Advanced Multiple Sclerosis Practitioner

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust; West of England; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting a Senior Band 7 nurse to lead MS care across the service. The post holder will oversee assessment, plan development, and multidisciplinary collaboration to improve function and independence for people with MS.

The role requires NMC registration, extensive MS/neurorehabilitation experience, and postgraduate qualification in physical assessment, with a focus on reflective practice and clinical audit.

Qualifications

• NMC-registered healthcare professional.
• Extensive MS and/or neurorehabilitation experience.
• Postgraduate MSc in physical assessment.
• Evidence of academic development and advanced clinical skills.
• Autonomous practitioner capable of coordinating comprehensive patient care.

Responsibilities

• Plan care with person with MS and carer, supporting informed decision making.
• Coordinate programmes of care with other health and social care professionals.
• Independently conduct neurological examinations and assess patient function.
• Review data and revise care plans with the team.
• Apply high-level assessment and consultation skills.
• Support newly diagnosed patients with disease-modifying therapies and signpost to relevant agencies.
• Mentor colleagues to deliver high-quality, cost-effective MS care.

Skills

MS nursing

Advanced clinical skills

Autonomous practitioner

Leadership

Education

Postgraduate MSc in physical assessment

Academic development evidence

Non-medical prescriber

Job description

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This creates an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people. Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust. Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) describes algorithms that can be used to produce new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, and videos. It is developing all the time and is now being used as a support mechanism for all kinds of content-based creations. Please note the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this.

Job Overview

This is an exciting, new opportunity for a passionate and driven senior practitioner to take up a senior band 7 nursing position within the MS service at Bristol Foundation Trust. The Band 7 will hold a professional registration with the NMC and will work as an integral member of the multi-disciplinary MS service. The post holder will provide strong leadership and effective consultancy for patients with multiple sclerosis both internally and externally to the Trust and wider multi-disciplinary teams. Coming from a strong background of advanced clinical practice and extensive experience working within neurology, the role of the senior Band 7 nurse will guide care for people with MS who are facing multiple, complex problems with the focus on maintaining and improving function and independence wherever possible. This will be achieved by concentrating on ensuring people with MS are supported from diagnosis to palliative care, treatments are optimised , symptoms managed, and people are signposted to relevant support agencies. The post holder will join an established MS nursing team and work to ensure effective service developments are achieved through reflective practice & clinical audit

Main duties of the job

• Plan care in partnership with the person with MS, and their carer, actively facilitating their choice and involvement in decision making.
• Coordinates programmes of care with other health and social care professionals
• Independently conduct neurological examinations and objective measures of patient function
• Competently review and interpret data generated through these assessments and revises the care plan in conjunction with the person with MS, their carer, and other appropriate members of the team accordingly.
• Apply high-level assessment and consultation skills
• Support patients who are newly diagnosed, facilitate commencing them on disease modifying treatments, reviewing symptom management and signposting to the relevant supporting agency
• Supports and advises colleagues who are caring for people with MS to help them to deliver high quality, cost effective, specialist care, which optimises outcomes for people with MS and their families.

Working for our organisation

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston. With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Full details within the attached job description:

Core Aspects Of The Role Include

• Improve patient care through reflective practice & clinical audit
• Establishing clear care pathways for people with MS by recognising clinical guidelines and recognised national guidelines
• Promoting and providing individualised holistic care to people with MS

Key Process Indicators (KPIs) Will Include

• Timely access to disease modifying therapy
• Support of newly diagnosed in a timely manner as per national guidelines
• Reduction of unnecessary polypharmacy
• Improvement in outcomes for patients with MS and their families
• Increased support and training for other HCPs working with patients with MS

Person specification

Education/Training/Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Appropriate healthcare professional registration
• Extensive experience in MS and/or neurorehabilitation
• Postgraduate (MSc level) physical assessment qualification
• Evidence of academic development
• Evidence of Advanced clinical skills
• Autonomous practitioner with the ability to work creatively within the boundaries of their knowledge to co-ordinate comprehensive patient care

Desirable criteria

• Leadership module at degree level
• Non-medical prescriber

We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.

• As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
• The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
• BFT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
• To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
• If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
• By applying for this post, you are agreeing to Bristol NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
• Please be aware of scams - unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

Important

Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form. Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification. Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job. As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date. When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.