Senior Viral Hepatology Specialist Nurse, Band 7

NHS; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the United Kingdom is seeking a Senior Viral Hepatology Specialist Nurse to lead the clinical team specializing in viral hepatitis. This role includes managing patient care, conducting advanced assessments, and providing tailored education and support to patients. Candidates must be registered nurses with a strong background in gastroenterology and leadership experience. The position offers competitive salary and an opportunity to contribute significantly to patient outcomes.

Qualifications

• Registered nurse Level 1 of the NMC Nursing and Midwifery register.
• Substantial post-basic experience in an acute Gastroenterology setting.
• Demonstrates a history of continuing professional development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Viral Hepatology Nursing team and manage patient care.
• Run nurse-led clinics and provide patient education.
• Order investigations and assess patient suitability for treatment.

Skills

Leadership skills

Clinical assessment

Interpersonal communication

Knowledge of Virology

Venepuncture

Education

Registered Nurse Level 1

Master's degree

Teaching or mentorship qualification

Job description

Go back Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Senior Viral Hepatology Specialist Nurse, Band 7

The closing date is 19 January 2026

This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated and experienced Registered Nurse to lead the Viral Hepatology Clinical Nurse Specialist team. This role will be central to the provision of a range of specialist services for patients with viral hepatitis within a unique and cohesive multi‑disciplinary environment.

Responsibilities

• Leadership, development, and management of a specialist viral hepatitis nursing team caring for patients diagnosed with Viral Hepatitis and related complications.
• To establish and maintain a patient centred access, assessment, treatment, follow‑up and maintenance programme within the parameters, pathways and protocols set by the Lead Consultant.
• To support and manage the Blood Borne Virus Nurse in the testing and health promotion to people at risk of contracting Hepatitis C and B.
• Run nurse‑led clinics and follow‑up telephone clinics.
• Undertake advanced clinical assessment and treatment of a designated caseload of patients who have complex presentation through timely and appropriate access to the specialist nurses via clinical pathways utilising nurse‑led clinics, and independent non‑medical prescribing.
• Proactively develop educational programmes and act as a resource to other health care professionals on viral hepatitis, treatments and issues.
• Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team in line with the Trust people management practices, ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.
• Make professionally autonomous decisions in relation to individuals infected with viral hepatitis.
• Order the necessary investigations, make differential diagnosis, provide highly specialised clinical advice and provide treatment and care to those infected with viral hepatitis.
• When treatment is clinically indicated assess patient’s suitability for treatment, prescribe the most appropriate type of medication, monitor for side‑effects of treatment and intervene as appropriate.
• Carry continuing responsibility for a cohort of individuals infected with viral hepatitis including the clinical assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes of specialised care and provide highly specialised clinical advice to this patient group.
• For patients with hepatitis B or C manage the total care of patients receiving treatment for their hepatitis B or C disease, including educating patients about treatments, discussing potential side effects, training patients to administer their treatment.
• See patients on treatment for hepatitis C at weekly to four‑weekly intervals, obtain blood samples, review results and adjust the dose of medication accordingly.
• See patients on treatment for hepatitis B as clinically indicated but once established on treatment at least once every three months to six months.
• Refer patients to other healthcare professionals including consultants in psychiatry, dieticians, and psychologists.
• Discuss differential diagnoses with patients including breaking bad news such as the diagnosis of liver tumours or cirrhosis.
• Provide ongoing highly specialised clinical advice, monitoring and support to those patients who fail treatment with onward referral as necessary.
• Provide a consultancy function to other professionals within the healthcare setting and external agencies concerned with social issues.
• Venepuncture, often with individuals who have poor venous access and who are infected with viral hepatitis.
• Provide ongoing highly specialised clinical advice and support to individuals infected or affected by viral hepatitis, including GPs, hospital consultants, occupational health, midwives and nursing staff.
• Set county‑wide standards of care with responsibility for monitoring and ensuring maintenance of set standards.
• Work with the communicable disease consultant to develop services and strategies to prevent the spread of viral hepatitis in Gloucestershire.
• Promote and maintain good working relationships with the county‑wide statutory and non‑statutory sector.
• Develop clinical policies related to viral hepatitis across the healthcare Trusts.
• Plan specialist service provision for viral hepatitis in Gloucestershire and propose policy or service changes dependent on new evidence and research.
• Develop protocols relating to viral hepatitis for use in both the statutory and non‑statutory sector.
• Provide highly specialised advice at Trust level and above, in relation to the developing face of the service.
• Provide highly specialised clinical advice to the healthcare Trusts in relation to patient notification exercises, set up and manage the resulting telephone help lines.
• Provide highly specialised training on viral hepatitis to other healthcare professionals including nurses and doctors.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of developments and treatments through dedicated activities such as accessing recognised professional internet sites, attendance and involvement in professional groups.
• Data entry using the hepatitis C database.
• Record interventions accurately in patient records (both written and electronic). Support, supervise, educate and assess students on placement with the service.
• Ongoing involvement in South West Region hepatitis C study, lead clinical nursing audit in viral hepatitis, participate in local and national research and audits as required as part of the job.
• Line management and support to new/junior staff on team.
• Education to team.
• Expert advice to out‑patients.
• Appropriate referrals.
• Compliance with safeguarding policies and processes for adults and children and undergo mandatory safeguarding training.
• Post holder will carry a mobile phone and may experience frequent interruptions.
• Work pattern will be unpredictable.
• Responsibility for ordering stock, drugs and vaccinations.
• Monitor the viral hepatitis budget.

