Job overview
Are you an experienced nurse looking to develop your career in neurology, oncology, or long-term condition management? Do you find fulfilment in supporting patients with complex, lifelong health needs?
We are one of only four National Centres for Neurofibromatosis (NF) in the UK, and an exciting year-long secondment has arisen to join our large, friendly, multidisciplinary team as the NF Deputy Clinical Nurse Specialist.
This developing role offers excellent potential for career progression. Our service provides expert, lifelong care to patients and families living with NF1, NF2, and Schwannomatosis. Please note that previous experience in NF is not required.
In this role, you will be a confident and autonomous nurse, working within your scope of practice to meet the unique needs of patients. You will deliver specialist support, education, and healthcare liaison for adults affected by NF, alongside a dedicated CNS team and wider multidisciplinary colleagues at Guy’s Hospital.
Our team cares for patients across the lifespan, with a strong emphasis on transition, and we collaborate closely with paediatric colleagues both within and beyond our Trust.
If you have experience in neurology, oncology, or long-term conditions and are eager to apply your skills in a specialist service, we would love to hear from you. Full training and development will be provided.
To discuss the role and your suitability, please get in touch. Informal visits are strongly encouraged.
Closing date: 19th October 2025
Main duties of the job
As a clinical nurse specialist you will be an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team working together to deliver this specialist service.
You will be responsible for developing and working within evidence-based specialist pathways of care, guidelines, protocols and patient group directives to support patients and their families to improve care delivery.
You will receive support to develop the specialist knowledge required for this role from the multidisciplinary team.
Part of the SAMS Directorate, the large multi-disciplinary team includes neurologists, specialist nurses, a social worker, a neurophysiotherapist, psychologists and psychiatrists and works closely with a number of other specialities including neurosurgery, cranio-facial surgery, ENT, plastic surgeons, pain specialists, geneticists and others.
Working for our organisation
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.
Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clinical and Patient Care
1. Independently manage a group of patients within the specialty whilst working as part of the multidisciplinary team, delivering specialised individualised and personalised direct patient care
2. Demonstrate appropriate practice and specialist advice in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care. This includes history taking, physical examination and the requesting of agreed diagnostic procedures/clinical investigations.
3. Responsible for the correct administration of prescribed medication including transfusion of blood and blood products
4. Be responsible for assessing and recognising emergencies in the speciality. To interpret information and take appropriate action and to lead others to do the same.
5. Act as an advocate for patients within the department, to ensure a patient orientated approach to the delivery of care and to meet standards within the NHS Plan and other relevant guidelines.
6. Ensure that patients’ receive high quality clinical care and a good patient experience, having regard for their customs, religious beliefs and doctrines.
7. Recognise and avoid situations that may be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the individuals.
8. To provide leadership, support and guidance to staff in monitoring the planning delivery and evaluation of individualised specialist care.
9. Is wholly accountable for his / her practice in line with the NMC code of professional conduct and takes every reasonable opportunity to sustain and improve his / her knowledge and professional competence.
10. Ensure safe and effective care for complex patients requiring advanced specialist clinical skills and responsible for carrying out specialist nursing procedures to area.
11. To be responsible, for maintaining a safe environment for patients, visitors and other staff within the clinical environment.
12. Ensure that sensitive patient records are stored appropriately.
13. Ensures the cultural and spiritual needs of patients are recognised and accommodated within resources available.
14. Support and enable patients and carers to make informed decisions relating to their treatment and management.
15. Participate in case conferences in relation to the management of patients, ensuring the coordination of ongoing care.
16. Ensure staff take precautions to minimise the risk of cross infection in relation to the safe disposal of body fluids (including blood).
17. A key member of the multidisciplinary team in supporting patients and their carers during the delivery of bad news such as caring for the terminally ill patients and the event of death.
18. Assess educational and information needs for patients and families, and devise plans to ensure need are met.
19. To be an effective communicator with patients/carers/families regarding disease treatment and management.
20. Promote high quality clinical care, and assist in the development of the specialist service, through the use of evidence based practice and clinical standards
21. Provide a seamless, high quality service from referral through to assessment, diagnosis, treatment and review.
*For more detailed responsibilities please refer to the Job description and Person specification attached*
Person specification
Skills & Knowledge
Essential criteria
22. Advanced clinical, managerial and leadership skills in specialty
23. An awareness of Neurofibromatosis and a willingness to learn about the condition to expert level
24. Sound knowledge of current issues in the profession and practice of nursing
25. Evidence of teaching skills in particular teaching patients in how to manage their conditions and raise their awareness of their condition
26. Proven listening / counselling skills with the ability to manage complex situation and appropriately deliver sensitive and difficult outcomes
27. Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal & communication skills
Desirable criteria
28. Undertaken clinical & nursing research
Experience
Essential criteria
29. Experience of working autonomously at an advanced level within the specialist area delivering effective patient focused care
30. Experience of audit, research & evidence based care
31. Proven evidence of management / leadership skills and autonomous practice
Qualifications/ Education
Essential criteria
32. BSC/1st degree (health related) or equivalent qualification/training and experience
33. Mentorship course
34. Your professional knowledge acquired at degree level will be supplemented by specialist training, experience and short courses to Masters level equivalent
35. Leadership course
Values and Behaviour
Essential criteria
36. Values and Behaviour
Professional/ Statutory Registration
Essential criteria
37. RN1 or RN Registered Nurse on the NMC register. To hold the appropriate level for the area of speciality
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.