Learning Disability/Autism Lead Nurse
| Posting date: | 11 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £47,810.00 to £54,710.00 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £47810.00 - £54710.00 a year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 23 March 2026 |
| Location: | Kettering and Northampton, NN1 5BD |
| Company: | NHS Jobs |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | C9265-26-0185 |
Summary
The post holder will: Provide leadership to the Trust by delivering an effective Learning Disability & Autism service for children and adults supported by a Band 6 LD/Autism Nurse and Band 2 Support Worker/Expert by experience. Be responsible for driving improvement of the quality of care received by individuals with a Learning Disability and/or Autism within the acute hospital setting. Maintain links with community LD teams, carers groups and patients in order to continuously develop services which meet the needs of the patient group Promote the rights, interests, needs and choices of service users, carers and other interest groups in the planning, delivery and reviewing of services for patients with a Learning Disability and/or Autism Have a high degree of autonomy and will work collaboratively with all members of the Corporate Nursing team, Safeguarding Team, Multi-agency Partners, CCG, Nursing Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals Be accountable as the line manager for the Learning Disabilities & Autism Team for the effective and efficient delivery of the service Be a highly visible senior nurse, providing specialist knowledge, advice and clinical expertise to all staff in the Trust in all areas of Learning Disabilities and Autism Maintain personal clinical skills, knowledge, competence and credibility Act as a role model and clinical expert within the speciality of Learning Disability nursing across all areas of the Trust, supporting clinical staff in the management of care planning for patients with Learning Disabilities & Autism. To actively participate in the health assessments, interventions and evaluation for service users with Learning Disabilities and highly complex needs. To support ward staff in delivering high quality clinical care utilising individual knowledge and skills to achieve the best outcome for the patient and ensure positive patient experience. To provide leadership for staff with regards to escalating ward level and hospital based service provision To initiate or participate in multi-professional meetings/case-conferences including those relating to safeguarding. Responsible for identifying the barriers to healthcare for people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism and their carers. Working directly in partnership with clinical services/pathways to address these barriers, supporting the implementation of recommendations and monitoring in order to maintain a safe high-quality level of service. To advise on issues relating to complex discharges including NHS Continuing Health Care for patients with a Learning Disability and/or Autism. To empower the hospital workforce to challenge professional and organisational boundaries, by supporting the hospital workforce to enhance their skills and knowledge development to ensure that people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism have equity of access to healthcare services. Support and challenge providers in relation to their responsibility to facilitate an individuals access to healthcare including advice and support on preparing the individual and advocating on their behalf and to support the pre planning and implementation of health interventions required. To work in partnership with primary and secondary services to meet the healthcare outcomes for people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism. To raise awareness of local and national policies and directives, facilitating and leading the application of such within the hospital setting by working alongside healthcare professionals, managers and commissioners. To liaise with the relevant representatives from the Local Area Team (NHS England) and explore and inform in relation to peoples needs. To advocate on behalf of individuals unable to access mainstream health services and where identified challenge discriminatory and/ or poor practice. To lead on national reporting and self-assessments that are specific to Learning Disabilities and/or Autism on behalf of the acute service. To facilitate the implementation and monitoring of NHS National Standards in relation to Learning Disabilities and/or Autism. To work regionally and locally to improve access to NHS Screening Programmes to enable people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism equity of access to these services. To directly influence or produce policies, procedures and pathways in the acute service and work in partnership to develop integrated pathways across acute, primary care and specialist services. To provide appropriate training within clinical areas and contribute to programs of education relating to patients with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism for healthcare professionals within the Trust. Critically analyse data and produce reports to be presented regularly as part of Clinical Governance and Quality Assurance. To provide assurance to the Board via the Vulnerable Persons Steering Group into Safeguarding Assurance Committee Produce the annual report on LD/Autism for the Board with support from Named Nurse/Professional Vulnerable Persons To undertake regular validated audits relating to Learning Disabilities and/or Autism care provision and present the findings to Quality Monitoring Groups. To ensure the development of proactive and effective communications and relationships with internal and external stakeholders To regularly engage with people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism and their carers using feedback to develop and enhance services empowering patients to be partners in the care they receive. To lead, support relevant staff or provide expert knowledge in the investigation and root cause analysis into significant clinical incidents related to patients with a Learning Disability and/or Autism. To formulate a range of programmes and work collaboratively with all multi-agency teams to meet organisational requirements Self-manage own workload effectively ensuring work plans are realistic Liaise with medical, nursing and therapies colleagues to promote holistic care for patients Develop and create statistical reports and present information to produce action plans, e.g., Excel spreadsheets and Word action plan tables. Support the work and development of the Enhanced Care Team Travel between the Kettering and Northampton Hospital sites and other sites where required