Learning Disability Nurse

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; West of England; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust in Bristol is seeking an experienced Band 6 Prison Nurse to join the integrated prison healthcare team, delivering person-centred care to adults with learning disabilities and complex needs across HMP Ashfield and HMP Leyhill.

The role requires RNLD/RMN, NMC registration and post‑registration experience in prison or secure settings, with a flexible shift pattern across two sites.

Qualifications

• RNLD/RMN qualification
• NMC registration essential
• Post‑registration experience in learning disability or mental health nursing in a prison/secure setting

Responsibilities

• Carry out specialist assessments and develop care and risk-management plans.
• Deliver therapeutic interventions to individuals and groups.
• Provide visible clinical leadership and supervise junior colleagues.
• Coordinate care with MDTs and partner agencies.
• Work across HMP Ashfield and HMP Leyhill with a defined shift pattern.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Prison healthcare experience

Risk assessment & care planning

Patient-centred care

Education

RNLD/RMN

NMC Registration

Job description

Main area Prison Nursing Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (4 days per week - 3 days at Ashfield, 1 day at Leyhill) Job ref 277-8264948-ASH

Site HMP Ashfield Town Bristol Salary £39,959 - £48,117 pa Salary period Yearly Closing 16/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

Are you an experienced Learning Disability or Mental Health Nurse looking for a rewarding role where you can make a real difference? We are seeking a motivated Band 6 Nurse to join our established prison healthcare team, providing high-quality, person-centred care to adults with learning disabilities, learning difficulties and complex needs across HMP Ashfield and HMP Leyhill.

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 patient’s 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.

This position isn’t just a job; it’s a chance to blend your clinical knowledge, personal skills and a commitment to delivering the highest standards of care in an environment that is as rewarding as it is challenging.

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

Main duties of the job

In this varied role, you will complete specialist assessments, develop and review care and risk-management plans, and deliver therapeutic interventions to individuals and groups. Working closely with multidisciplinary teams and partner agencies, you will help patients manage their health, promote wellbeing and ensure they receive coordinated, evidence-based care.

You will also provide visible clinical leadership, supporting and supervising junior colleagues, contributing to safeguarding, audit, training and service improvement. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your leadership skills while helping to shape and improve learning disability care within a prison setting.

This post is based across both HMP Ashfield and HMP Leyhill. You will be required to work 3 shifts per week at HMP Ashfield (7.30am-5.30pm) and 1 shift per week at HMP Leyhill (7.30am - 5pm).

A full driving licence and the ability to travel between sites are essential.

Working for our organisation

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 Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• The post holder will be part of skilled multidisciplinary teams comprising all healthcare staff, including strategic partners, and prison managing a single referral pathway.
• The post holder will be required to undertake training to maximise uptake of screening, health promotion and prevention activity, including vaccinations.
• The post holder will ensure a named care co-ordinator is allocated for every patient with complex needs who will ensure a proactive, evidence-based approach to clinical interventions, health promotion/prevention activity, and management of acute and long-term conditions using our stepped care approach.
• The post holder will ensure that a single, integrated, care plans developed, and the individualised care is regularly reviewed.
• The post holder will ensure that a comprehensive risk assessments and care plans are regularly reviewed in a needs-led review cycle.
• The post holder will ensure a care coordination criteria and MDT meetings for patients with complex needs will be tailored to the needs of the establishment.
• The post holder will ensure that they undertake all training in evidence-based CBT approaches, to enhance consistency and quality of care delivery
• The post holder will support patients to manage their health at every stage, from oral health to long term conditions.
• The post holder will ensure that health promotion embedded into every aspect of the service.

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 soughtfrom: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 & Qualifications

• RNLD/RMN
• NMC Registration

Experience

• Demonstratable post registration experience working with people with a learning disability to a Band 6 level
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary/multi agency team.
• Experience of Prison/Secure environments

Skills

• Experience and knowledge at providing assessment, formulating plan and delivering intervention

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.