Clinical Nurse Lead | Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust; Pulborough; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Pulborough is seeking an experienced Clinical Nurse Lead to coordinate community care and provide leadership to nursing staff. The ideal candidate will hold a Specialist Practitioner Qualification and have a strong background in managing complex patient needs. Responsibilities include case management, quality assurance, and team leadership in delivering effective clinical care. The role offers flexibility and development opportunities in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Excellent training and development

Cost-effective workplace nurseries

Qualifications

• Experience in community care and managing long-term conditions.
• Ability to lead teams and promote self-care management.
• Understanding of clinical audit and CQC compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality of care processes and risk management.
• Deliver case management and care coordination.
• Ensure patient dignity and safe systems of work.

Skills

Expert clinical knowledge

Strong communication skills

Leadership skills

Case management

Education

Specialist Practitioner Qualification

Advanced practice qualifications

Job description

Welcome to Rural North Chichester Community PCN Team

We have the pleasure in recruiting an experienced nurse who has the Specialist Practitioner Qualification.

Someone who is committed to nursing and attaining to the highest standards of assessment, treatment and support to our community patients and their carers.

If you read the job description and specification you will see that the role requires you to have expert clinical knowledge to guide and support staff in the team to provide the best care and support. To be energised in the role to encourage staff to develop and patients to engage in their treatment plans.

The post of Clinical Nurse Lead

The post of Clinical Nurse Lead is for an experienced and qualified community specialist practitioner who has advanced practice qualifications including clinical and leadership skills.

You will be expected to coordinate complex care and the assessment and management of long‑term conditions. Case management skills are required to enable self‑management of health, independent living in the home/community, and reduction of hospital admissions through robust contingency plan provision.

The post holder will also be responsible for staff management, supervision and development, including appraisals and supervision of junior staff.

As an educator, mentor and preceptor working with others, you will take the lead in the development and supervision, particularly for the community nurses, as well as promoting self‑care management principles with patients using innovative patient activation strategies.

The focus of this role is to provide safe, effective and quality clinical care using advanced qualifications to support clinical practise along with strong clinical leadership, advice and support to the team.

Excellent communication and negotiation skills are essential in order to effectively liaise with members of the wider multi‑disciplinary team as well as an ability to reflect upon and where needed challenge the status quo.

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing


• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex


• Flexible working options: part‑time, flexi‑time, annualised hours, and flexi‑retirement


• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities


• Cost‑effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton


• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks


• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust


• Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Responsibilities

• To lead the processes for delivering, monitoring and improving the quality of care provided to patients. This includes risk management, complying with and contributing to CQC requirements, incidents and clinical audit.


• Delivers effective skilled, case management including care co‑ordination, care planning and treatment for complex patients.


• Identify risks to service delivery and problem solve to ensure resources are allocated across the team/teams to appropriately prioritise care.


• Ensure clinical research is conducted in line with Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust protocols and in liaison with the research team, ensuring that the research has had ethical approval.


• Ensure that patients receive the information they need and are treated with dignity and respect for their privacy.


• Carry out risk assessments and adhere to safe systems of work. This includes understanding and adhering to the reporting procedures for clinical and nonclinical incidents/near misses. Employees must attend relevant courses and mandatory updates, take a pro‑active role in contributing to risk identification and management and be responsive to lessons learned from incidents and near misses.


• Reports clinical and non‑clinical incidents and proactively manages risk to patients including vulnerable adults and staff.


• Supports, monitors and challenges caseload management processes to ensure quality, safe and effective care delivery.


• To promote an environment conducive to effective learning and to comply with statutory and mandatory responsibilities in line with current local and National monitoring requirements

See the job description and job specification for further information.

This advert closes on Thursday 27 Nov 2025