Job overview
Are you passionate about supporting individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions? We have a fantastic opportunity for a Clinical Nurse Specialist to join the Neurodevelopmental Conditions (NDC) Service at Oxford Health Trust .
Our NDC Service is renowned for its creativity, innovation, and forward-thinking approach, with a strong emphasis on research-led practice. As part of our team, you will have the chance to work in a dynamic and supportive environment that values professional development and collaboration.
Why join us?
1. Wellbeing is our priority : We have an active Wellbeing Team dedicated to supporting staff with regular opportunities for supervision and peer support.
2. Teamwork is at the heart of what we do : You will be part of a close-knit, multidisciplinary team, fostering an ethos of collaboration, shared reflection, and professional growth.
What We're Looking for
3. A qualified mental health nurse with a passion for working with individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions.
4. Proven experience in managing complex cases and delivering high-quality care.
5. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
If you’re looking for a rewarding and impactful role that offers the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals with neurodevelopmental and mental health needs, we’d love to hear from you!
Main duties of the job
We are seeking an experienced professional to take on a lead role in supporting children and young people with mental health needs. This position involves working closely with young people, their families, and the wider care team, providing tailored support within each individual's environment.
In this role, you will lead the assessment, planning, monitoring, and review of care needs, ensuring evidence-based therapeutic plans are implemented and regularly evaluated. You will also manage case coordination to ensure high-quality care is delivered consistently.
As a senior team member, you will set a strong example for professionalism, providing guidance and support to colleagues, service users, and external agencies. A key aspect of the role involves assessing and managing risk, including evaluating potential harm to self or others and addressing challenging or distressing behaviours with skill and compassion.
We are looking for someone with proven experience in supporting children and young people, particularly in mental health or therapeutic settings. Strong leadership, case management skills, and the ability to collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams are essential. A commitment to compassionate, person-centred care is crucial.
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application you are encouraged to read the “candidate guide to making an application” which is attached to all roles. Please include details around qualifications (including years these were gained particularly if we need to assess for clinical roles that these are still valid) and ensure that the supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses the essential criteria found in the JD.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
6. Excellent opportunities for career progression
7. Individual and Trust wide learning and development
8. 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
9. NHS Discount
10. Pension scheme
11. Lease car scheme
12. Employee Assistance Programme
13. Mental Health First Aiders
14. Staff accommodation (waiting lists may apply)
15. Staff networking and support groups
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
At Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we want to employ people not just with experience, but with the aptitude and motivation to succeed and whose values resonate with our own.
Therefore, if you don’t meet all the requirements of the role and are unsure about applying but are excited about the opportunity, please do get in touch. We will be happy to discuss the requirements in more detail ahead of making a written application.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
16. Registered Mental Health Nurse. •Current registration with relevant NMC professional body.
Desirable criteria
17. QB and ADOS Trained
Experience
Essential criteria
18. •Experience as a Band 6 Nurse, or equivalent. •Substantial experience of working in a Mental Health or learning disability service.
19. •Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary setting and working in partnership with a range of health, social care and education professionals
Desirable criteria
20. •Experience of contributing to the management of a clinic
Skills
Essential criteria
21. •The ability to work independently and autonomously with the support of clinical supervision and case management.
22. •Ability to undertake a range of clinical assessments and psycho-social interventions.
23. •Experience of positive risk taking.
Desirable criteria
24. •Experience of training other support staff and students.
25. All new starters have a thorough induction process, both local and Trust wide, which aims to create a positive supportive working environment allowing new employees to learn key elements of their role over a reasonable timescale.
26. Appointment to this post is subject to the trust receiving satisfactory references covering 3 years of employment or study. Please ask your referees to respond promptly to reference requests.
27. Employees are expected to undertake mandatory and statutory training related to their role.
28. We are ambitious in our pursuit of excellence, driven by the belief that a fair, just and fully inclusive organisational culture enables our teams to deliver the best quality of care and services possible and we work hard to ensure that our diverse workforce reflects the communities that we serve.
29. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, are an Equal Opportunities employer with a number of internal networking groups to support our employees and where possible will always look to make reasonable adjustments in order that you can fulfil the role to recognise your full potential. All our employees are committed to demonstrating through their behaviour our core values – safe, caring and excellent.
30. Oxford Health is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
31. Oxford is a world-renowned centre of excellence for research. Oxford Health works closely with the University of Oxford department of Psychiatry and the Department of Primary care, has a Biomedical Research Centre dedicated to improving mental health and the NIHR Clinical Research Facility at the Warneford site. The Trust also hosts the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) which carries out applied research that directly impacts patient health and wellbeing