Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist

We are an award-winning organisation providing care at two main hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—and a number of community-based services across London, such as sexual health and HIV clinics. With 6,700 members of staff, we are proud to care for a diverse population of one million people. We are committed to ensuring that our workforce is just as diverse with a strong mix of skills and abilities. Our staff are at the very heart of our organisation and we recognise the valuable contribution that each and every person working at the Trust makes. One of our Trust priorities is to be an employer of choice—a place where people want to start their career and to grow with us through continued education, professional development and support.

The post holder will work as part of the wider specialist palliative care team and be responsible for providing specialist/complex advice and support to all members of the multi-professional team throughout the Trust in the care of patients and those important to them, with a life-limiting illness who are experiencing symptoms that require specialist palliative care. The post holder will be supported by the wider SPC team during their induction and throughout their progression within the team. The team consists of two Consultants in Palliative Medicine, Band 7 CNS's, B6 Associate CNS and a B7 Occupational Therapist who works two days a week. The team works closely with the SPC team at our Chelsea and Westminster Fulham road site and regular cross-site meetings occur. Self-development in line with service provision is encouraged and supported via the PDR process. As a small team you will enjoy the benefits and camaraderie of a highly professional, compassionate and friendly team. The team recognises the emotive nature of the role. Reflection and discussion regarding complex cases is encouraged and often occurs on an informal basis within the team or on a one-to-one basis with colleagues. Clinical supervision with a clinical psychologist is also provided for each individual team member on a six-weekly basis.

Main duties of the job

• A Band 7 Palliative Care CNS role encompasses a vast skill set, including clinical reasoning and expertise, leadership qualities, education, audit, and service development.
• Using advanced clinical judgement and skills you will be expected to provide advice and support for patients with a life-limiting illness, recommending a concise and evidence-based management plan.
• Demonstrate ability and skills to carry out a comprehensive holistic needs assessment for each individual patient and those important to them.
• Provide emotional, psychological and practical support to the individual, their family and/or those important to them.
• Demonstrate advanced communication skills in all aspects of your role as a CNS supporting other members of the wider MDT who may require additional support.
• Manage an agreed caseload using in-depth knowledge of the patient group, and disease trajectories, acting as the key worker and co-ordinator where appropriate.
• Triage and manage referrals effectively from members of the multi-professional team in a clear and equitable way, to ensure that specialist palliative care is accessible according to need.
• Actively participate as a member of the Specialist Palliative Care MDT and represent specialist palliative care services at cancer-site specific MDTs, and Ward based MDTs.
• Demonstrate an ability to autonomously and independently assess, advise and suggest a management plan at the weekends when lone working.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—along with award-winning clinics across North West London. Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services, including maternity, A&E, and children’s services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and 'Outstanding' in leadership and resource use. We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex. We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs. The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background. Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates. Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven’t heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period. Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.

Key working relationships

• Lead Palliative/End of Life Nurse
• Cross site Palliative Care CNS Teams
• Consultants in Palliative Medicine
• Divisional Director of Nursing, Emergency and Integrated Care
• Consultants in Oncology
• Acute Oncology CNS Service
• Cancer site specific CNS
• Care of Elderly teams
• Frailty team
• Respiratory team
• Heart failure team
• Ward Managers/Matrons
• Senior nurses and Service Managers
• Community Palliative Care team
• Local Hospices and GPs
• Integrated Care Board (ICB)
• Northwest London sector (NWL)

Person specification

• Minimum of two years’ experience in a specialist palliative care team setting i.e. Hospital/Hospice/Community at Band 6 or 7
• Educated to first degree
• Qualification in Specialist Palliative care
• Advanced Communication Skills course
• Evidence of transferable skills within application form
• Advanced skills assessment qualification
• Demonstrate knowledge of audit, research and quality improvement

The closing date given is a guide only. There may be some occasions when we have to close a vacancy once sufficient applications have been received. You are therefore advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Please check your emails regularly as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process. If you have not heard from us within 3 weeks after the closing date, we regret that this usually means your application was not successful. In submitting an application, you authorise the Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process, should you be appointed to the post. During the recruitment process your identity documentation (i.e. passport, driving licence, visa etc.) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, infrared and machine-readable zone security features of the documents provided. Employment at the Trust is offered subject to successful completion of a six-month probationary period. You must have appropriate UK professional registration. The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.