Useful links

• Leading Change, Adding Value – a framework for all nursing, midwifery and care staff, wherever you work and whatever your role.
• Better Births and Local Maternity Systems (LMS)

Tools to support workforce development in the health and justice sector

NHS England commissions health and substance misuse services in prisons, immigration removal centres, youth offender institutions and sexual assault referral centres across the UK. Investigations into deaths in custody repeatedly highlighted a lack of training as a contributing factor, along with difficulties in retaining staff in the nursing teams.

NHS England South East, with funding from Health Education England, have developed a range of tools to support nurse leaders in the retention and development of their staff. The tools are listed below:

• Nina’s Story: A short film with a poem by Ian McMillan with cartoons by Tony Husband describing the impact kind, compassionate nurses had on her recovery in HMP Bronzefield.

• Working in the Health and Justice System film: a ‘Day in the Life’, made up of a series of short films of interviews with people currently working in a variety of healthcare roles in the justice system.

• A Competence Framework for working in the Health and Justice Sector endorsed by the RCN. A web version of the competence framework for ease of access. This is also available in hard copy.

The two films enable providers of services into the criminal justice system to highlight advantages of working in the sector and demonstrate the impact nurses can have on detainees.

The competency framework was designed to support nurse leaders to create clear development pathways for existing staff and to plan for new roles such as the Nurse Associate. Access to funding streams will also be available to nurse leaders enabling them to diversify their workforce, for example through the nurse apprenticeship levy. The framework includes specific competences for:

• Working with children and young people
• Working with women in custodial settings
• Working in the criminal justice system – core competences
• Health Promotion
• Clinical Skills
• Leadership and Management
• Specialist and Advanced practice

For further information or to request a hard copy of the competence framework please contact the NHS England South East nursing team on england.nursingandqualityteamSE@nhs.net