Adult Safeguarding Lead
The closing date is 26 July 2026

Job summary
As Lead Nurse for Safeguarding Adults the post holder will work within Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust to ensure that comprehensive and robust arrangements are in place for safeguarding adults within our services.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will:

• Provide expert advice about Safeguarding Adults as stipulated in primary legislation, government strategy and national, regional, and local guidance, ensuring policies and procedures are in place and implemented.
• Develop and maintain processes and procedures for safeguarding adults at risk for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust ensuring that prevention of abuse and safeguarding systems are in place and constantly developed to minimise risk.
• Identify, take responsibility and ensure actions are in place to meet the health of vulnerable adults across the Trust. This will involve cross organisational and partnership working at an operational level.
• Undertake an expert clinical leadership role in relation to safeguarding adults as part of inter-agency working
• Be actively involved in the strategic planning and service developments in relation to inter-agency working for the safeguarding of adults in accordance with national and local requirements.

About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job

Details
Date posted: 13 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 15 months
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 418-NUR2331-MR
Job locations:
Bedford Hospital
Kempston road
Bedford
MK409DJ
United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical, Patient and Family Care

• Support patients and families as required during the safeguarding process
• Analyse information and provide recommendations for incorporation into clinical practice.
• Actively work with clinical teams, using specialist knowledge and experience
• Make decisions in conjunction with colleagues which directly influence patient care. Assist others in decision making.
• Gain consent for the safeguarding process, assess mental capacity and risk assess as appropriate and also when agreed as part of partnership working with the Safeguarding Referral teams (Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton).
• Responsible for ensuring the Deprivation of Liberty process is applied and clinical staff are competent and trained to manage this process.
• Support staff involved in all aspects of individual cases and in their participation in the full safeguarding process, including attending meetings and in presenting their evidence in relation to a case.
• Ensure appropriate support systems (for clinicians reporting and/or investigating instances of suspected abuse) are in place.
• Ensure the LeDer process is followed and learning is disseminated within the acute trust.

Education, training and development

• Promote adult safeguarding at all levels and with all staff groups
• Ensure the development, implementation and monitoring of a robust training programme for all staff groups
• Provide expert up to date advice, training and supervision to professionals working with adults within the hospital on issues relating to the protection and safeguarding of adults which includes the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty
• Disseminate the learning from all alerts, cases, strategy meetings, serious concerns and serious case reviews and assist in the development of actions and implementation of recommendations for the Trust through key quality and governance meetings
• Use available evidence and audit skills to evaluate, develop and improve standards of practice in relation to adult safeguarding
• Offer clinical supervision and reflective practice opportunities for staff in relation to clinical practice and adult safeguarding
• Identify own learning and development needs in line with recognised best practice

Managerial

• Ensure that the Head of Nursing for Safeguarding, Executive Chief Nurse/Director of Nursing and/or Medical Director are updated and kept informed about potential problems and options in a timely fashion.
• As Lead Nurse for Safeguarding Adults provide professional advice on safeguarding adults to other professionals within acute hospital, the police, care homes and relevant voluntary agencies as required
• Attend as appropriate adult protection strategy meetings and case conferences with health professionals
• Attend appropriate sub group meetings in association with Safeguarding Adult Boards.
• Establish and maintain effective networks with other lead safeguarding adults professionals
• Incorporate an integrated governance dimension into all safeguarding and adult protection work to include complaints and serious incidents
• Stimulate enhancements and innovation in safeguarding practice
• Plan, develop and evaluate systems to collect and analyse data in relation to safeguarding adults in the Trust
• Monitor incidents of safeguarding adults work related to the organisation and report regularly to the Trust on progress and case closures
• Produce reports including recommendations when relevant
• Take appropriate action to ensure that decisions and recommendations of individual cases are followed through
• Contribute to the delivery and monitoring of national and local safeguarding adults policies and procedures
• Produce and implement internal written policies and procedures and review at regular intervals and in relation to any new guidance
• Undertake reviews in cases of death or serious injury to an adult in collaboration with colleagues

Multi-Agency Working

• Manage and develop a robust system of liaison between the acute hospital, safeguarding referral teams within the relevant local authorities, the police, primary health and social care organisations in and with other Named Professionals for safeguarding adults to enable collaborative and effective multi- agency working to safeguard adults
• Contribute to complex enquires/allegations, which may have legal, ethical and professional implications
• Attend relevant meetings both internal and external to the organisation representing the Trust, with or on behalf of their line manager where complex multi-stranded issues may be discussed being able to communicate the Trust viewpoint and vision clearly.
• Work with multi agency colleagues to negotiate positive outcomes for patients and staff, to identify and disseminate trends and to share learning
• Interpret national policy and guidance into Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trusts strategies and policies
• Lead the implementation of recommendations from public and local enquires and ensure guidance from the Department of Health and other key sources is disseminated

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Health Professional/Registered Nurse
• Extensive Safeguarding Experience both strategic and operational
• A clinical expert either through formal qualification or extensive clinical experience pertinent to the area

Desirable

• Master's Degree or equivalent in a health related subject or working towards

Experience
Essential

• Strong Leadership Skills
• Experience in inter-agency working
• Relevant post registration experience of specialist
• Ability to build up a rapport with patients and the MDT
• Relevant, demonstrable experience in speciality area
• Ability to impart complex information to patients, relatives and carers with different levels of understanding

Desirable

• Management or leadership course (or working towards)
• Development of safeguarding pathways and processes

Skills and knowledge
Essential

• Excellent oral and written communication skills including presentations and publications
• To have proven experience of service development and change management in a complex clinical environment
• Demonstrate experience of developing policies and procedures
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, as well as across departmental, organisational professional boundaries
• Computer Literacy
• Patient centred approach
• Experience of running audit programmes
• Basic counselling skills

Desirable

• Project Management Skills

Personal Attributes
Essential

• Self-motivated and enthusiastic individual
• Able to maintain high standards of confidentiality
• Able to work autonomously as well as within a team
• Confident and assertive
• Able to communicate with people from a wide range of professional and academic backgrounds
• Open/reflective/warm
• Enthusiastic and self-aware
• Creative and flexible
• Team focussed
• Reliable, adaptable and dependable

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: Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address:
Bedford Hospital
Kempston road
Bedford
MK409DJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/working-here/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Adult Safeguarding Lead
Lucy Wilson
lucy.wilson@bedsft.nhs.uk
01234730372