Job overview
We are seeking an experienced, motivated, and compassionate Clinical Nurse Specialist to join our dynamic Interstitial Lung Disease team. As a Band 7 CNS, you will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality, patient-centred care to individuals living with complex diseases. You will act as an expert resource, leading specialist clinics, supporting acute and long-term disease management, and provide holistic support to patients and their families. We work closely with colleagues at Kings Hospital with a tertiary referral service known as Kings Health Partners (KHP-ILD service). All clinical work will be based on both the Guy’s and St Thomas’s sites and the merger between Guy’s & St Thomas’s and The Royal Brompton Hospital brings the possibility of the two ILD teams working closely together in the future.
This role requires an autonomous practitioner with exceptional communication, and a commitment to evidence-based practice. You will work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, and wider specialist services to optimise patient pathways. In addition to you will contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives, audit, and education.
This is an exciting opportunity for a nurse seeking to develop advanced specialist skills within a supportive and progressive team. You will help shape the future of Interstitial Lung Disease Care, ensuring services remain responsive, innovative, and aligned with Trust values and national standards.
Main duties of the job
Provide specialist nursing care to patients with Interstitial Lung Disease across inpatient, outpatient, and virtual settings. Lead autonomous nurse-led clinics, carrying out advanced assessment, clinical decision-making, interpreting investigations, and developing individualised care plans. Contribute to the management of complex patients, ensuring coordinated care, timely escalation, and effective communication.
Deliver specialist education and self-management support to empower patients and carers. Support and monitor immunosuppression pathways, including administrating infusions, counselling, and adherence to protocols. Provide expert advice to colleagues, acting as a resource for nursing staff, junior doctors, and AHPs.
Contribute to service improvement through audit, research, patient support groups, quality improvement initiatives and data collection for NHS England supporting the service in conforming to registry standards by the British Thoracic Society and NICE.
Develop and deliver teaching to up skill staff across respiratory, and wider directorates. Work collaboratively with consultants and MDTs to ensure efficient, evidence-based pathways.
Promote holistic, personalised care and advocate for patients’ needs. Liaising closely with palliative care, long term and ambulatory oxygen therapy teams, pulmonary rehabilitation and community respiratory teams. Contribute to nursing leadership through mentorship, supervision, and supporting junior staff development.
Working for our organisation
Guy’s and St Thomas's 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
Clinical Responsibilities
1. Provide expert specialist nursing assessment, care, and advice for patients with Interstitial Lung Disease across inpatient, outpatient, and virtual platforms.
2. Lead and manage autonomous nurse-led clinics, undertaking comprehensive assessment, interpreting diagnostic tests, and implementing evidence-based management plans.
3. Support the initiation, monitoring, and evaluation of immunosuppressive therapies, and other advanced treatments, ensuring safe prescribing pathways and adherence to local and national guidelines.
4. Manage patients with complex, fluctuating conditions, coordination, and timely escalation of care.
5. Participate in multidisciplinary case discussions, ward reviews, and complex patient discussions.
6. Provide holistic care, addressing physical, psychosocial, and social factors affecting chronic disease management.
7. Facilitate great collaboration between services, including referrals to specialist teams, community services, and other hospital departments.
Education and Support
8. Deliver specialist education to patients, families, and carers regarding disease processes, medications, exacerbation management, lifestyle strategies, and self-management skills.
9. Provide expert advice, teaching, and clinical supervision to nurses, junior doctors, AHPs, and learners within the service.
10. Develop and update patient information materials and contribute to educational programs across the Trust.
Leadership & Service Development
11. Contribute proactively to the development of protocols, guidelines, and clinical standards for Interstitial Lung Diseases.
12. Support clinical governance activities, including risk management, incident reviews, and policy development.
13. Work closely with senior nursing leadership and consultants to identify service gaps, analyse data, and implement sustainable improvements.
14. Provide mentorship and professional support to junior staff, contributing to workforce development and succession planning.
Research, Audit, and Innovation
15. Participate in and support clinical audits, research studies, and data collection to inform improvements in clinical practice.
16. Use evidence-based practice and emerging research to guide clinical decision-making and enhance patient outcomes.
17. Contribute to the dissemination of learning through presentations, publications, and professional networks where appropriate.
Professional Responsibilities
18. Ensure documentation is accurate, timely, and compliant with Trust policies and NMC standards.
19. Maintain up-to-date specialist knowledge through continuous professional development, study days, and advanced training.
20. Uphold the Trust’s values, champion patient safety, and promote equality, diversity, and inclusion within the service.
21. Adhere to infection prevention and control measures and contribute to the maintenance of a safe clinical environment.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
22. NMC Registered
23. Mentorship or Equivalent
24. Post-registration specialist course
Desirable criteria
25. Leadership qualification
26. Advanced assessment
Experience
Essential criteria
27. Significant post-registration experience within a relevant specialty ( respiratory).
28. Experience of supervision of junior staff members
29. Experience assessing and managing patients with complex long-term conditions
Desirable criteria
30. Previous experience in a CNS or highly autonomous role
31. Experience of contributing to nurse-led clinics
Skills
Essential criteria
32. Up to date Knowledge of current clinical and professional issues
33. Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate specialist care delivered to patients/clients and give relevant advice/information to patients and relatives
34. Understanding of Governance
35. Leadership skills
Desirable criteria
36. Previous experience of ILD
37. Previous experience of palliative care
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.