Job overview
We are delighted to offer an opportunity to join the Adult Cardiac Surgery team at St Thomas’ Hospital asAdvanced Nurse Practitioner.
We are recruiting:
1. One permanent position
This role provides substantial clinical experience to support professional development towards advanced practice in adult cardiac surgery. The structured pathway enables the development of knowledge, skills, and behaviours required to deliver advanced patient care, including:
2. Comprehensive assessment and examination
3. Clinical decision-making, diagnosis, and treatment planning
4. Patient-centred consultation, communication, and negotiation
The post holder will practise at an advanced level within their specialty and scope of practice, contributing to the four pillars of advanced practice: clinical expertise, leadership, education, and research.
Successful candidates will join a forward-thinking team committed to excellent, patient-centred care in one of the UK’s largest cardiac surgery centres. You will work across the full patient journey – from pre-operative assessment to critical care and post-operative follow-up – supported by consultants, senior ANPs, and the wider multidisciplinary team.
If you are motivated, ambitious, and seeking a career-defining opportunity within a world-renowned Trust, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
Advanced nurse practice (ANP) is a level of practice defined by high autonomy, complex decision-making, and a Master’s-level foundation encompassing the four pillars: clinical practice, leadership and management, education, and research/quality improvement (QI). ANPs demonstrate core capabilities alongside specialty-specific competence, managing care in partnership with patients, families, and carers. They analyse and synthesise complex problems across diverse settings, supporting innovative, shared solutions to enhance patient experience and outcomes.
Practitioners exercise autonomy in contexts of complexity, uncertainty, and risk, taking accountability for their decisions. In adult cardiac surgery, ANPs contribute across the full patient pathway—from pre-operative assessment to critical care, post-operative recovery, and follow-up—working closely with surgeons, anaesthetists, intensivists, and the wider multidisciplinary team. This highly specialised environment demands advanced decision-making, innovation, and patient-centred care.
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. We are among the UK’s busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark.
We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and – as part of King’s Health Partners – we are one of England’s eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research’s biomedical research centres, established with King’s College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.
We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally. We aim to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) role is designed to support the development of a registered nurse with substantial clinical experience into an autonomous advanced practitioner within adult cardiac surgery. This post offers the opportunity to work within one of the largest and most specialised cardiac centres in the UK, delivering high-quality care across the patient pathway.
The post holder will undertake a structured programme, combining clinical practice with academic study, to achieve the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required for advanced practice. The role encompasses the four pillars of advanced nurse practice: clinical practice, leadership and management, education, and research/quality improvement.
Clinical practice
5. Undertake comprehensive patient assessment, clinical examination and history-taking for patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
6. Contribute to clinical decision-making, including diagnosis and treatment planning, under supervision and in collaboration with the wider multidisciplinary team.
7. Support patients through the full cardiac surgical pathway, including:
Pre-operative assessment and optimisation
Intra-operative support and decision-making (where appropriate)
Post-operative care in critical care and ward settings
Outpatient and follow-up care, including early supported discharge initiatives
8. Prescribe and manage treatments (aligned with training, qualifications and scope of practice).
9. Participate in ward rounds, multidisciplinary meetings and outpatient clinics.
10. Deliver evidence-based care, ensuring safety, quality and timeliness.
Leadership and management
11. Act as a professional role model, promoting the Trust’s values and high standards of practice.
12. Contribute to service development and innovation within adult cardiac surgery, supporting efficiency and patient flow.
13. Engage in audit, governance and quality improvement projects to enhance service delivery.
14. Work collaboratively across the multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of shared learning and continuous improvement.
Education
15. Engage fully in academic study, completing the MSc in Advanced Nurse Practice within the agreed timeframe.
16. Undertake supervised practice to build advanced clinical skills, gradually increasing autonomy as competence is demonstrated.
17. Contribute to the education, mentorship and supervision of junior colleagues, students and wider team members.
18. Disseminate learning to colleagues through teaching, case discussions and reflective practice.
Research and Quality Improvement
19. Participate in clinical audit, service evaluation and quality improvement projects.
20. Critically appraise evidence and apply findings to clinical practice in adult cardiac surgery.
21. Support the development of innovative pathways that improve patient outcomes and experience.
22. Contribute to local and national research initiatives where appropriate.
Continuous supervision, appraisal and professional development will be provided to support progression.
Person specification
Professional / Statutory Registration
Essential criteria
23. A registered nurse professional
Qualifications / Education
Essential criteria
24. Mentorship, supervision and assessment qualification or equivalent
25. Evidence of recent academic study
26. Advanced Assessment Course
Desirable criteria
27. Certificated speciality courses
28. Teaching qualification or equivalent
29. Leadership Course
Previous experience
Essential criteria
30. Recent experience of working in Cardiac Surgery
31. Evidence of broad clinical experience
32. Evidence of providing education; teaching, mentorship, supervision and assessment of clinical practice of staff
33. Experience of teaching patients and others including health promotion, prevention and orientation
34. Proven evidence of delivering change management, leadership skills and autonomous practice
35. Evidence of research, education leadership, Quality Improvement, stakeholder engagement and influencing the development and improvement of practice, patient care, patient safety and service delivery
Desirable criteria
36. Evidence of financial management
Skills / Knowledge / Ability
Essential criteria
37. Evidence of leadership in multi-professional working
38. Excellent written and advanced verbal communication skills
39. Ability to manage change and conflict, ensuring resolution with positive outcomes, with use of negotiation skills
40. Ability to translate and integrate evidence based research / guidelines into the development of local pathways of care
41. Ability to develop working relationships locally, regionally and nationally
42. Ability to manage change and conflict, ensuring resolution with positive outcomes, with use of negotiation skills
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.