4. Who we are looking for

Essential criteria

You must be:

• a first level registered adult nurse, mental health nurse or paramedic holding current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council/Health and Care Professions Council
• registered for a minimum of three years
• competency level equivalent to NHS Band 6 within the health service
• competent in venepuncture on your first day of appointment
• a leader – as the only clinician in the suite it's vital for the healthcare practitioner (HCP) to be leading on clinical emergencies and ensuring that our non-clinical colleagues are supported throughout and after
• a good communicator – the HCP holds the most weight in decision-making throughout the detainee journey. Clear, concise and professional communication to all colleagues with confidence in own decision-making is vital as a confident practitioner breeds confidence amongst their multidisciplinary colleagues
• professionally curious – situations arising within custody are not always as they seem and require you to read situations and people. Often your detective skills will uncover unknown health needs or vulnerabilities

Further reading

In support of your application and future interview, we recommend background reading on police custody as you'll need to have some awareness of this during your interview.

The following links provide a good beginning to your reading to assist in successful application:

1. College of Policing's Detainee care
2. UK Association of Forensic Nurses and Paramedics (UKAFN)
3. Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine (FFLM)
4. Police & Criminal Evidence Act (PACE)
5. Royal College of Nursing (RCNi) - Eoin O'Brollachain article

We do not expect that you have an encyclopaedic knowledge of forensic nursing, or of criminal justice proceedings.

If you're successful at interview you'll have a six week induction introductory course, including shadow shifts with longstanding senior nurses and teaching of new areas of nursing you might not have even thought existed!