Clinical Nurse Specialist Palliative Care

NHS; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health service provider in Bristol is seeking a Palliative Care Nurse Specialist to offer expert advice and support to patients with life-limiting conditions. The role requires strong communication and clinical skills, with opportunities for full-time and part-time hours. Join a dedicated multidisciplinary team to improve care for patients and families, ensuring high-quality service delivery across various settings.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to assess complex needs and develop a management plan.
• Experience of involvement with research or audit projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert palliative care knowledge and skills.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary teams in hospital and community.

Skills

Highly effective communication skills

Strong organisational skills

Ability to lead and influence change

Advanced communication and interpersonal skills

Education

Relevant clinical experience

Thorough knowledge of nursing theory and best practice

Job description

Overview

The Palliative Care Team provides a trust wide service offering specialist advice for adults referred with palliative care needs. This includes patients with malignant and non-malignant diagnoses.

The post holder will work as an integral member of the Multidisciplinary Team within University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. The post holder will acknowledge and provide the overall responsibility for the provision of specialist nursing advice and support to patients and families referred to the service. The post holder will utilize skills of clinical expertise, leadership, education, and management to ensure a seamless service for patients, carers and staff. They will work closely with the multidisciplinary team in hospital and the community to ensure a co-ordinated quality service and will be actively involved in education, audit and research. The post holder will be based on either the Bristol or Weston site, however may be required to work on either site, to meet the demands of the service. Full time and part time hours are available.

Main duties of the job

• Provide expert palliative care knowledge and skills to provide specialist advice and support on complex pain and symptom management for patients with life limiting conditions, for those closest to them and for colleagues within and external to the Trust.
• Be responsible for the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of specialist individualised management plans.
• Working autonomously, demonstrating high levels of expertise and initiative to manage and advise upon complex situations involving multiple teams.
• Work closely with patient and their families when conveying complex, sensitive and potentially distressing information around prognosis and future care options.
• Provide specialist advice, support, education and training to the wider care team who are providing direct core level palliative care to the person.
• Support colleagues to communicate highly distressing information regarding diagnosis /prognosis to patients and families.
• Lead and participate in the planning, development and evaluation of clinical services using advanced clinical skills and knowledge.

About us

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as 'Good' overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward- thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. 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. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. 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.

Details

Date posted: 23 September 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 7

Salary: £47,810 to £54,710 a year pa or pa pro rata

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time

Reference number: 387-S9380-GB-A

Job locations: Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre/Weston General Hospital, Horfield Road, Bristol, BS2 8ED

Employer details: University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) — Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre/Weston General Hospital, Horfield Road, Bristol, BS2 8ED. Employer website

Qualifications and requirements

Knowledge and Experience Essential

• Thorough and up to date knowledge of nursing theory and best practice particularly within speciality or related area
• Relevant clinical experience
• Evidence of recent teaching experience
• Experience of involvement with research or audit projects
• Knowledge of national and local specialty specific issues
• Ability to work autonomously

• Desirable: Current speciality experience
• Desirable: Experience and knowledge of advanced practice/protocols

Skills and Abilities Essential

• Highly effective communication skills - verbally and written to staff, patients and relatives including in situations of conflict or distress
• Able to gain credibility with and influence colleagues including influencing clinical changes where appropriate
• Strong organisational skills - prioritising complex situations
• The ability to lead and influence change
• Demonstrates ability to implement and utilise audit data to improve quality
• Clinical expert in defined area of work, with the proven ability to assess complex needs and develop a management plan
• Able to advise on and implement improvements to the quality and efficiency of care for patients
• Ability to act as facilitator, mentor and supervisor to colleagues
• Flexibility, adaptability to meet needs of a changing service
• Ability to cope with emotional issues presented in the course of work, and to support others
• Information technology skills
• Commitment to the development and provision of high quality nursing care
• Demonstrate initiative

Aptitudes Essential

• Empathic
• Genuine interest in the care of those with life limiting conditions
• Advanced communication and interpersonal skills

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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 (Opens in a new tab).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).