Job overview
Would you like to empower and support patients, and those important to them, who are facing life threatening, advanced and progressive illnesses? We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and highly motivated person to join our specialist supportive and palliative care team.
The successful post holder will lead and support the delivery of excellent personalised palliative and end of life care to patients and those important to them. You will provide specialist advice on pain and other physical symptoms as well as psychological, emotional, social and spiritual concerns.
If you are looking for an amazing opportunity for career progression and to develop your skills in education, quality improvement, and audit, this is the job for you.
Closing date: 20th July 2025
Interview date: 5th August 2025
Main duties of the job
The role requires the post holder to provide specialist palliative care to patients with complex problems, act as a specialist resource to generalist colleagues and deliver education and training to develop their palliative care practice.
The role will require an ability to work both independently and as part of the multidisciplinary team and communicate effectively with a wide range of healthcare professionals.
We support our staff wellbeing through clinical supervision in addition to Trust wide initiatives and provide training and mentoring as well as support for continued professional development.
Working for our organisation
You can look forward to working in a caring and supportive team of clinical nurse specialists who place the individualised care of their patients at the heart of everything they do.
In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.
The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care.
Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2018 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Work alongside the Macmillan Lead Nurse, Specialist Doctor in Palliative Medicine, and other Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) to ensure allocation of the patient caseload is effectively managed and patient needs are met by using a team approach to care assessment, planning and implementation.
To provide expert nursing advice, education and support to these groups of patients and those important to them.
To be responsible for managing a highly complex patient caseload and ensuring care needs are assessed, planned for and met appropriately, actively promoting support for patients and those important to them.
To provide expert advice regarding symptom control and the assessment and management of psychological, social, emotional and spiritual issues.
To work with medical and surgical teams in the assessment, planning and implementation of care for those patients with long-term and life limiting illness where there may be unmet and on-going support and care issues.
To discuss, when appropriate, end-of-life care including preferred place of care and death enabling patient choice to be met.
To provide a link for patients after discharge, allowing them to have access to the wider multidisciplinary team as needed and liaising with community services as required.
To sustain a high quality service liaising with the multidisciplinary teams within the Trust, at the referring hospitals and within primary care to ensure coordinated care is provided.
To attend weekly Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings as required and be an active participant and patient advocate in these forums.
Person specification
Education and qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Completion of relevant post-graduation course
2. Registered Nurse
3. BSc (Hons) degree or equivalent in nursing
Desirable criteria
4. Prescribing qualification
Experience and Knowledge
Essential criteria
5. Extensive post registration experience
6. Previous specialist supportive & palliative care experience
Desirable criteria
7. Previous experience at Clinical Nurse Specialist level
Skills and abilities
Essential criteria
8. Proven experience of teaching\sharing knowledge
9. Able to manage difficult situations effectively
10. Experience in conducting audits and quality improvement
Desirable criteria
11. Demonstrate involvement in Trust wide initiatives/ committees.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.