Upper GI Clinical Nurse Specialist in Bedford

The post holder will work in line with national guidance for Upper GI cancer management and personalised care, as well as local Trust policies. They will play a key role within the UGI cancer team, providing advice, support, and specialist input to patients, carers, and healthcare professionals. Acting as a patient advocate, they will help coordinate care and ensure seamless service provision, offering expert clinical guidance to individuals undergoing treatment and their families. The role involves working across organisational boundaries, maintaining ongoing contact with patients in a variety of settings, and serving as a vital link between services. The post holder will also contribute to nursing research and education, supporting the advancement of clinical excellence in the care of people affected by Upper GI cancer.

Main duties of the job

• Provide specialist, expert clinical knowledge to clinical colleagues, patients, carers, and relatives.
• As an expert practitioner, liaise with, guide, and advise the multidisciplinary team and external agencies to ensure the highest standard of patient care.
• Lead the development and advancement of nursing clinical services within the specialist field.
• Act as the key worker within the multidisciplinary team, taking a central role in coordinating individual patient care, promoting continuity across treatment pathways, and serving as the primary point of contact for information, guidance, and support.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics‑led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available. We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience – we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities

• Act as a key worker for a defined caseload, coordinating care and ensuring patients have easy access to ongoing support.
• Contribute as a core member of multidisciplinary meetings, advocating for patients and representing nursing perspectives.
• Place quality at the centre of practice by delivering evidence‑based, individualised and holistic care, including assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation.
• Lead nurse‑led clinics and carry out advanced clinical assessments and skills related to diagnosis and treatment.
• Collect, analyse and report clinical information while maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient records.
• Involve patients and their carers or relatives in care planning, delivery and service development.
• Order, monitor and interpret investigations in line with local protocols, ensuring clinically effective and cost‑efficient decision‑making to support diagnosis, further assessment and ongoing treatment.
• Support the medical team in achieving the Faster Diagnosis Standard within cancer waiting time targets.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• In‑depth Knowledge of professional issues and policy relating to the specialist area.
• Demonstrate knowledge and application of Clinical Governance.
• Demonstrates knowledge of Clinical audit and research.
• Demonstrates knowledge of Risk Management.
• Demonstrate knowledge of understanding of Clinical Issues – assessing, planning IT systems relevant to Trust and Speciality.
• Relevant post registration experience at B6 or above in cancer, palliative care or the speciality.
• Experience of successful multi‑agency working.
• Management of clinical leadership experience.
• Experience of requesting imaging as a NMQR.
• Experience of teaching and assessing in clinical area.
• Experience of developing and undertaking clinical audit.
• Experience of undertaking nurse‑led clinics.
• Participation in service development and implementation of change.

Skills

• Excellent Interpersonal and communication skills.
• Able to be a positive and effective team worker in the multidisciplinary team.
• Able to manage to work autonomously.
• Ability to prioritise workload, demonstrate good organisational skills.
• Ability to adapt to change within the working situation.
• Able to perform advanced clinical skills.
• Ability to support and care for patients within complex clinical scenarios.
• Intermediate IT skills eg Microsoft office.
• Ability to produce and present written reports and data.

Qualification

• IST Level Registered Nurse.
• Evidence of Continuing professional development.
• Recognised teaching and assessing qualification.
• Advanced communication skills.
• Non medical prescribing.
• IRMER Training.
• Masters Qualification.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.