Custody Healthcare Practitioner (Registered Nurse / Registered Paramedic)

Aggressive? Or suffering from a mental health crisis? Uncooperative? Or in need of an appropriate adult? Substance misuser? Or suffering from a head injury? This is where your detective skills really count.

Are you looking for a hugely rewarding challenge in a new environment? Are you ready to put your clinical knowledge to the test, whilst enhancing your independent practice?

The Met Police are seeking confident, experienced clinicians who wish to work as an integral part of the custody suite team throughout London. You will be skilled in the provision of care for acutely unwell patients and have an aptitude for managing mental health conditions.

We will introduce you to new areas of practice through a custody-focused induction and you will be able to develop skills through supported shifts.

The development programme will prepare you to take responsibility for:

• Ensuring the continuing health, safety and welfare of detainees within police custody
• Assessing and formulating tailored care plans for vulnerable people with multiple medical conditions – some of which may limit their ability to be detained and interviewed
• Providing clinical guidance for custody staff responsible for the observation of detainees
• Ensuring accurate clinical and police records
• Responding to clinical emergencies
• Collecting forensic samples to assist police in their investigations
• Commitment to improving clinical practice through education, research and innovation.

We actively support professional development with an in-house programme and access to external courses using the annual CPD funding of £1000.

Total salary will be between £55,780 to £61,876. We may be able to salary match current basic salary if within pay scale. This includes 20% shift allowance (15% during induction), location allowance of £2009 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1000. We also offer generous bonus scheme including £2,500 joining bonus after a successful 4 months induction and £2,500 bonus after one year's service.

Working pattern 2 days, 2 nights, 4 days off duty continuous rota.

Essential Criteria

You MUST be a first level registered adult nurse, mental health, children’s nurse or paramedic holding current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council / Health and Care Professions Council.

You MUST have been registered for a minimum of three years.

You WILL have a competency level equivalent to NHS Band 6 within the Health Service.

You MUST be competent in venepuncture on your first day of appointment

Children’s nurse should have experience in secure settings, such as Young Offender Institutes, Secure training centres or similar. Dual trained as an adult or mental health nurse is ideal but not essential. Children’s nurses will be expected to work with adult detainees in custody.

Further Reading

In support of your application and future interview, we recommend background reading on Police Custody as you will need to have some awareness of this during your interview. Therefore, we have suggested the following source:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/powers/custody/?view=Standard

We will not expect you to have an in-depth knowledge of any area of Police Custody or PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence Ace 1984) as you will receive full training if you are successful after interview, however, as you may be asked to apply clinical knowledge to an unfamiliar location or situation, it would be beneficial for you to gain a basic overview.

Disability Confident Statement 

The Met is committed to being an equitable (fair and impartial) and inclusive employer for disabled people, striving to have a diverse and representative workforce at all levels. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and long-term conditions, ethnic minority groups and women.

As a Disability Confident Leader, the Met has committed to making disability equality part of our everyday practice. We ensure that people with disabilities and those with long term conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.

The Met is committed to making reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process to ensure disabled applicants can perform at their best. If you need any reasonable adjustments or changes to the application and recruitment process, we ask that you include this information within your application form. All matters will be treated in strict confidence.

Please note, if you are applying for a police officer role or to become a police community support officer (PCSO) or designated detention officer (DDO), there is a minimum requirement that you must pass a job-related fitness test (JRFT) at point of entry. This does not apply to police staff roles. Find out more about police fitness standards.

Read our full disability confidence statement.