About us

We provide acute hospital services from two large district general hospitals, Cheltenham General Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. We remain the major provider of secondary care services in the area and analysis shows that for Gloucestershire we are the leading acute healthcare provider by a significant margin.

At the very centre of our organisation is our dedicated nursing, midwifery and care staff, being part of the team here at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a huge privilege and if successful you will be joining over 2,000 nursing, midwifery and care colleagues each committed to delivering great experience and outcomes for our patients.

We are committed to diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity for everyone, valuing and celebrating differences and encouraging a workplace and culture where all can thrive.

In return, we offer the opportunity to work at a trust that is on a truly exciting Journey to Outstanding and make a real difference to the lives of our patients, their families and the wider community.

Person Specification

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

• Registered nurse Level 1 of the NMC Nursing and Midwifery register.
• Possession of recognised qualification covering physical examination and clinical reasoning.
• Substantial post‑basic experience in an acute Gastroenterology setting.
• Evidence of having been responsible for day‑to‑day supervision or coordination of staff in a clinical setting.
• Demonstrates a history of continuing professional development.
• Holds a teaching or mentorship qualification.
• Proven leadership skills and ability to manage change.
• Working within multidisciplinary team and taking the lead in providing collaborative care planning.
• Show evidence of providing written and verbal communications to consultants and GPs as an integral part of caseload responsibilities.
• To be able to disseminate highly sensitive, distressing or contentious information to patients and family members / carers and staff as appropriate.
• Be able to examine patients and take accurate histories with excellent customer care skills.
• Ability to lead, manage and motivate all staff within sphere of responsibility.
• Enhanced IT skills.
• Demonstrate participation in quality assurance, audit and research.
• Previous appropriate band 6 experience in relevant area of work.
• Knowledge of Virology and Viral hepatitis.
• Venepuncture and interpretation of blood results.
• Working at Advanced Practice level, with a Master's degree.
• Able to contribute to the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies/protocols/guidelines relevant to area of practice.
• Ability to perform Fibroscan or willingness to undertake training, interpret results and formulate suitable treatment plan.

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.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£47,810 to £54,710 a year (pa pro rata if part‑time)

07866 763010

or Debora Durrant - [e-mail]