Job summary
The postholder will work as an Approved Clinician (AC) and supervise service-users in the community who are subject to Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) or have been conditionally discharged. They will also act as Supervising Consultant for service-users not under any legal framework and serve as a Consultant Practitioner in their core discipline, undertaking relevant duties as required by the service.
This role requires a registered mental health nurse with extensive experience working with detained patients, capable of managing, leading, and motivating multi-disciplinary acute inpatient teams. The postholder will set the direction for therapeutic assessment, treatment, and strategies for all patients under their care.
Main duties of the job
- Act as Responsible Clinician (RC) for a complex caseload of service-users.
- Provide evidence-based treatment pathways for mental health, personality disorders, offending behaviours, and learning disabilities.
- Lead formulation, diagnosis, and treatment planning using multi-disciplinary expertise.
- Deliver statutory reports and present evidence at tribunals and hearings.
- Provide clinical leadership across disciplines including nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, and psychiatry.
- Ensure clinical supervision and support for team members.
- Lead on risk assessment and management, including specialist tools.
- Promote equitable and accessible services for diverse communities.
- Contribute to policy development, service improvement, and strategic planning.
- Support training, supervision, and development of staff and trainee ACs.
- Maintain high standards of clinical record keeping and information governance.
- Lead and participate in research, audit, and service evaluation.
About us
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're Kind
- We're Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Clinical Care: Deliver high-quality RC care, oversee treatment plans, and ensure effective therapeutic interventions.
- Leadership: Lead multi-disciplinary teams, supervise staff, and contribute to strategic service development.
- Governance & Policy: Ensure compliance with clinical governance, contribute to policy implementation, and lead service development initiatives.
- Training & Development: Provide specialist teaching, supervision, and placements for trainee ACs.
- Risk & Legal Compliance: Apply mental health legislation, complete statutory documentation, and manage clinical risk.
- Communication: Effectively communicate complex information to service-users, carers, and professionals.
- Equality & Inclusion: Promote diversity, challenge discrimination, and ensure culturally competent care.
- Resource Management: Advise on resource use, monitor budgets, and support efficient service delivery.
- Professional Standards: Maintain CPD, uphold ethical standards, and support professional development of others.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Clinical Care: Deliver high-quality RC care, oversee treatment plans, and ensure effective therapeutic interventions.
- Leadership: Lead multi-disciplinary teams, supervise staff, and contribute to strategic service development.
- Governance & Policy: Ensure compliance with clinical governance, contribute to policy implementation, and lead service development initiatives.
- Training & Development: Provide specialist teaching, supervision, and placements for trainee ACs.
- Risk & Legal Compliance: Apply mental health legislation, complete statutory documentation, and manage clinical risk.
- Communication: Effectively communicate complex information to service-users, carers, and professionals.
- Equality & Inclusion: Promote diversity, challenge discrimination, and ensure culturally competent care.
- Resource Management: Advise on resource use, monitor budgets, and support efficient service delivery.
- Professional Standards: Maintain CPD, uphold ethical standards, and support professional development of others.
Person Specification
TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
- Relevant professional qualification and registration ( NMC)
- Educated to a minimum of Masters level for nurses in clinical Masters e.g. ACP
- Independent prescriber Approved Clinician Status
Desirable
- Formal post-graduate training in mental health law.
- Formal leadership training.
EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Substantial assessed experience of working as an autonomous practitioner at Consultant and Advanced Clinical Practitioner level
- Demonstrate clinical professional experience at a senior level between a range of services
- Minimum of 5 years post professional qualifying clinical experience in their current profession at a senior position
Desirable
- Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified professionals.
- Experience of the application of core profession in different cultural contexts.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Essential
- Highly advanced knowledge and skills of your professional discipline and an advanced understanding of mental health related treatments including physical, psychological and social interventions and of different evidence-based approaches and their applicability.
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised assessment and interventions in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities and severely challenging behaviours etc.)
- Ability to formulate, review appropriately and lead on treatment in relation to which clinician is appropriately qualified, including skills in the use of complex methods relevant to professional discipline and wider management of care frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
Desirable
- Understanding and recognition of the limits of the person's own skills and an ability to seek professional views from others to inform a decision, for example, through peer review and appraisal
Person Specification
TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
- Relevant professional qualification and registration ( NMC)
- Educated to a minimum of Masters level for nurses in clinical Masters e.g. ACP
- Independent prescriber Approved Clinician Status
Desirable
- Formal post-graduate training in mental health law.
- Formal leadership training.
EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Substantial assessed experience of working as an autonomous practitioner at Consultant and Advanced Clinical Practitioner level
- Demonstrate clinical professional experience at a senior level between a range of services
- Minimum of 5 years post professional qualifying clinical experience in their current profession at a senior position
Desirable
- Experience of professional management of qualified and pre-qualified professionals.
- Experience of the application of core profession in different cultural contexts.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Essential
- Highly advanced knowledge and skills of your professional discipline and an advanced understanding of mental health related treatments including physical, psychological and social interventions and of different evidence-based approaches and their applicability.
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised assessment and interventions in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities and severely challenging behaviours etc.)
- Ability to formulate, review appropriately and lead on treatment in relation to which clinician is appropriately qualified, including skills in the use of complex methods relevant to professional discipline and wider management of care frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
Desirable
- Understanding and recognition of the limits of the person's own skills and an ability to seek professional views from others to inform a decision, for example, through peer review and appraisal
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
