-day basis.

Working for our organisation

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 Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• The post holder will exercise a high degree of personal and professional autonomy and plan to reach complex and critical judgments and have decision making skills to satisfy the expectations of the role.
• To strategically innovate, deliver, clinically audit, and evaluate the Integrated Healthcare Service for the prison. This will include leadership , alongside the Head of Healthcare, and oversight of acute & primary care, long term conditions management, substance misuse services, enhanced assessment and diagnostic intervention services and health promotion activities and be in line with the NHS Plan, public health indicators and National Service Frameworks.
• To establish and provide robust expert nursing clinical leadership to the healthcare team with a sound understanding of models of care and evidence-based practice to provide a pro-active approach to ensure quality, trauma informed, and outcome driven services on a day-to-day basis.
• To ensure monitoring systems are in place, to promote the development of evidence-based practice in this specialist field and to promote research as appropriate.
• To be responsible for the development of and participation in managerial and professional clinical supervision programme for the healthcare team and to deputise for the Head of Healthcare to ensure all staff receive appropriate supervision, training, and annual appraisal and to ensure that it becomes an integral part of team practice.
• To implement effective and appropriate patient centred care planning tools and a trauma informed model of delivery and integrated services within the establishment.
• The post holder will work as an integral part of the Senior Leadership Team, deputising for the Head of Healthcare and working collaboratively with other Clinical Lead within the service, GPs, psychiatrists, and other clinicians to maintain and review service needs as required.
• The post holder will be part of skilled multidisciplinary teams comprising all healthcare staff, including strategic partners, and prison managing a single referral pathway.
• The post holder will be required to undertake ongoing training to continual improve health provisions and our trauma informed approach.
• The post holder will ensure a named care co-ordinator is allocated for every patient with complex needs who will ensure a proactive, evidence-based approach to clinical interventions including, health promotion/prevention activity, and management of acute and long-term conditions.
• The post holder will ensure that a single, integrated, care plans developed, and the individualised care is regularly reviewed.
• The post holder will ensure that a comprehensive risk assessments and care plans are regularly reviewed in a needs-led review cycle

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 photographicID

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.

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

Educaion/Qulifications

• Professional Qualification (Registered General Nurse, Paramedic, AHP)
• Evidence of Leadership/ Management qualification
• Degree or equivalent experience

Experience

• Previous middle management experience in multi-disciplinary environment delivering healthcare (min 3yrs).
• Experience of working within prison settings and/or settings within complex caseloads
• Experience of managing staff across 24hr, 7-day period.
• Experience of service implementation, development and change management.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

• Working knowledge of current issues/ agendas facing prison healthcare.
• Knowledge of Models of Care for Healthcare within Secure environments.
• Knowledge of Substance Use Services within Secure environments.
• Working knowledge of the criminal justice system and its application to healthcare services.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

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