Justice Health Services (JHS) is a unit of the Mental Health, Justice Health, and Alcohol & Drug Services (MHJHADS) Division of Canberra Health Services. It is a contemporary evidence-based service that provides high-quality health care to people involved in the criminal justice system.

JHS provides primary health services to people in a range of custodial settings including the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC), Bimberi Youth Justice Centre (BYJC) and limited services to the ACT court. JHS provides a range of primary health care services such as, General Practitioner (GP) clinics, allied health clinics, drug and alcohol services, complex care needs, medical escorts, and population health services. The service aims to provide collaborative, equitable and comprehensive health care to clients and other key stakeholders.

This position presents an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and experienced Registered Nurse (RN) to take on the role of AMC Nurse Coordinator within JHS. At this level, you will provide senior leadership to the JHS nursing team and guidance to colleagues and stakeholders, while overseeing clinical and administrative operations related to primary health care delivery. This includes coordinating access to primary health care services in the Hume Health Centre and the satellite clinics located within the AMC, and limited services to the court cells, in collaboration with other specialist teams within JHS.

As the AMC Nurse Coordinator, you will work closely with nursing and medical staff, as well as key stakeholders including Custodial Mental Health services, health and wellbeing teams within AMC, broader CHS health services, ACT Corrective Services, and Winnunga Nimmityjah, to ensure responsive and continuous care for individuals transitioning in and out of custody.

The AMC Nurse Coordinator operates under the clinical and professional direction of the JHS Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC), with clear delineation of responsibilities to ensure no duplication of strategic, governance, or workforce functions.

The role will also focus on education planning and capability development at a local level and will not undertake routine bedside teaching responsibilities.

The successful applicant will be suitably qualified at the Registered Nurse (RN) Level 3.1 classification and demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering quality primary health services and driving change and quality improvement initiatives in a custodial setting with vulnerable populations. RN Level 3.1 for AMC is recognised within the organisation as a source of expert knowledge and leadership, particularly in primary health. The role spans a broad scope of practice, including clinical care, leadership, education, safety, and communication.

This client-facing role is based at AMC, but the successful applicant may be required to work across multiple sites as required by the service.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

• Provide clinical coordination and leadership within the AMC, applying advanced clinical reasoning and decision-making to support safe, effective and person-centred care in a complex custodial environment.
• Deliver and support comprehensive nursing care across assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation, assisting staff to manage complex and unpredictable clinical presentations with appropriate escalation and risk management.
• Maintain accountability for clinical standards by providing guidance, support and supervision to nursing staff, consistent with RN3.1 role expectations.
• Promote quality and safety by identifying clinical risks, supporting incident management processes, and contributing to continuous quality improvement aligned with relevant standards and policies.
• Support workforce capability through mentoring, coaching and participation in clinical education, fostering professional development and safe clinical practice.
• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration within the multidisciplinary team to ensure continuity of care and coordination of patient management.
• Contribute to service delivery through participation in local procedures, workflow improvements and efficient management of clinic activity and patient flow.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following.

• Demonstrate advanced clinical expertise, critical thinking, and autonomous decision-making in managing complex presentations; act as a senior resource to support staff and escalate issues appropriately.
• Provide oversight, planning, and coordination of AMC clinic operations to ensure safe, timely, and efficient care delivery.
• Utilise clinical activity data and service demands to improve clinic utilisation, access, and patient flow.
• Lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of clinical education programs aligned with AMC priorities under CNC direction.
• Identify learning needs and implement structured education plans to support staff competency, compliance, and safe practice.
• Lead local quality initiatives, manage and escalate risks, and support incident review to drive sustainable improvements.
• Promote and embed evidence-based practice, ensuring adherence to clinical guidelines, policies, and procedures.
• Facilitate effective multidisciplinary communication and build strong relationships to support coordinated, person-centred care.
• Practice autonomously within RN3.1 standards, foster a respectful and culturally safe environment, and maintain ongoing professional development.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• Tertiary Qualifications in nursing
• Registered or eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualifications or working towards in nursing, health management, education or a related field.
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• A minimum of five (5) years’ experience working professionally as a registered nurse.
• Experience in a similar role or environment, ideally within correctional health, primary health, education or complex care settings.
• Proven ability to lead and coordinate multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong clinical assessment, decision-making, and documentation skills.
• Experience in managing complex patient care needs.
• High-level communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including with other staff, external stakeholders, and families.
• Demonstrated commitment to culturally safe and trauma-informed care practices
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, Clinical Governance Framework, and all other related frameworks.

Desirable

• Recent 12+ months experience in a relevant clinical area is preferred
• Experience in leading quality improvement initiatives or clinical audits.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, policies, and procedures governing correctional health services.

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances.

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Undergo a Security Clearance check through ACT Corrective Services.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.

All employees are required to:

• adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct
• act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
• all staff are expected to be able to work at the Alexander Maconochie Centre, the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre, and the court cells, and to travel between them as required. Public transport between these sites is limited.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role, as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Ability to lead and manage the flow, coordination and facilitation of high quality, safe and timely access to client centred care within a multidisciplinary team.
2. Demonstrated current expert knowledge and ability to perform at an advanced level of nursing practice that is evidence based in primary health care.
3. Proven ability to work collaboratively with clients and other stakeholders via strong leadership, negotiation, and high level written and oral communication skills.
4. Proven commitment to clinical and/or education research, quality improvement, risk management mitigation strategies, policy development and personal professional development.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, Work Health and Safety and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviors consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful, and kind.

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.

Administrative	Frequency
Telephone use	Frequently
General computer use	Frequently
Extensive keying/data entry	Frequently
Graphical/analytical based	Occasionally
Sitting at a desk	Frequently
Standing for long periods	Occasionally

Travel	Frequency
Frequent travel – multiple work sites	Occasionally
Frequent travel – driving	Occasionally

Physical demands	Frequency
Distance walking (large buildings or inter-building transit)	Frequently
Working outdoors	Occasionally

Psychosocial demands	Frequency
Distressed People e.g. Emergency or grief situations	Frequently
Aggressive & Uncooperative People e.g. drug / alcohol, dementia, mental illness	Frequently
Unpredictable People e.g. Dementia, mental illness, head injuries	Frequently
Restraining e.g. involvement in physical containment of clients/consumers	Frequently
Exposure to Distressing Situations e.g. Child abuse, viewing dead / mutilated bodies; verbal abuse; domestic violence; suicide	Frequently

Specific hazards	Frequency
Working at heights	Never
Exposure to extreme temperatures	Occasionally
Operation of heavy machinery e.g. forklift	Never
Confined spaces	Never
Excessive noise	Occasionally
Low lighting	Occasionally
Handling of dangerous goods/equipment e.g. gases; liquids; biological.	Occasionally
Slippery or uneven surfaces	Occasionally

Manual handling	Frequency
Lifting 0 – 9kg	Frequently
Lifting 10 – 15kg	Occasionally
Lifting 16kg+	Never
Climbing	Never
Running	Never
Reaching	Occasionally
Kneeling	Occasionally
Foot and leg movement	Frequently
Hand, arm and grasping movements	Frequently
Bending/squatting	Occasionally
Bend/Lean Forward from Waist/Trunk twisting	Occasionally
Push/pull	Frequently
Sequential repetitive movements in a short amount of time	Occasionally