Acute Oncology Nurse Specialist

Main area Cancer Services Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday 8am-8pm and weekends and bank holidays 8am-6pm) Job ref 361-CAN-8170723

Employer East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Town Northwood Salary per annum, plus 15% High Cost Area Supplement Closing 02/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 14/10/2026

Acute Oncology Nurse Specialist

NHS AfC: Band 6

Here at East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust
Our mission is:
Providing high-quality, compassionate care for our communities

Our vision to 2030 is:
To be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service

Our values - We want our staff to believe in, demonstrate and live our values in everything we do. Our values are:

Include
We value the diversity and experience of our community colleagues and partners, creating relationships and climates that provide an opportunity to share, collaborate and grow together.

Respect
We create a safe environment where we are curious of the lived experience of others, seek out best practice and are open to listening and hearing new ideas.

Improve
We are committed to consistently delivering excellent services and continuously looking to improve through a creative workforce that feels empowered to act in service of our shared purpose.

Job overview

We are recruiting for a Acute Oncology Nurse Specialist who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Nurse Specialist to join our dynamic and expanding Acute Oncology Service (AOS) Nursing Team.

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC) is a renowned Tertiary Hospital at the forefront of Cancer Care in the UK, with exciting plans for the future.

This post will enable the current team to develop the AOS at MVCC, by supporting the AOS Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) team in providing advice and support to patients who experience acute symptoms of their cancer and/or treatment.

They will be working collaboratively with the advanced clinical practitioners (ACP) and the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to ensure efficient patient pathways, positive patient experience and safe discharge.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced nurse to develop their skills and knowledge of AOS within a supportive and positive learning environment.

In addition, you will receive a High-Cost Area Supplement of 15% of your basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £4,870 and a maximum payment of £6,137 per annum pro rata.

At the heart of everything we do are our core values:Include,Respect, andImprove. We encourage you to embrace these values throughout the recruitment process and in your role with us.

Main duties of the job

The Nurse Specialist will provide support to the AOS Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) team in providing advice and support to patients who experience acute symptoms of their cancer and/or treatment.

You will hold the 24-hr/7-day week telephone triage during day time shift and a being part of the 5-day week face-to-face AOS Assessment Unit.

The post holder will work collaboratively with the advanced clinical practitioners (ACP) and the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to ensure efficient patient pathways, positive patient experience and safe discharge, as well prioritise admissions to inpatient ward according to admission criteria.

You will also be required to be flexible in the approach to the clinical area and provide cover for any MVCC area specified, acting as professional role model, providing direct and indirect clinical care, teaching and research.

Working for our organisation

At East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.

We run the following hospitals:

The Lister Hospital, Stevenage

New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City

Hertford County, Hertford

We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation, and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.

We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification from the application pack for further detailed information regarding this role.

ENHT is seeking to maintain and expand the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre staff as we move to an exciting new future.

We welcome applications from those who would relish the opportunity to be part of new and developing cancer service, building on the excellent reputation, research and patient experience the Cancer Centre already delivers.

Person specification

Qualifications/Training

• Registered Nurse Oncology related qualification
• Degree in Cancer / Palliative Care
• Completion of SACT competency training
• ILS
• Advanced physical assessment / non-medical prescribing
• ALS
• Recognised leadership qualification

Previous Experience

• Previous ExperiencePrevious nursing experience with of Oncology / Hematology / Chemotherapy / Palliative clinical experience, and be willing to undertake additional training
• Experience of administrating cytotoxic agents within Oncology setting
• Evidence of presentation skills and experience of public speaking at local / national levels
• Experience of audit and research process
• Evidence of service improvements and research
• Evidence of leadership / management experience

Skills

• Interpersonal, written and verbal
• Professional and pro-active attitude, including the ability to problem solve utilizing resources available
• Self-motivated and ability to motivate others
• Evidence of multi-disciplinary team working
• Demonstrates importance of and ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to work on own initiative and prioritize workload
• Organisational and time management skills
• Ability to remain calm when under pressure
• Understanding of the actual / potential emotional impact of working with oncology patients on self and others
• I.T. Competence in the usual applications – database, spreadsheet and presentation software, etc
• Clinical leadership skills
• Act as specialist nursing resource / practice educator or supervisor in line with local needs
• Evidence of developing others
• Ability to represent the department at meetings of internal, local, regional and national bodies and institutions

Knowledge

• Knowledge of Oncology conditions and acute oncological emergencies
• Up to date knowledge of professional practice issues
• Relevant knowledge of local and national audits and the ability to implement recommendations
• Ability to problem solve, evaluate risk and manage complex situations
• Experience of understanding and contributing to clinical governance policy

Other Requirements

• Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion
• Role model our Trust values every day
• Ability to travel to other locations as required
• Ability to cover shift pattern including weekends and Bank Holidays (not including nights)

Secondments/Fixed term

Where a vacancy is advertised as a temporary position, the duration will be specified in the advert. If the vacancy becomes permanent towards the end of the specified duration, the successful applicant may not be required to re-apply and can be slotted into the role on a permanent basis if appropriate.

If you are an internal applicant applying for a temporary working arrangement, please see the attached notes on secondments.

Committed to our Community

East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion for all job applicants, staff, patients and the wider community. We want to create a workforce which represents the communities we serve. We are on a journey to become a more inclusive organisation and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of their background. In particular we encourage applications from candidates with disabilities, and candidates from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who are currently under-represented in various parts of our workforce .

We understand the importance of balancing work and home life. We are committed to support flexible working for our staff wherever possible and all our employees are given the opportunity to discuss potential for flexible working.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and achieved our status in 2019.

We will remove barriers that prospective candidates might face at any stage of our recruitment process. If you have a disability and would like the advert in an alternative format, or would like to talk about how we can adjust the interview process to best support you, please contact us by emailing resourcing.enh-tr@nhs.net

We are also proud to support our UK armed forces by supporting Reservists, Cadet Instructors, Veterans and military spouses/partners into employment and offering supportive policies that value their contribution to the community and to our Trust.

We are committed to being a carer-friendly environment, addressing the complex needs of families with caring responsibilities. In partnership with Carers in Hertfordshire, all our working carers have access to support from recruitment. We are also a member of Carers UK, providing resources to make balancing work and caring easier. Our approach is inclusive, recognizing diverse challenges and creating a supportive environment where carers feel valued.

King's Trust Support

If you’re aged between 16 and 30 years-old, you can get FREE employability support from The King’s Trust. The King’s Trust will help build your CV and cover letter, offer advice and top tips for future interviews and support you with research about working in the NHS. Please contact Enquiries.H&SC@princes-trust.org.uk for support.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.