North Kent & County Cover
£41,856 – 47,505 pa
Permanent/Full Time
An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit a Forensic Healthcare Practitioner (FHP) within Kent Police Custody. All applicants must be a registered General Nurse or Paramedic, holding current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council or equivalent with a minimum of 3 years post registration and a competency level equivalent to 'pay band 6’ in the Health Service.
The successful applicant will be based at North Kent Custody Suite but will be required to work flexibly across all custody suites within the Kent estate, as well as at external locations including hospitals and other community settings.
As a Forensic Healthcare Practitioner, you will play a vital role in ensuring the health, safety and welfare of individuals detained in police custody. You will be responsible for making professional clinical decisions, often in complex and fast-paced environments, determining whether individuals are fit to be detained or interviewed.
The role also involves the provision of immediate care, administration of medication in line with Patient Group Directions (PGDs), and the collection of forensic samples, including venous blood.
This is a challenging yet rewarding position requiring a high degree of autonomy, professionalism, and resilience.
Essential requirements:
- Be a Registered General Nurse or Paramedic with current professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (or equivalent).
- Have a minimum of three years’ post-registration experience.
- Be working at, or demonstrate competence equivalent to, NHS Band 6 level.
- Be able to practise autonomously and make sound clinical decisions without supervision.
- Hold a certificate in phlebotomy and cannulation.
- Have a full UK manual driving licence.
Desirable experience:
- Experience in Emergency Department, acute medical, or similar clinical settings
- Knowledge or experience relating to mental health, substance misuse, or vulnerable individuals in crisis
- Experience of working in high-pressure or unpredictable environments
Key skills and attributes:
- Excellent clinical assessment and decision-making skills
- Strong problem-solving and information-gathering ability
- Ability to build rapport quickly with individuals, including those who may be distressed or confrontational
- Excellent communication skills, demonstrating tact, discretion and professionalism at all times
- Strong organisational and time management skills, with attention to detail
- Confidence in using IT systems including Microsoft Office and email
- Ability to maintain professional detachment while working compassionately in an enforcement environment
This role operates on a 24/7 shift pattern, including days, nights and weekends covering 365 days a year.
You will be required to travel across multiple locations as part of your role, including custody suites and external healthcare settings. A full manual driving license is essential.
A comprehensive induction programme will be provided to equip you with the specialist knowledge and skills required to operate effectively within a custody environment.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Chrissie Farren on 01622 653215.
Your application for this role will be shortlisted on the content you provide within the “reason for application” question, within the application form itself. CV’s, covering letters or attachments are not included in the shortlist. Within your “reason for application” answer, please refer to any experience, skills, and abilities you feel you have that will make you suitable for this role, based on the role criteria stated in the job advert or job description. Please provide as much detail as possible as insufficient content may mean you do not meet the shortlisting criteria, however, please note this question is limited to 9000 characters and this system will count spaces and blank lines as characters. This count may differ from the Microsoft Word, word count function therefore you may wish to use a different online character counter to check the characters used.
Depending on your current vetting level and security clearances, you may be required to complete additional vetting information during the recruitment process.
Kent Police and Essex Police welcomes applications regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, sex, or employment status.
Please let us know if you require extra support at any stage of the application process, or for further information regarding this position, please email us at
[email protected] stating ‘Application Support and Adjustments’ in the title of your email. Alternatively, you can call us on 01245 452833. Where appropriate we will make adjustments to the selection process, working arrangements and/or the working environment provided it is reasonable in all the circumstances to do so.
If you’re not from the UK, you must be a resident in the UK and have lived here continuously for the last three years. You must also be free from restrictions with indefinite leave to remain. If you’re from the UK, you must have lived here continuously for the last three years. This doesn’t apply to those serving abroad in the British Armed Forces.
Essential Criteria:
- Full manual driving licence
- 3-year post registration experience
- Phlebotomy & cannulation
- Demonstrate autonomous working
Desirable Criteria:
- Acute setting experience i.e., Accident & Emergency
- Relevant clinical experience
- Sound knowledge of Patient Group Directives
