Offender Healthcare Paramedic

Job overview

As part of the Kent Prison Healthcare contract awarded to Oxleas NHS trust in 2022, we are able to expand recruitment and are looking to recruit a compassionate, knowledgeable and motivated Offender Healthcare Paramedic to join our friendly team at HMP Swaleside.

Our healthcare team have a real impact on promoting health and well-being to those in prison and we pride ourselves on using skills and strategies that instil hope for patients future resettlement back into the community. We directly deliver Mental Health, Physical Health, Pharmacy and Clinical Substance Misuse in an integrated healthcare delivery model to provide effective and responsive care to improve wellbeing and support better outcomes in the future.

As part of our primary care team, you will enjoy all the benefits of NHS AfC employment (inc pension) with the opportunity to work within a forward-thinking service, who encourage career and personal development to all staff to increase their clinical and interpersonal skills.

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

Main duties of the job

As an expert practitioner and source of expert advice to clinicians, allied health professionals, offenders and the prison staff, you will provide specialist paramedic interventions to patients and support to junior colleagues. Assisting and supporting the Operational Manager to lead a nurse-led integrated primary care service, developing a specialist practice-based clinical model of care.

This role requires individuals who are driven, ambitious and passionate about the provision of high quality, safe and effective care to offenders with a desire to influence and work in close partnership with clinical and managerial staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Operational

• To respond to all medical emergencies as they arise within the prison.
• To support the delivery of an effective integrated healthcare service clinical model.
• To manage a small clinical caseload.
• To carry out effective triage of patients presenting with minor ailments.
• To provide paramedic interventions within scope of practice.
• To support the development, implement and maintenance the National Standards for Health Care in Prisons for the service.
• Ensure all clinics and consultations are delivered in a clinically effective and timely way, in line with service needs.
• Maintain systems for the collection of triage & allocation of referrals as appropriate and monitoring and supporting the auditing of quality and effectiveness of service delivery.
• To be able to give intravenous injections, immunisations and syringe pumps and infusions as necessary for the role of co-ordinating complex prisoners.

Management responsibilities

• Implement the strategies designed to promote and improve health and prevent disease, working proactively and collaborating with other professionals, organisations and agencies as required
• Maximising resources to target need, including the supervision of staff.
• Delegate appropriate responsibility and authority to team members, whilst retaining overall responsibility and accountability on a shift-to-shift basis.
• To maintain an effective case management service to ensure care and continuity of treatment is maintained throughout a patient care pathway whilst detained in prison.
• To implement appropriate & effective and accredited care planning tools that are subject to the process in accordance with agreed Trust Policies.
• To implement effective systems and interfaces with community and acute health services ensuring continuity of care on release or discharge. To actively promote and demonstrate working across professional and organisational boundaries.
• To maintain close working partnerships with all services that may be involved with the care and management of offenders, (prison staff, Ministry of Justice, Trust & Directorate senior managers & relevant forums, CMHT staff, NHS Hospitals, Probation Services, CPS, Courts, GP's, community health services, Housing/Benefit services, social care, community multi­ agency forums etc.).

Human Resources

• Responsible for day-to-day co-ordination of the Integrated Healthcare Team.
• To ensure systems are in place for clinical supervision to junior team members including annual appraisal and identification of specific service, training, and personal development needs.

Governance

• Ensure junior staff compliance with all Prison and Trust clinical policies and procedures as appropriate.
• Ensure appropriately skilled & qualified staff comply with the administration and management of medications according to their responsibilities in accordance with all relevant policies, guidance, and procedures.
• Ensuring high standards of electronic record-keeping competencies and offender confidentiality in line with trust & prison policy and systems, through effective monitoring and auditing processes.

General

• To liaise with other senior Trust personnel to share expertise, promote ideas and to ensure the service is working collaboratively with the Trust's other Directorates as required.
• To work positively and effectively in a difficult and often hostile environment.
• Be aware of environmental hazards in the working area; ensure staffs are aware of relevant health & safety policies deriving from the Health & Safety at Work Act.
• To work in accordance with Trust policies and guidelines
• To be familiar with Prison Standards, Standing Orders, Circular instructions, Notices to Staff, Health and Safety and all other relevant material to function as an informed practitioner within a prison setting.
• Promote equality of opportunity and provide an environment in which the dignity of individuals is respected and free from workplace harassment and bullying.

Communication

• Develop and maintain inter-disciplinary and inter-agency working with all relevant agencies and organisations
• Develop and maintain close working partnerships with HMPS, Prison Governors and Heads of Prison Services, Forensic Services, Probation Services, Crown Prosecution Service, Police and all other non-statutory agencies that are integral to prisoner/patient care and offender management.
• Undertake other duties agreed in conjunction with the Integrated Primary Healthcare Services.

Custodial Responsibilities

• Assume personal responsibility for the security of issued keys.
• Understand and comply with prison orders, procedures, and instructions in your area of work.
• Comply with all security requirements.
• Respond to any situation or circumstance that might indicate a threat to security of the establishment or to the safety of an individual, completing Incident, Security, Injury, or other reports as appropriate.
• Report breaches of order and discipline including reporting and recording untoward incidents according to local protocol.
• Contribute to effective risk assessment and management procedures.

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 sought from: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).

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.