Occupational Health Nurse
Morecambe Bay Primary Care Collaborative
Barrow in Furness, LA14 2HG
Salary
£41,590
Contract
Fixed-Term
Hours
Not specified
Closing date
13 September 2026
13 days left
Job description
Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has been selected to take part in one of four national Fit Note Reform Pilots commissioned by...
Clinical assessment and workability planning
Undertake structured work and health assessments with
patients referred into the pilot, face to face, by telephone or by video,
according to patient need and clinical appropriateness.
Assess the interaction between a persons health
condition, their functional ability and the demands of their role, taking
account of all appropriate physical, psychological, social and workplace
factors.
Formulate and co-produce personalised Workability
Plans focused on functional capability, phased return, adjustments and the
practical support required to sustain work.
Exercise autonomous professional judgement in
determining whether a period away from work is clinically appropriate, and
articulate that judgement clearly, proportionately and defensibly.
Provide specialist advice on reasonable adjustments,
graduated return to work, workplace modification and phased hours, informed by
an understanding of the Equality Act 2010 and relevant health and safety
legislation.
Review and update Workability Plans at agreed
intervals, adjusting recommendations as recovery,
circumstances or employer response change.
Recognise the limits of the pilot service and of
personal professional competence and escalate promptly and appropriately
Please see full Job Description and Person Specification
Post: Occupational Health Nurse
Service: MBPCC
Enable Service
Accountable to: Clinical Lead
Responsible to: Advanced
Nurse Practitioner
Hours: 37.5 per week
Salary
£41,590 (30% enhanced hourly rate for Saturday
working)
Contract Type Fixed term 12 months.
Secondment applications welcome.
Base: Hybrid and
flexible with home working occasional Barrow and Mid Furness PCN sites
2.
SERVICE CONTEXT
The pilot operates across Barrow and Mid Furness
Primary Care Networks and is delivered by Morecambe Bay Primary Care
Collaborative on behalf of participating practices.
The service is multidisciplinary. The post holder
works alongside the Clinical Lead, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, allied health
professionals, administrative staff
Participation is voluntary for patients. The service
operates within an agreed clinical governance framework, defined escalation
routes back to general practice, and a Data Sharing Agreement covering all
information flows.
The pilot is time limited and subject to independent
national evaluation. Data capture, consistency of practice and adherence to
agreed protocols are therefore integral to the role rather than administrative
afterthoughts.
The post holder does not replace the patients GP and
does not assume responsibility for the management of underlying clinical
conditions. Where clinical need is identified, it is escalated to the
registered practice through agreed pathways.
3. KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Internal
Service Lead day to day management, absence and
sickness, appraisals
Clinical Lead, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, allied
health professionals, Enable administrator
External
Referring GPs, practice managers
and primary care teams across Barrow and Mid Furness.
Patients and, with consent, their employers, line
managers, HR
Local employers,
Jobcentre Plus, VCSE [Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise] partners,
therapy and mental health services, and other statutory agencies
4. MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical assessment and workability planning
Undertake structured work and health assessments with
patients referred into the pilot, face to face, by telephone or by video,
according to patient need and clinical appropriateness.
Assess the interaction between a persons health
condition, their functional ability and the demands of their role, taking
account of all appropriate physical, psychological, social and workplace
factors.
Formulate and co-produce personalised Workability
Plans focused on functional capability, phased return, adjustments and the
practical support required to sustain work.
Exercise autonomous professional judgement in
determining whether a period away from work is clinically appropriate, and
articulate that judgement clearly, proportionately and defensibly.
Provide specialist advice on reasonable adjustments,
graduated return to work, workplace modification and phased hours, informed by
an understanding of the Equality Act 2010 and relevant health and safety
legislation.
Review and update Workability Plans at agreed
intervals, adjusting recommendations as recovery,
circumstances or employer response change.
Recognise the limits of the pilot service and of
personal professional competence and escalate promptly and appropriately.
Triage, caseload and pathway management
Contribute to the triage of incoming referrals,
applying agreed criteria to determine the appropriate assessment route, practitioner and priority.
Manage a personal caseload, prioritising
effectively against service standards and pilot appointment targets.
Identify patients whose needs fall outside the pilot
model including those requiring urgent clinical assessment, safeguarding
intervention or mental health crisis support and escalate through agreed
routes without delay.
Refer and signpost to wider support, including WorkWell coaching, therapy services, musculoskeletal
pathways, social prescribing, debt and housing advice and employment support.
Support colleagues in the wider team with clinical
advice on complex or borderline cases, within scope of practice.
Employer and stakeholder liaison
With patient consent, participate in three way
conversations between the patient, their employer and the service to agree
practical adjustments and maintain workplace connection from day one of
absence.
