Forensic Healthcare Professional - Portsmouth

PHL Group are looking for Forensic Healthcare Professionals (FHCPs) to join the team based in Portsmouth. This is an exciting role where you will work alongside police officers to assess and treat individuals who are detained in police custody. Could you determine if a detainee is suffering from a mental health condition, uncooperative, or lacking necessary diabetes medication? Are they a substance misuser or experiencing a head injury? Our FHCPs are responsible for assessing and addressing the health needs of detained individuals, as well as conducting forensic medical examinations to gather evidence for use in the criminal justice system. We invite you to contact us for an informal visit to the custody suite to see first hand how varied and challenging this role can be.

Main duties of the job

• Perform clinical assessments, identify and implement appropriate interventions, and collect forensic samples.
• Provide advice and guidance to ensure the detainees receive proper care, maintaining detailed and accurate records to safeguard their health, safety, and welfare while in police custody.

Job responsibilities

• Provide a professional, responsive and caring service to detained persons in the custody environment to support the Custody Sergeant and Custody Officers in assessing the healthcare needs of detained persons and an effective care pathway throughout their time in custody.
• Carry out forensic sampling.
• Determine an individual’s fitness to be detained, fitness to be released, fitness to be interviewed and competence to understand charge.
• Assessment of alcohol and drug intoxication and withdrawal and retrieval of blood samples under the Road Traffic Act.
• Provide advice and support to Custody Officers in determining the health care needs of detainees and the priorities of care.
• Seek telephone advice and refer cases to the Consultant FME when required.
• Effectively deliver the requirements of the forensic practitioner service following the Codes of Practice of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and locally agreed protocols.
• Abide by the NMC code of conduct, maintain professional development through training and experience, and use opportunities to promote the role of nurses in the custody setting.
• Keep accurate, complete and contemporaneous notes of work carried out, including the recording of injuries.
• Ensure all activities are logged using the systems in use.
• Participate in the collection of data for service audits and other mechanisms for achieving continuous service improvement.
• Keep up to date on current internal and external procedures and regulations.
• Develop positive working relationships with Consultant FMEs and doctors, custody staff, police officers, local healthcare providers, drug referral workers, and other organisations which can contribute to service excellence.
• Work with other members of the team to ensure that a high quality service is provided at all times.
• Work cooperatively and productively, openly exchanging information and supporting colleagues to achieve team goals.
• Assist in the training of new team members.
• Be accountable for decisions made based upon a strict interpretation of rules, regulations and procedures.
• Be a positive, committed team member, who partakes in the more light-hearted interactions with clinical and custody colleagues, in what can be a challenging environment.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse or Paramedic with a minimum of 3 years’ service.
• Full membership to either the NMC or HCPC.
• Have been continuously a resident in the UK for at least 3 years.
• A full UK driving license.
• Ability to pass an enhanced DBS check.
• Ability to pass full police vetting.

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.