Head of Healthcare - HMP Feltham B

Job Overview

LEAD HEALTHCARE IN ONE OF LONDON’S MOST COMPLEX CUSTODIAL ENVIRONMENTS

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an exceptional and resilient leader to take on the role of Head of Healthcare at HMP Feltham B.

This is a rare opportunity to lead healthcare delivery within a Category C adult male prison, shaping services for a population with complex physical health, mental health and substance misuse needs, and making a genuine difference to some of the most underserved individuals in society

The role will be fully supported by the Deputy Director HJS North and the HJS Senior management team

THE SERVICE

Healthcare at Feltham B is delivered through an integrated, patient-centred model, organised around key pathways:

• Early Days in Custody
• Planned Care
• Urgent and Emergency Care
• Release and Transfer
  
  

Services operate 7 days a week and bring together multidisciplinary teams to address health inequalities and improve outcomes for people in custody.

The role sits at the centre of a service undergoing continued transformation, with opportunities to lead innovation, improve access, and strengthen system-wide partnerships.

Main duties of the job

As Head of Healthcare, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for a large multidisciplinary service, ensuring safe, effective, high-quality care in a complex, dynamic environment.

You will:

• Lead delivery of integrated healthcare services
• Work in partnership with HMPPS, NHSE commissioners and system partners to meet commissioning priorities
• Navigate operational challenges (e.g. regime constraints, workforce pressures, demand)
• Provide visible leadership as a key member of the prison SMT
• Ensure robust governance, safety and performance, maintaining compliance with CQC standards and national frameworks
  
  

You will lead a workforce of c.60 staff and be accountable for quality, performance and budget delivery.

We are seeking a credible, confident senior leader able to operate at Band 8b level in a high-pressure environment.

You will bring:

• Significant senior leadership experience (Band 8a+)
• Proven ability to lead MDTs in complex services
• Strong clinical governance, quality and risk management experience
• A track record of service improvement, performance delivery and workforce leadership
• Experience in custodial/secure or similarly complex environments (desirable)
• Resilience, operational grip and strong partnership/influencing skills
• A commitment to reducing health inequalities and improving outcomes
  
  

Working for our organisation

CNWL is a leading provider of healthcare in secure environments, delivering services across prisons, secure schools and custodial settings.

We are committed to high-quality, patient-centred care, strong leadership and staff development, and continuous innovation in complex environments.

This role offers:

• A high-profile leadership position with system influence
• Opportunities to shape and transform services
• Support from an experienced HJS senior leadership team
• Access to leadership development and career progression
  
  

CNWL supports staff through:

• Regular supervision and annual appraisal/personal development planning
• Internal and external training opportunities
• Preceptorship programmes and revalidation support
• Staff recognition schemes, inc Hidden Gem and annual awards
• Health and wellbeing services
  
  

Additional benefits include:

• Season ticket loans and Cycle to Work scheme
• Relocation package (subject to criteria)
• MyTrustBenefits portal offering 1,400+ retail discounts and free online learning
• Free onsite leisure facilities and parking at prison sites
  
  

