Substance Misuse Band 5 Nurse - HMP Highdown

Location: Surrey

Salary: £29,970 - £36,483 per annum (DOE)

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time  

Closing Date: 05 Jan 2026

About The Role

Are you a compassionate, motivated nurse looking to broaden your skills in a dynamic and rewarding environment?

At The Forward Trust, we’re recruiting Band 5 Substance Misuse Nurses across HMP Chelmsford (Essex), HMP Send (Woking, Surrey) and HMP Bronzefield (Ashford, Surrey).

This permanent role can be full-time or part-time, offering flexible working. You’ll support individuals on their recovery journey while developing specialist clinical skills in a secure, fast-paced setting.

You’ll deliver nurse-led clinical and psychosocial interventions to individuals with substance misuse needs. Working within a prison setting offers variety, challenge, and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to health, recovery, and wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities

• Complete assessments and develop tailored care plans
• Administer and monitor medication-assisted treatments
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and prison staff
• Provide health promotion and recovery-focused guidance
• Keep accurate, compliant clinical records
• Identify and manage safeguarding and risk concerns

Person Specification

We’re looking for someone who has:

• Registered Nurse (RN) status with a valid NMC PIN
• At least 1-year post-registration experience
• Experience or a strong interest in substance misuse care
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills
• Experience in prison or secure settings – Desirable
• Knowledge of substance misuse protocols and harm reduction - Desirable
• Additional training in mental health or substance misuse - Desirable

If you’re ready to use your nursing skills where they can create real change, we’d love to hear from you. Apply today and join a team committed to recovery, growth, and positive outcomes.

Please Note: Interviews for this role will commence 2nd week of Jan 2026 

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits - 

• Flexible working
• Training and development opportunities
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme 
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays 
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter 
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary) 
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please proceed through the following link to be redirected to their website to complete your application.

https://careers.forwardtrust.org.uk/vacancies/377/substance-misuse-band-5-nurse--hmp-highdown.html

Contact information

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