Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Early Days in Custody Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 25 January 2026

Job summary

To ensure that new prisoners are supported with their mental health needs during their first 14 days in the prisonTo Identify the wider needs of patients, through the completion of a comprehensive mental health assessment andworking in partnership with them and wider prison services, to co-produce a written care plan that addresses their health and social care needs.

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 be responsible to take part in reception screening for new prisoners on the day of first entry into prison. This will identify immediate health, risks, and safety needs.To be able to develop initial mental health crisis plans for patients who are presenting as particularly at risk of a mental health crisis and to review as part of the nursing process.The post holder will be responsible for carrying out comprehensive mental health assessment, obtain / check collateral and review as part of secondary screening, within fourteen days for all prisoners referred.For people that decline this assessment the team an assertive outreach approach will be needed to ensure a care plan is in place for any known risks and vulnerabilities and will proactively work with the person to undertake a secondary screen at a later stage.

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

Details

Date posted

15 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£46,419 to £55,046 a year pa inc

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

277-7721114-WAND

Job locations

HMP Wandsworth

Heathfield Road Wandsworth

London

SW18 3HS


Job description

Job responsibilities

Assess, plan, implement and evaluate a plan of care in line with mental state examinations and the nursing process.

To ensure that all of those seen have relevant collateral obtained and care plan generated, alongside comprehensive communication with wider prison teams

To ensure support for those at risk of self harm

To ensure communication with community teams is contemporaneous

To ensure that there is concordance of prescription regime and identify barriers to this.

To support the wider team as is necessary.

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 photographic ID

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.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be soughtfrom:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

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).

Job description

Job responsibilities

Assess, plan, implement and evaluate a plan of care in line with mental state examinations and the nursing process.

To ensure that all of those seen have relevant collateral obtained and care plan generated, alongside comprehensive communication with wider prison teams

To ensure support for those at risk of self harm

To ensure communication with community teams is contemporaneous

To ensure that there is concordance of prescription regime and identify barriers to this.

To support the wider team as is necessary.

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 photographic ID

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.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be soughtfrom:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

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

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Mental Health Nurse with minimum of two years experience

Desirable

  • Practice Assessor or equivalent
  • Evidence of further education

Experience

Essential

  • Minimum two years experince

Desirable

  • Prison Experience
  • System One Experience

attention to detail

Essential

  • evidence of in date application form
  • NMC registration is in date
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Mental Health Nurse with minimum of two years experience

Desirable

  • Practice Assessor or equivalent
  • Evidence of further education

Experience

Essential

  • Minimum two years experince

Desirable

  • Prison Experience
  • System One Experience

attention to detail

Essential

  • evidence of in date application form
  • NMC registration is in date

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP Wandsworth

Heathfield Road Wandsworth

London

SW18 3HS


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP Wandsworth

Heathfield Road Wandsworth

London

SW18 3HS


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Mental Health Operational Manager

Angela Smith

angela.smith88@nhs.net

02085884432

Details

Date posted

15 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£46,419 to £55,046 a year pa inc

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

277-7721114-WAND

Job locations

HMP Wandsworth

Heathfield Road Wandsworth

London

SW18 3HS


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)