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

• STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
• Lead the overall planning, development and delivery of healthcare services at HMP Feltham B
• Implement Trust and national strategies, ensuring alignment with commissioning priorities
• Drive continuous service improvement and innovation
• SERVICE DELIVERY & OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
• Ensure delivery of integrated healthcare services across:
• Primary care
• Mental health
• Substance misuse
• Urgent and emergency care
• Long-term conditions
• Maintain safe, effective and responsive services within a secure custodial environment.
• PARTNERSHIP & SYSTEM WORKING
• Work in partnership with:
• Prison Governor and HMPPS
• NHSE commissioners
• Internal and external stakeholders
• Act as the senior healthcare lead within prison SMT structures
• QUALITY, SAFETY & GOVERNANCE
• Ensure robust clinical governance and compliance with CQC and regulatory standards
• Lead on:
• Incident management (e.g. Datix)
• Complaints and serious incidents
• Continuous quality improvement
• Provide assurance on quality, safety and performance to the Trust and commissioners
• RISK & INCIDENT LEADERSHIP
• Provide senior oversight of:
• Operational risk
• Violence, self-harm and emergency incidents
• Ensure effective investigation, learning and risk mitigation processes
• WORKFORCE LEADERSHIP
• Lead and manage a multi-disciplinary workforce (~60 staff)
• Ensure:
• Safe staffing levels and skill mix
• Recruitment and retention
• Staff wellbeing, supervision and performance management
• FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
• Hold responsibility for the healthcare budget
• Deliver financial control, performance and Cost Improvement Programmes (CIPs)
• Contribute to business planning and service development
• COMMISSIONING & SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
• Work with NHSE to support:
• Service redesign and transformation
• Contract delivery and performance monitoring
• Contribute to business cases, tenders and innovation
• HEALTH INEQUALITIES & PATIENT EXPERIENCE
• Lead initiatives to:
• Improve access to care
• Reduce health inequalities
• Enhance patient experience
• Ensure patient involvement informs service development
• PROFESSIONAL & CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITIES
• Provide professional leadership (aligned to clinical background)
• Support research, audit and evidence-based practice
• Comply with Trust policies (e.g. IPC, H&S, Information Governance)
• Participate in on-call arrangements as required
  
  

Person specification

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics

Essential criteria

• Resilient, adaptable and emotionally intelligent
• Committed to high standards, integrity and openness
• Values equality, diversity and inclusion
• Demonstrates strong personal accountability and professionalism
• Knows own strengths and weaknesses and empowers others to ensure goals are achieved; adopts a `can do’ approach
  
  

Skills and Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and develop high performing teams
• Ability to lead effectively in high pressure, complex environments
• Excellent strategic thinking and decision-making capability
• Strong communication, negotiation and influencing skills
• Ability to manage risk, ambiguity and competing priorities
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and drive improvement
• Understanding of national and local healthcare policy and its application
• Ability to build and maintain effective partnerships across organisations
• Encourages rigour and provides critical challenge in determining outcomes; Presents data and conclusions in a logical and defensible way and undertakes robust risk and impact management ; seeks others’ views to test own thinking
• Sensitive to complex political and organisational issues; weighs up available information and applies sound and timely judgement; considers consequences; impacts and implications; decisive in times of change, challenge and ambiguity
• Builds rapport through consistent, confident and open communication style; routinely checks for understanding to test receipt of messages; energises, convinces and persuades; encourages honesty of message
• Ability to organise workload, adjust priorities in line with Trust, Division and service line needs and meet set deadlines consistently.
• Ability to effectively delegate to senior managers to ensure personal workload is manageable.
• Awareness of, and works collaboratively with key decision makers in area of operation; promotes partnership and collaborative working within teams; demonstrates the ability to seek out and harness the views and contributions of others
• Champions measurable achievement of outcomes; makes best use of diverse talent, capabilities and technologies to achieve optimum results; recognises and recovers under delivery; negotiates the prioritisation of work targets and resources
• Understands external context at national and local level; translates context and purpose to enable teams to see their contribution; encourages teams to consider innovative approaches and review applicability to working environment
• Excellent presentation skills
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Understanding of NHSE commissioning arrangements
  
  

Previous Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant experience in a senior healthcare management role
• Experience of working in a custodial, secure or similarly complex healthcare environment
• Experience of managing complex, multi-disciplinary teams including senior staff
• Proven experience of delivering service improvement or performance recovery
• Experience of working within and responding to regulatory frameworks (e.g. CQC, HMIP)
• Proven experience of delivering service improvement or performance recovery in complex environments
• Proven experience and achievement in managing a multi-disciplinary team including senior managers and clinicians
• Experience of partnership working across multi-agency systems
• Experience of financial management and budget responsibility
• Experience of clinical governance, risk and quality management systems
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience in prison healthcare
• Experience working across multi-agency systems (HMPPS, social care, community services)
• Experience of contract management or service redesign
  
  

Education and Criteria

Essential criteria

• Registered Nurse or any other professional qualification with at least post registration experience
• Educated to degree level or above or equivalent.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Postgraduate qualification in management or leadership