The closing date is 18 August 2026

Job summary
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.

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: 04 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £51,387 to £58,515 a year
PER ANNUM RECRUITMENT & RETENTION INCENTIVE INCLUDED
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 277-8202079-SWALE
Job locations: HMP Swaleside
Brabazon Road
Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey
ME12 4AX
United Kingdom

Job 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).

Person Specification
Education/Qualification
Essential

• Professional Qualification - Registered Paramedic
• Post Graduate Qualification or equivalent experience.

Experience
Essential

• Minimum of two years' experience post preceptorship
• Experience of multi-professional collaboration including working in partnership with other statutory and voluntary organisations
• Experience of setting, monitoring and evaluating standards of care

Desirable

• Experience of working within secure & prison settings
• Working knowledge of current issues/agendas facing prison/offender healthcare

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential

• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, presenting ideas with clarity in a persuasive and influential style.
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of change management and new ways of working.
• Ability to work effectively and autonomously
• Ability to lead and empower people to make decisions and to plan ahead.

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 Swaleside
Brabazon Road
Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey
ME12 4AX
United Kingdom
Employer's website: http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Recruitment and Retention Resourcing Officer
Clare Denny
claredenny@nhs.net
07504877653