Clinical Nurse Specialist - Paediatric Cleft
Cambridge University Hospitals Nhs Foundation Trust
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist to join CleftNet.East, the East of England cleft lip and palate service. You will provide specialist nursing across antenatal to adulthood, collaborating with maternity, children’s services and regional teams.
The post offers tailored training, flexible working, and opportunities to engage in audit, research and service improvement.
Qualifications
- Essential: RSCN/RN Child; First Degree (or equivalent in nursing)
- Essential: Teaching and Assessing qualification
- Essential: Evidence of ongoing CPD
Responsibilities
- Provide comprehensive, tailored training programme with ongoing clinical supervision
- Prioritise and manage a large, complex caseload across a wide region
- Collaborate with MDT across Cleft, Maternity and Children's Services in a multi-site environment
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, flexible, motivated and dynamic nurse to join CleftNet.East, the Eastern Region Cleft Lip and Palate Service, as a Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist.
CleftNet.East provides specialist care across the East of England, supporting children, young people and their families throughout their cleft journey. Our care pathway begins during the antenatal period for some families and continues into adulthood, making this a varied, challenging and rewarding specialist nursing role.
Our ethos of child-centred, holistic and family-focused care, alongside strong multidisciplinary collaboration, drives our service. You will work closely with colleagues across Cleft, Maternity and Children's Services, as well as professional colleagues within regional hospitals and community services.
This role provides an excellent opportunity to develop and use specialist nursing skills across a range of environments, including family homes, postnatal wards, neonatal units, children's wards and outpatient clinics across the region. The role also provides opportunities to engage and network with cleft professionals nationally and participate in audit, research and quality improvement at both local and national level. A strong commitment to improving patient experience and patient-reported outcomes is essential.
Previous experience within cleft nursing is desirable but not essential. We recognise that specialist cleft skills can be developed and will provide a comprehensive, individually tailored training programme and ongoing clinical supervision.
We are particularly interested in applicants with experience caring for babies and children with complex health needs. Experience in infant feeding, airway and respiratory assessment, post-operative nursing management, health visiting or community nursing would be highly beneficial.
The successful candidate will have strong leadership and organisational skills, sound clinical judgement and the ability to prioritise and manage a complex caseload across a large geographical area.
At times, you will work across the region as a lone worker. Therefore, a good understanding of health, safety and risk management, together with the ability to work independently and make appropriate clinical decisions, is essential.
Come Nurse with us...
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the country. It comprises Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Rosie Hospital. We provide accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge and regional and national specialist services. It's a great place to nurse, work and live.
You will work on a vibrant hospital campus with a friendly community feel; we have excellent facilities to practise your skills and abilities to support your career pathway and development. Our values of Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent support the delivery of outstanding care. We have a fully electronic patient record system that is improving health-care quality; this is transforming services, improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.
- Our values and reputation for outstanding care
- Opportunities to experience a range of specialities
- Career and development opportunities
- Preceptorship and mentoring programmes delivered by a dedicated clinical education support team
- Research experience and opportunities
- Lovely location and quality of life
- Excellent schools/colleges and transport links (road, rail and air)
- Date posted: 23 October 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 7
- Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year pa pro rata
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Part-time, Flexible working
- Reference number: 180-E-CVA1247
- Job locations: Addenbrookes Hospital - Division E, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.
This vacancy will close at midnight on 3rd November 2026.
Interviews are due to be held on 10th November 2026.
All appointments with a start date on or after 1 October 2026 will be subject to a 12-week probationary period. This provides a structured and supportive period to help you settle into your role, with regular reviews and feedback.
As there is a 12-week probationary period, successful candidates are expected to have the Right to Work for a period of at least 6 months from the proposed start date. Immigration and Right to Work status will be discussed with successful candidates at conditional offer. CUH will not offer sponsorship to candidates that have applied for a fee waiver.
Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full-time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full-time permanent contract unless you have: applied for a Graduate visa, or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment.
At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries.
Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.
On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only café, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.
CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times. Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.
We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.
- Essential: RSCN/RN Child; First Degree (or equivalent level) in nursing or health-related subject; Teaching and Assessing qualification; Evidence of on-going CPD
- Desirable: Post-graduate Diploma/Degree/Masters; Adult/RN Qualification; SCPHN; Midwifery qualification; Counselling qualification
- Essential: Working with acute and chronically ill children/young people; Evidence of having worked collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team; Demonstrate a commitment to teaching colleagues/students and to mentorship; Community experience; Safeguarding experience
- Desirable: Experience in caring for children, & their families affected by Cleft; Evidence of publications in nursing journals; Experience as a Clinical Nurse Specialist; NICU/PICU/ENT/Respiratory experience; Experience working with adults affected by cleft; NHS experience
- Essential: Demonstrate an understanding of the implications of the Children Act; of the National Service Framework; of the Every Child Matters; of the Working together to Safeguard Children; of the NHS Plan
- Desirable: Experience in developing care pathways and patient information; Understanding of MDT working; Experience of Service improvement
- Essential: Excellent written and oral communication skills; Skills of diplomacy and negotiation; Well-developed organisational and planning ability, able to prioritise and delegate; Maintain a flexible attitude to change; Demonstrate an ability to work as part of a team and build good relationships; Computer literate; Ability to manage performance of staff, change management and conflict
- Desirable: Experience of managing conflict; Competent in use of databases, spread sheets and PowerPoint
- Essential: The ability to understand and behave at all times towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind and excellent; Ability to collaborate with a wide range of people at all levels within the organisation and external agencies; Committed to providing a high standard of clinical care; Able to motivate others; To work flexibly as the role demands; Car driver/clean full UK driving Licence; Current NMC registration
- Desirable: Autonomous Practitioner; Experience of audit and research
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here: Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer name: Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Addenbrookes Hospital - Division E, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.cuh.nhs.uk
For questions about the job, contact: Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist Cleft, Louise Harris, louise.harris34@nhs.net
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