Healthcare Navigator

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 our Primary Care Early Days in Custody 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.

As a Healthcare Navigator, you will play a crucial role in enhancing the experience of patients, prison staff, and patient families. Your responsibilities will include:

• 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.

• 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  (must include 1 photographic ), 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 is required. Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate in English.
  
  UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for more than six months in the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or overseas police check in English. Guidance for Police Certificate can be found at the  site along with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office information.
• Key tasks and responsibilities include enabling improved joint care between HMPSS and healthcare providers, improving risk factor identification, maintaining a visible presence in the First Night Centre, supporting induction, raising awareness of healthcare and social care options, and facilitating access to services for diverse backgrounds.
• Improve partnership working between services—particularly social care and Safer Custody teams—and improve engagement with healthcare and reduce did not attend (DNA) rates.
• Assist with improving patient choice regarding healthcare interventions and support social prescribing and Health Champions.
• Set up and run patient forums, contribute to complex case meetings, log referrals, and provide appropriate support to patients and their families/carers.
• Plan and organise work using initiative, while contributing as a team member. Maintain excellent IT skills (Microsoft…