South West Prisons Transfer Coordinator

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
South West Prisons Transfer Coordinator

The closing date is 23 November 2026

Job summary
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Prisons Transfer Coordinator to join our Forensic and Offender Healthcare Directorate. This Band 7 role is responsible for coordinating safe, effective and timely mental health transfers for people in prison who require admission to external NHS or independent inpatient services. The post will be based at HMP Bristol, with regular support and travel required to HMP Exeter. These are the two remand prisons in the South West with the highest volume of mental health transfers and will form the main focus of the role. The postholder will also be expected to travel to and support other prisons across the South West with mental health transfers on a case-by-case basis, although transfer numbers at these establishments are significantly lower. You will work closely with prison healthcare teams, inpatient providers, commissioners, the Ministry of Justice and other partner agencies to support transfers within national timescales and ensure continuity of care throughout each person's pathway.

Main duties of the job
The postholder will coordinate referrals, assessments, admissions and remissions for people requiring transfer under Part 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Acting as the key link between prison clinical teams and external providers, you will track each referral, identify and escalate delays, support resolution of disputed transfers and help ensure admissions are completed within the national 14-day transfer target. You will maintain accurate records and transfer data, provide specialist clinical advice, attend relevant reviews and forums, and support safe care planning when patients return to prison. Working primarily across HMP Bristol and HMP Exeter, you will build effective relationships with healthcare teams, secure services, commissioners, the Ministry of Justice and other statutory and independent partners. The role also involves supporting service development, producing reports and activity information, sharing best practice, contributing to staff development and providing professional leadership within a challenging custodial environment.

Important Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post. "Previous applicants need not apply".

About us
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

Details
Date posted: 09 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year pa
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 277-8305634-BRIS-A
Job locations: HMP Bristol, Bristol, BS7 8PS, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
As Prisons Transfer Coordinator, you will case-manage individuals identified as requiring transfer to an external mental health inpatient service and ensure that referrals are complete, accurate and progressed without avoidable delay. You will coordinate medical and nursing assessments, liaise with providers regarding bed availability and clinical suitability, support funding and Ministry of Justice processes, and maintain oversight of each case from referral through to admission and, where appropriate, remission to prison. You will provide high-quality clinical advice and prepare reports for secure mental health services, psychiatric intensive care units, commissioners and other partner organisations. The role requires a strong working knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983, particularly Part 3, the Care Programme Approach, confidentiality, safeguarding and the legislative framework governing the care and treatment of people in prison. You will develop and maintain effective communication with multidisciplinary prison healthcare teams, NHS and independent inpatient providers, the Prison Service, commissioners and statutory agencies. You will attend or chair case conferences, clinical reviews and other relevant forums, promote integrated and person-centred care, and ensure that clinical information is recorded accurately and promptly on relevant systems. The postholder will also contribute to service improvement across South West prisons, develop safe transfer processes and protocols, provide teaching on prison mental health transfers, share learning and examples of good practice, and supply timely activity data and reports. You will be expected to work independently, manage competing priorities and use sound professional judgement when resolving complex transfer issues.

Applicants must be registered mental health nurses with relevant post-registration experience, including experience of multidisciplinary working and prison or secure mental healthcare. Strong communication, organisation, leadership, negotiation and problem-solving skills are essential. A valid driving licence and the ability to travel are required, as the post is based at HMP Bristol, requires regular travel to HMP Exeter, and may involve travel to any South West prison where specialist support with a mental health transfer is needed.

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:

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 (

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Mental Health Nurse with current NMC registration
• Educated to master's level or able to demonstrate equivalent relevant experience

Experience
Essential

• Minimum of two years' post-registration experience
• Experience of prison mental healthcare and working within prison or secure environments
• In-depth knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983, particularly Part 3, and the criminal justice/secure services sector

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential

• Evidence of coordinating complex mental health referrals, transfers or care pathways across multiple agencies.
• Evidence of prioritising and managing a varied caseload while working to strict timescales.
• Evidence of communicating complex or sensitive information effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here: Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see the NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Address: HMP Bristol, Bristol, BS7 8PS, United Kingdom
Employer's website:

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Mental Health Clinical Lead - HMP Bristol, Katie Ody, View email address on meeveem.com

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