Job summary
Location:Surrey Prisons & HMP Chelmsford (hybrid: remote with regular on-site presence)
Forward Trust is a leading provider of substance misuse treatment services across custodial and community settings. We support individuals to make lasting changes, offering evidence-based clinical and psychosocial interventions to reduce harm and promote recovery.
We are now seeking a highly skilled and motivatedHead of Nursing (Custodial Services)to provide clinical and operational leadership across our services in Surrey Prisons and HMP Chelmsford.
Main duties of the job
As Head of Nursing, you will have direct clinical and management responsibility for the effective delivery of substance misuse services in custodial settings. You will:
- Provide high standards of nursing care in line with clinical needs, evidence-based practice, and Forward Trust protocols.
- Clinically supervise Band 7 Nurses and Non-Medical Prescribers (NMPs) within a custodial framework.
- Act as the clinical lead, overseeing specialist substance misuse services and advising colleagues across multiple disciplines.
- Support and participate in audit processes, ensuring services comply with professional, regulatory and legal requirements.
- Provide specialist advice and training to nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals.
- Lead and co-ordinate teams delivering psychosocial and clinical interventions, including titration, safe dispensing of medication (including controlled drugs), and clinical risk management in high-risk environments.
- Educate, mentor and develop nursing teams and students, supporting skills growth and best practice.
- Act as a role model, demonstrating exemplary leadership, professionalism, and commitment to continuous improvement.
This is a leadership role requiring flexibility, resilience, and a commitment to supporting service excellence across multiple sites.
About us
We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits -
- Flexible working
- Training and development opportunities
- Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
- Season Ticket Loan Scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Crisis Loan Scheme
- Electric Car Scheme
- 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
- Access to Blue Light Card
- 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
- Contributory Pension Scheme Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years service and up to 9% thereafter
- Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
- Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)
Job description
Job responsibilities
Forward
Trust provides direct clinical and management responsibility for the effective
operation of Substance Misuse Treatment services in their designated Prisons
and Community, which operate 365 days a year.
The
post holder will be responsible for the delivery of high standards of nursing
care to clients according to their clinical needs and in accordance with up to date
evidence based practice and relevant clinical protocols and policies. The post holder will clinically supervise B7
Nurses and NMPs working within a custodial framework.
As
the Clinical lead he/she will oversee specialist substance misuse services, and
offer specialist nursing advice on substance misuse and related issues to
colleagues and students across a variety of disciplines. The post holder will
support and participate fully in the audit process, ensuring compliance with
legal, professional and regulatory requirements for clinical delivery, and
supporting the research and development of Forward Trusts clinical excellence
across the organisation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Forward
Trust provides direct clinical and management responsibility for the effective
operation of Substance Misuse Treatment services in their designated Prisons
and Community, which operate 365 days a year.
The
post holder will be responsible for the delivery of high standards of nursing
care to clients according to their clinical needs and in accordance with up to date
evidence based practice and relevant clinical protocols and policies. The post holder will clinically supervise B7
Nurses and NMPs working within a custodial framework.
As
the Clinical lead he/she will oversee specialist substance misuse services, and
offer specialist nursing advice on substance misuse and related issues to
colleagues and students across a variety of disciplines. The post holder will
support and participate fully in the audit process, ensuring compliance with
legal, professional and regulatory requirements for clinical delivery, and
supporting the research and development of Forward Trusts clinical excellence
across the organisation.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- RMN or RGN with Current UK Registration
- Advanced Nursing Qualification at Masters level
- Non-Medical Prescribing qualification with current NMC registration or willingness to work towards.
- Qualification in Management or willingness to work towards
- Evidence of continuing personal development and post-qualification training in medicines management, nursing care, assessment and treatment of substance misuse clients
Desirable
- Diploma/Degree in Substance Misuse or equivalent or willingness to undertake.
- Mentorship in Health and Social Care
Experience
Essential
- Ability to work autonomously.
- Ability to effectively supervise and support the work of other
- Ability to engage effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
- Ability to lead and develop teams.
- Ability to provide and co-ordinate clinical and management supervision
- Ability to lead and facilitate decision-making processes
- Excellent organisational skills
- Assessment skills, including an understanding of risk assessments.
- Ability to work within a Recovery model.
- Understanding of relapse prevention model.
- Ability to work in partnership with other agencies.
- Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person.
- Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using excellent communication skills.
- Can demonstrate a positive problem solving approach with the ability to focus on key issues quickly and clearly
- Effective negotiating and influencing skills
- Flexibility to meet the needs of services as they develop
- Significant experience and understanding of the substance misuse sector.
- 7 years post-registration experience
- 2 years in Substance Misuse at minimum band 7 level
- Competence in Substance Misuse Non-Medical Prescribing and administration of medications
- Pharmacological knowledge and expertise
- Thorough understanding of psychosocial interventions and community provision.
- A thorough understanding of the requirements of providing drug and alcohol services, including addiction treatment programmes, within a prison/community setting.
- Experience of managing at a senior level for at least 2 years
- Experience of overseeing the collection, recording and collating of information, including statistical data, for audit, research and reporting purposes
- A thorough understanding of CQC audit baselines and experience of ensuring units are CQC compliant.
- A thorough understanding of relevant legislation and local/national best practice standards.
- Experience in developing and implementing service improvements
- Understanding of and sensitivity to equality and diversity issues
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- RMN or RGN with Current UK Registration
- Advanced Nursing Qualification at Masters level
- Non-Medical Prescribing qualification with current NMC registration or willingness to work towards.
- Qualification in Management or willingness to work towards
- Evidence of continuing personal development and post-qualification training in medicines management, nursing care, assessment and treatment of substance misuse clients
Desirable
- Diploma/Degree in Substance Misuse or equivalent or willingness to undertake.
- Mentorship in Health and Social Care
Experience
Essential
- Ability to work autonomously.
- Ability to effectively supervise and support the work of other
- Ability to engage effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
- Ability to lead and develop teams.
- Ability to provide and co-ordinate clinical and management supervision
- Ability to lead and facilitate decision-making processes
- Excellent organisational skills
- Assessment skills, including an understanding of risk assessments.
- Ability to work within a Recovery model.
- Understanding of relapse prevention model.
- Ability to work in partnership with other agencies.
- Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person.
- Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using excellent communication skills.
- Can demonstrate a positive problem solving approach with the ability to focus on key issues quickly and clearly
- Effective negotiating and influencing skills
- Flexibility to meet the needs of services as they develop
- Significant experience and understanding of the substance misuse sector.
- 7 years post-registration experience
- 2 years in Substance Misuse at minimum band 7 level
- Competence in Substance Misuse Non-Medical Prescribing and administration of medications
- Pharmacological knowledge and expertise
- Thorough understanding of psychosocial interventions and community provision.
- A thorough understanding of the requirements of providing drug and alcohol services, including addiction treatment programmes, within a prison/community setting.
- Experience of managing at a senior level for at least 2 years
- Experience of overseeing the collection, recording and collating of information, including statistical data, for audit, research and reporting purposes
- A thorough understanding of CQC audit baselines and experience of ensuring units are CQC compliant.
- A thorough understanding of relevant legislation and local/national best practice standards.
- Experience in developing and implementing service improvements
- Understanding of and sensitivity to equality and diversity issues
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
