Clinical Rheumatology Specialist Nurse

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Foundation Trust in Canterbury is seeking a Clinical Rheumatology Specialist Nurse to deliver high-quality care for patients with complex autoimmune conditions. The successful candidate will work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team, focusing on enhancing patient outcomes. Qualifications required include an NMC registration and a relevant degree, with experience in Rheumatology preferred. This is an exciting opportunity for professional development in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Dynamic working environment

Supportive team culture

Qualifications

• Current NMC registration required.
• Formal teaching/mentoring qualification is a must.
• Master’s Degree in a health-related subject preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage discrete aspects of patient care within practice level.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.
• Improve nursing practices to enhance patient care quality.

Skills

Postgraduate healthcare experience

Experience with Rheumatology patients

Supervising staff

Networking skills

Presentation skills

Education

Current NMC registration

Formal teaching or mentoring qualification

Degree relevant to clinical practice

Master's Degree in health-related subject

Job description

Overview

Go back East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical Rheumatology Specialist Nurse

The closing date is 05 February 2026

The Rheumatology Service care for patients across East Kent with inflammatory auto immune conditions. There are approximately 200 conditions in our speciality and are often long term, complex and challenging to diagnose and treat.

We are on an exciting journey to develop and grow our team offering a Band 7 clinical rheumatology specialist nurse position. The experienced practitioner will work competently at an enhanced practice level including independent nurse prescribing and intra-articular joint injections, providing care aligned to the four pillars of practice. It is envisaged that 80% of this role will be spent in the clinical area, as part of an agreed job plan. You will have the opportunity to advance, in line with your personal development plans

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work at an enhanced level of practice utilising highly developed post graduate experience, knowledge and skills in Rheumatology specialty. They will manage discrete aspects of a patient\'s care in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, within their current level of practice and patient group, aligned to the four pillars of practice and aligned to Trust policy, \'Enhanced, Advanced and Consultant Level Practice- Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs).\'

The postholder will contribute to nursing practiceto improve the quality of care to patients.

About us

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with fivehospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is \'great healthcare from great people\'. Everything we do is guided by our values: \'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference\'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called \'We care\'. It\'s about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We\'re looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Job responsibilities

Please scroll down to access the full Job Description and Person Specification located in Documents to download.

If you have further queries please dont hesitate to contact the line manager using the contact details below.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

• Current NMC registration.
• Formal teaching or mentoring qualification including ENB 998/997, or equivalent.
• Degree relevant to professional registration and area of clinical practice.
• Evidence of continuing professional development within Rheumatology specialty
• Master\'s Degree in a health related subject relevant to area of clinical specialty and advanced practice or Masters/L7 programme commenced.
• NHS Leadership Academy qualification e.g. \'Edward Jenner\', \'Mary Seacole\'.

Knowledge, skills and Experience

• Significant postgraduate healthcare experience demonstrating professional development across the four pillars of practice.
• Significant experience of care of the Rheumatology patient
• Experience of working with patients/service users to resolve concerns and improve their experience.
• Evidence of effective networking or matrix working
• Experience of supervising staff and delivering training
• Experience of assessing patients and developing specialised programmes of care o
• Experience of presenting to groups of staff/public

Personal and Professional Attributes

• Ability to work within a team to achieving goals for a shared vision.
• Evidence of service development and delivery in practice.
• Knowledge of health policy and application to practice.
• Ability to problem solve, anticipate and plan, individually and within a team
• Demonstrate self-awareness and critical reflection
• Flexibility in working patterns to meet the needs of the service
• Commitment to equity and diversity
• Self-motivated, positive, adaptable and flexible approach
• Upholds and role models the Trust values
• Clean full UK driving licence to enable travel to community clinics and all Trust sites
• Experience of assessing patients and developing specialised programmes of care
• Experience of presenting to groups of staff/public

Governance

• Understanding of quality governance, patient safety and patient experience tools to support clinical practice and service improvement. oo oo o
• Sound knowledge and understanding of national policy and guidance
• Utilisation of clinical effectiveness tools to deliver quality improvement e.g. risk management and clinical audit.
• Evidence of innovative practice utilising research and audit.
• Experience of contributing to quality improvement in safety/quality improvement projects.
• Experience of writing reports and presenting to teams or small groups
• Experience of implementing and evaluating improvements in care

Other Requirements

• Flexibility in working patterns to meet the needs of the service
• Commitment to equity and diversity
• Self-motivated, positive, adaptable and flexible approach
• Upholds and role models the Trust values
• Clean full UK driving licence to enable travel to community clinics and all Trust sites

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.

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust