Advanced Practitioner Heart Failure/Palliative Care

St Christopher’s Hospice; Sydenham; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hospice organization in Sydenham seeks a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for heart failure and palliative care. You will lead patient assessments, deliver supportive care, coordinate with multidisciplinary teams, and improve service quality. Applicants must be NMC registered, with significant experience in cardiology or palliative care. The role offers opportunities for professional development and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Opportunities for specialist training

Flexible working arrangements

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Significant post-registration experience in cardiology, heart failure, or palliative care.
• Ability to work autonomously and manage a diverse caseload.
• Passion for improving services and patient-centred care.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist, evidence-based assessment for patients with advanced heart failure.
• Deliver palliative and supportive care, including symptom control.
• Lead holistic reviews and optimise therapies across care pathways.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated care.
• Offer education and support to patients and healthcare professionals.
• Contribute to service development and quality improvement.

Skills

NMC registered

Holistic assessment

Symptom management

Complex decision-making

Education

Registered General Nurse

Job description

Advanced Practitioner Heart Failure/Palliative Care

Are you a compassionate, forward-thinking nurse with expertise in heart failure and a passion for delivering excellent palliative care? We are looking for an experienced Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) with both heart failure and palliative care experience to join our dynamic & innovative multidisciplinary team to offer exceptional and integrated care to people living with, and dying from advanced heart failure.

About us

St Christophers, in our experience, is an extraordinary place to work.

Our aim at St Christophers is to deliver care and support that is of the highest quality to our patients, their families and carers and anyone else who looks to us for help. We know that people working across our organisation will only be able to provide this if they in turn, feel supported in their endeavours.

About the Role

We are looking for a Full Time Band 7 (37.5hrs /week) covering Croydon to join our community teams as Heart Failure/ Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialists.

As a CNS in Heart Failure & Palliative Care, you will play a pivotal role in working as part of an integrated service to support patients and their families with end stage heart failure. You will work autonomously and collaboratively across hospice and community settings, ensuring timely assessment, personalised care planning, and symptom management that prioritises quality of life.

In 2017 Bromley CCG & St Christophers Community Palliative Care Team (Bromley) piloted a very successful and innovative integrated community palliative care / heart failure service crossing boundaries, & working collaboratively in the community and with the local hospital Heart Failure Team (PRUH). This work has continued with the appointment of a substantive Heart Failure/Palliative Care CNS in our Bromley Community Team, & we have now acquired funding for a full-time post in our Croydon community team & a part time post to support our Lambeth/Southwark & Lewisham Community Teams. The focus of the service is to provide seamless, joined up care to support heart failure patients (thought to be in the palliative phase of their life) in the community to reduce their symptom burden and consequently improve your quality of life by reducing the need for hospital admission.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide specialist, evidence-based assessment and management for patients with advanced heart failure.
• Deliver high-quality palliative and supportive care, including symptom control, advance care planning, and complex communication.
• Lead on holistic reviews, optimise therapies, and ensure safe transitions across care pathways.
• Work closely with cardiology, palliative medicine, primary care, advanced practitioners, and the wider multidisciplinary teams.
• Offer education, support, and clinical expertise to patients, families, and healthcare professionals.
• Contribute to service development, quality improvement, and innovation in heart failure and palliative care services.

About You

We are looking for a nurse who is:

• NMC registered with significant post-registration experience in cardiology, heart failure, palliative care, or long-term condition management.
• Skilled in holistic assessment, symptom management, and complex decision-making.
• Confident working autonomously and able to prioritise a diverse caseload.
• Passionate about improving services and delivering outstanding patient-centred care.

What We Offer

• A supportive, forward-thinking team committed to development and innovation.
• Opportunities for specialist training, leadership development, and continued professional education.
• Flexible working arrangements where possible.
• The chance to truly make a difference to patients with life-limiting cardiac conditions.

How to Apply

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Fiona Hodson Nurse Consultant Heart Failure & Bromley Virtual Ward 07899924016.

Please have a look at our website for further information on all aspects of St Christophers at www.stchristophers.org.uk and to apply for this position, please click the Apply Online button below.

Person Specification

Registered General Nurse.

Experience

• Relevant post registration experience, at Band 6 or above, in heart failure care and palliative care.

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.