Healthcare Navigator

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; Sheerness; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization is seeking a compassionate Healthcare Navigator for its Kent Prison Healthcare service at HMP Elmley. In this role, you will provide guidance and support to patients, ensuring they have access to healthcare and social services. You will work closely with healthcare providers to enhance joint care efforts and address the needs of individuals early in custody. Preferred candidates will have a relevant healthcare qualification and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse patients. This position offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on prisoner healthcare.

Benefits

NHS pension

Career development opportunities

Supportive working environment

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in healthcare or related field required.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations.
• Experience in a healthcare setting preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance to patients in healthcare settings.
• Act as a liaison between prisoners and healthcare providers.
• Support access to healthcare services for vulnerable populations.

Skills

Communication skills

Empathy

IT skills

Teamwork

Understanding of healthcare systems

Education

Relevant healthcare qualification

Job description

Join Our Team as a Healthcare Navigator at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust!

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of others? Do you have skills for providing guidance and support in healthcare settings? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you!

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

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 ourPrimary Care Early Days in Custodyteam, 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.

Responsibilities

• Providing reassurance, guidance, and signposting to health and social care services to minimize distress and risk.
• Acting as a bridge between HMPSS and healthcare providers to improve joint care.
• Offering a visible presence in the First Night Centre/Induction Wing.
• Addressing vulnerabilities associated with early days in custody, including reducing self-harm.
• Supporting access to healthcare and social care services, especially for people from diverse backgrounds or with specific needs.
• Improving partnership working between services, particularly social care and Safer Custody teams.
• Assisting with improving patient choice regarding healthcare interventions and promoting Health Champions.

Join us at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and be part of a team that truly cares about making a positive impact. Apply today and help us improve people's lives!

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

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).

Key Task and Responsibilities

• A bridge between HMPSS and healthcare providers to enable improvements in joint care.
• Improve identification of risk factors during early days in custody.
• Offer a visible presence in the First Night Centre / Induction Wing – accessible and available.
• Address vulnerabilities associated with early days in custody inclusive of reducing self-harm.
• Improve Induction into establishments.
• Create greater awareness of healthcare and social care options and the range of services available.
• Support access to those services i.e. use of PODS , application process especially for people from diverse backgrounds or with specific needs
• Improve partnership working between services – particularly social care, Safer Custody teams.
• Improve engagement rates into healthcare and reduce did not attend appointments.
• Assist with improving patient choice regarding healthcare interventions.
• Further support social prescribing and promote and manage Health Champions.
• Set up and run specific patient forums particularly relating to post ACCT.
• Input into complex case meetings.
• Be responsible for logging and making referrals
• To offer appropriate support and guidance to patients and their families/carers
• To plan / organise work using own initiative, whilst being able to work as a valuable member of a team.
• To have excellent IT skills, to include Microsoft Office, Outlook and Excel
• To undertake general office duties to support the role
• Provide coordination of and participate in relevant internal and external working groups and provide project advice, expertise and support where requested

Communication

• 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.).
• To communicate clearly and professionally in a way in which patients will be able to understand and feel supported.
• To record patient interventions on relevant electronic database systems (e.g. SystmOne and Prison Systems) and contribute to report generation, analysis and production.
• Use clinical systems for record keeping, audit and evaluation.
• Develop and implement data collection systems that will provide accurate and timely data.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients, carers and families and colleagues.
• To provide reassurance, guidance and signposting to health and social care services that will contribute to minimising distress and risk.
• Identify learning needs, plan, implement and evaluate programmes of education to meet identified need.
• Establish own support mechanisms to enable structured reflection, including supervision, development of supportive networks mentoring and coaching.
• The post holder should be physically fit for the role with the necessary keyboard and IT skills.
• Required to communicate across the health community and with patients / carers where the nature of the information given may be sensitive and could be disputed.
• The post holder should be empathetic and skilled in listening, persuasion and negotiation, and recognizes care, compassion, competency, communication, and commitment in their role.

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.

This advert closes on Monday 2 Feb 2026