Produce clear, objective written advice for employers
and managers that answers the question asked, respects medical confidentiality
and avoids unnecessary clinical detail.
Communicate sensitively with employers who may hold
differing views, using negotiation and persuasion to reach workable outcomes
for the patient.
Build constructive relationships with referring
practices, providing feedback that supports referral quality and confidence in
the pilot model.
Clinical governance, safety and record keeping
Practice at all times within the NMC Code,
professional standards, pilot protocols and standard operating procedures.
Maintain accurate, contemporaneous and legible records
in the approved clinical system, in line with the Data Sharing Agreement and
information governance requirements.
Obtain and record valid informed consent for
assessment, for information sharing and for any contact with employers or third
parties.
Discharge safeguarding responsibilities for children
and adults at risk, escalating concerns in accordance with agreed policy.
Report incidents, near misses, complaints and risks
through the pilot governance framework, and contribute to learning from them.
Participate in clinical supervision, case review and
multidisciplinary discussion, including reflective review of complex or
contested cases.
Maintain professional indemnity and NMC registration
and comply with revalidation requirements.
Service design, data and evaluation
Contribute to the development and refinement of
assessment templates, triage criteria, escalation thresholds, business rules
and standard operating procedures as the pilot matures.
Capture the agreed management information and
evaluation data set accurately and at the point of care, understanding that
incomplete data weakens the national evidence base.
Participate in audit, service evaluation, quality
improvement and test-and-learn cycles, and act on the findings.
Support the independent national evaluation, including
interviews, case note review and data collection, within the limits of patient
confidentiality.
Education, promotion and professional development
Promote the pilot to practices, patients, employers
and partners in a positive way
Provide informal supervision, coaching and clinical
advice to non-clinical members of the team.
Morecambe Bay Primary Care Collaborative is the largest employer
of Primary Care colleagues in South Cumbria, we are a not-for-profit Community
Interest Company, and work to support, guide and underpin primary medical care
across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
We deeply value education and learning, hosting the Lancashire
and South Cumbria Training Hub. We have a great team on our board that guide
our organisation, and you will be supported to excel in your role.
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse on the NMC register, Part 1 (Adult, Mental Health or Learning Disability) or Registered Midwife, with a current unrestricted registration.
- Evidence of continuing professional development and compliance with NMC revalidation.
- Willingness to undertake pilot specific training in workability assessment, fit note practice and work and health conversations.
Desirable
- Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Occupational Health) registration, or an occupational health degree, diploma or certificate.
- Degree or postgraduate study in occupational health, public health or a related field.
- Training in fit note completion or DWP work and health assessment.
- Teaching, assessing or mentoring qualifications.
- Motivational interviewing, health coaching or case management training.
Experience
Essential
- Significant post registration experience as an autonomous practitioner.
- Experience of undertaking structured clinical assessments and formulating advice or recommendations independently.
- Experience of managing a personal caseload and prioritising competing demands without close supervision.
- Experience of producing clear written reports or care records for a non-clinical audience.
- Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team.
Desirable
- Experience in occupational health, or a demonstrable interest in occupational health and the work and health agenda.
- Practical experience of issuing, advising on or contributing to fit notes.
- Experience of management referral or case management consultations.
- Experience of sickness absence management, rehabilitation or return to work planning.
- Experience of liaising directly with employers, HR or line managers.
- Experience of working in primary care, community services or a WorkWell or vocational rehabilitation service.
- Experience of contributing to service design, pilots, audit or quality improvement.
- Experience of remote or telephone consultation.
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- Ability to assess functional capacity and to relate health conditions to the demands of work.
- Understanding of the principles of fitness for work assessment and the health benefits of good work.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to convey complex clinical information clearly and sensitively to patients, employers and non-clinical colleagues.
- Negotiation, motivational and de-escalation skills, including where professional opinions differ.
- Sound understanding of consent, confidentiality, information governance and the boundaries of disclosure to third parties.
- Knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities for children and adults at risk.
- Competent use of clinical record systems and Microsoft 365, including Teams for virtual consultation and meetings.
- Ability to record data accurately and consistently for reporting and evaluation purposes.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010 as it applies to reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
- Knowledge of relevant health and safety legislation.
- Understanding of the national fit note reform policy context and the Workability Plan model.
- Familiarity with EMIS or occupational health information systems
- Understanding of audit and quality improvement methodology.
- Knowledge of local employment support, WorkWell and VCFSE provision.
How to apply
Applications are handled entirely by the employer on the original advert. We do not collect CVs, supporting statements or application data.
Provenance
Source
NHS Jobs
First seen
29 August 2026
Last checked
31 August 2026
Salary, closing date and description are taken from the employer's advert. The original advert always takes precedence.
About the employer
NHS organisation
This listing was structured from NHS Jobs. Vacancy details and the application process remain the responsibility of the original source.
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