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Job summary

Main area
Administrative and Clerical
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8c
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
277-7844864-FOR
Employer
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Bracton Centre, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Town
Dartford
Salary
£82,906 - £94,632 Per Annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
29/03/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust logo

Forensics Service Manager

NHS AfC: Band 8c

Job overview

This is your opportunity to step into a senior leadership role at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust as Service Manager for Forensics. Our medium secure and low secure services are delivered at Bracton Centre, Memorial Hospital and at community sites and have been rated outstanding by the CQC. You will be a highly visible and inspirational leader with substantial senior management experience in a health or social care setting and demonstrable experience of operational management of clinical services.

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

Main duties of the job

Provide senior strategic leadership across acute and community forensic services, ensuring high‐quality clinical practice, robust governance and effective delivery across pathways.

Build strong relationships with partners to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of Forensic Services.

Oversee operational performance , managing resources, budgets, staffing structures and risk to ensure the highest standards of safety, effectiveness and experience.

Be a visible, credible leader , supporting staff across multiple teams and fostering a culture of compassion, accountability and continuous learning.

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’re Kind
  • We’re Fair
  • We Listen
  • We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • To plan and manage human, financial and estate resources and achieve agreed targets set by the directorate.
  • To attend and contribute to management and service improvement.
  • To influence the development of the clinical governance and quality agenda.
  • To have managerial responsibility, accountability and lead service change for Forensic inpatient services
  •   To contribute pro-actively to the strategic development of the Directorate and Trust.
  •  To build effective networks and working alliances internally and externally.
  • To ensure appropriate clinical and professional leadership and advice is in place for the directly managed and associated services.
  • To provide expert advice to the Directorate, the Trust and external agencies in respect of the post holder’s area of responsibility.
  • To have the designated lead for individual strategic/operational work streams on behalf of the Directorate/Trust.
  • To be accountable for service delivery and implement key national and local requirements of the Commissioners and Directorate Business plans.
  • Work in partnership internally and externally to deliver evidence based, high quality care and treatment. Key liaisons include the South London Partnership (SLP) and constituent members.
  • To work with all the teams to take positive action with respect to diversity and ensure equity of services for all minority user groups.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Substantial senior management experience in a health (or social care) care sector with demonstrable experience of operational management of clinical services.
  • Masters Degree or equivalent

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Project management within a complex, multi-agency service system, including proactive management of change
  • Leadership of substantial service change

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Leadership of teams and delivering deadlines within resources

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareNo smoking policyAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthPride In Veterans

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Aisling Thompson
Job title
Service Director
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01322 297152
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