Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist

Transformationunitgm; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 47,000 - GBP 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in the UK is seeking a Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative Care. This role involves delivering expert clinical care to patients with complex needs within an acute setting, while also participating in teaching and service improvement projects. Candidates should be autonomous practitioners with excellent communication skills and a passion for palliative care. Join a supportive team that values compassionate healthcare delivery and encourages professional development.

Qualifications

• Teaching experience at ward level.
• Advanced Communication Skills Training is required.
• Previous band 6 post holder or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert clinical care to patients with complex palliative care needs.
• Develop local palliative care services in collaboration with the West Suffolk Alliance.
• Act as an expert resource within the Trust.

Skills

Sound clinical knowledge of pain and symptom management

Ability to work autonomously

Excellent communication skills

Ability to develop others

Ability to assess psychological and psycho-social needs

Ability to remain calm in stressful situations

Flexible approach to working hours

Education

1st Level NMC Registered Nurse

Education to diploma/degree level

Non-medical prescribing qualification in specialty

Job description

Employer West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site West Suffolk Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Town Bury St Edmunds Salary £47,810 - £54,710 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 19/02/2026 23:59

Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist

NHS AfC: Band 7

Job overview

Are you passionate about providing outstanding Palliative and End of Life Care within an acute hospital setting? An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our well-established hospital palliative care team at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

We are looking to appoint an experienced, highly skilled, Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist. You will work as an autonomous practitioner managing a caseload of complex palliative care patients with a variety of conditions. Supported by an experienced team of Clinical Nurse Specialists and Consultants, you will also have the opportunity to be involved in a wide range of teaching, projects, service improvement as well as developing your own leadership skills. The Palliative Care Team provide a 7 day service which will require cover for weekends and bank holidays on a rota basis.

This post will suit a motivational, organised, empathetic and passionate person who has excellent communication skills, and enjoys working within a team.

For full details of the Job Role and Person Specification, please see attached Job Description.

The closing date for this vacancy may change if we receive a strong response. Please ensure that you apply for any post you are interested in as soon as possible.

Main duties of the job

You will provide expert clinical care to patients with complex palliative care needs, the provision of education for carers and staff involved in generalist palliative care provision. You will have the opportunity to be involved in the development of local palliative care provision in participation with the West Suffolk Alliance. The post holder will act as an expert resource within the Trust and to the wider community.

Working for our organisation

#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for further details around the main responsibilities of the role.

Person specification

Education and qualifications

• 1st Level NMC Registered Nurse
• Teaching experience at ward level
• Education to diploma/degree level, or working towards degree
• Non-medical prescribing qualification in speciality
• Advanced Communication Skills Training

Experience and knowledge

• Experience of audit
• Evidence of professional development and its relevant application
• Ability to train others
• Previous band 6 post holder or equivalent
• Palliative or end of life care nursing experience

Skills and abilities

• Demonstrate evidence of sound clinical knowledge of pain and symptom management
• Knowledge of change management process
• Ability to plan, organise and co-ordinate work under pressure
• Demonstrate initiative
• Ability to prioritise work
• Ability to assess psychological and psycho-social needs
• Evidence of standard setting and protocol development
• Friendly and approachable
• Ability to work autonomously
• Ability to remain calm and work effectively in stressful situations
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to develop others
• Flexible approach to working hours and duties
• Ability to travel to rural locations to meet the needs of the role

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.

Application numbers

Please note that this advert may close early if we receive a high number of applications.

Name Samantha Hobson Job title Development Nurse in Palliative Care and Team Lead Email address [e-mail]