Head of Healthcare

NHS; Bristol; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Head of Healthcare for HMP Bristol. This role requires proven leadership and operational management skills to ensure high-quality healthcare delivery in a challenging environment. Responsibilities include overseeing a multi-disciplinary team and ensuring effective partnerships with stakeholders. Candidates must have relevant management qualifications and experience in secure settings. This permanent full-time position offers a competitive salary and the opportunity to make a significant impact on health within the prison system.

Qualifications

• Previous middle management experience in a multi-disciplinary team delivering healthcare.
• Experience of working in a prison setting.
• Experience of service implementation, development, and change management.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage a multi-disciplinary healthcare team.
• Support the leadership team to provide high-quality care.
• Lead and chair quality management meetings.
• Implement effective clinical governance.

Skills

Leadership skills

Operational management skills

Crisis/risk resolution strategies

Negotiation skills

Conflict resolution skills

Education

Evidence of Leadership/Management Qualification

Degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Job summary

We are currently recruiting for a Head of Healthcare at HMP Bristol. This is an exciting opportunity to blend your clinical knowledge, leadership skills and commitment to delivering high standards of care in an extremely rewarding environment.

You will be responsible for the leadership and operational management of the healthcare service at HMP Bristol. You will work closely with the Regional Manager, peer Heads of Healthcare, HMP Bristol Healthcare teams, sub‑contractors, and HMPPS colleagues, and you will regularly link with key stakeholders including commissioners, prison governors and the Independent Monitoring Board.

Our healthcare team has a real impact on promoting health and well‑being for 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.

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

Main duties of the job

Within this role, you will oversee and manage a multi‑disciplinary team that includes but is not limited to primary care, substance misuse services, mental health, psychology, psychiatry, administration & GP services.

You will support the leadership team within HMP Bristol to provide safe, effective, high quality care; leading and encouraging effective partnership and multidisciplinary working to provide responsive and patient‑centred care.

You will ensure that effective clinical governance is in place, including organising and chairing local Quality Management and HMPPS Local Delivery and Quality Boards meetings, and participating in regional management meetings, contract monitoring activity and financial reviews. You will be responsible for liaising with data analyst and quality management colleagues to ensure that all relevant reporting requirements are fulfilled.

You will be required to lead and empower others and demonstrate the ability to plan and implement an innovative practice over a 24/7 healthcare service.

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: 22 December 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 8b

Salary: £64,455 to £74,896 a year p.a.

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 277-7691553-BRIS

Job locations: HMP Bristol, Bristol, BS7 8PS

Job description & responsibilities

• Provide direction and coordination in conjunction with Heads of Departments and relevant managers in shaping and implementing the future provision, quality and performance of services provided.
• The post holder will exercise a high degree of personal and professional autonomy and can plan and reach complex and critical judgments and have decision‑making skills to satisfy the expectations of the role.
• To foster and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders including HMPPS senior management team, governors, staff, NHSE commissioners and sub‑contractors.
• Deputise for the Regional Manager as required.
• To strategically develop, deliver, clinically audit and evaluate the Integrated Healthcare Service for the prison. This will include acute & primary care, long‑term conditions management, enhanced assessment and diagnostic intervention services and health promotion activities and be in line with the NHS Plan, public health indicators and National Service Frameworks.
• 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.
• Applicants will need to provide:
• Proof of right to work documentation
• Proof of ID, includes 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

• Evidence of Leadership/Management Qualification
• Degree or equivalent experience

Person Specification – Experience

• Previous middle management experience in a MDT delivering Healthcare
• Experience of working in a prison setting
• Experience of service implementation, development and change management
• Experience of managing staff across a 24 hours, 7 day period
• Facilitating the involvement of service users and carers in service implementation, planning and monitoring

Person Specification – Skills

• Clinical/Operational skills in crisis/risk resolution strategies
• Effective negotiator
• Ability to resolve conflict and build teams
• Service implementation, change management, process design and control skills

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 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

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

HMP Bristol, Bristol, BS7 8PS

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

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