Dementia Nurse Specialist / Dementia Specialist Practitioner

NHS; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in the UK seeks a Dementia Nurse Specialist for a part-time position. The role involves direct patient support, staff training, and collaboration with multi-agency teams to improve dementia care outcomes. Ideal candidates will be registered professionals with substantial experience in dementia support and robust clinical knowledge. This permanent role also offers opportunities for professional development and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Generous pension scheme

27 days annual leave pro rata

Qualifications

• Significant post-registration clinical experience with dementia patients.
• Experience in service development and practice.
• Ability to lead and manage healthcare services.

Responsibilities

• Apply specialist knowledge to support clinical outcomes for dementia patients.
• Deliver training to hospital staff for better patient care.
• Coordinate care and safety planning for patients.

Skills

Clinical experience with dementia

Leadership and management

Training and education delivery

Autonomous practitioner

Education

Registered Nurse or Health/Social Care professional

Post-graduate education in dementia care

Job description

Go back East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Dementia Nurse Specialist / Dementia Specialist Practitioner

The closing date is 05 January 2026

We are offering an opportunity for a registered professional with experience and expertise in supporting people with a diagnosis of Dementia. This is a permanent part-time role (week one 22.25hrs (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) and week two 15.25hrs Wednesday & Thursday).

You will have the skills & competence to support staff across Ipswich Hospital to provide care for people who experience challenges resulting from symptoms of Dementia.

This support will involve direct interventions with patients & their carers/families and indirect support through staff training, education and consultancy. There will be an expectation for you to undertake assessments where required to inform multi-agency care planning, provide advice & sign-posting to enable people to access appropriate support at times when it is required, co-ordinate patient centred care and safety planning & liaise and collaborate with partner agencies to support good outcomes for patients with this diagnosis.

The post involves delivery of training in both formal and informal forums to support acute hospital staff in developing confidence and skills to deliver care safely & effectively.

You will support the understanding & application of appropriate legal frameworks & ensure that patients' rights are protected when such frameworks are necessitated.

You will also provide direct line management to our dementia specialist support worker who will work closely with you to ensure continuity in the provision of this service.

Main duties of the job

• Apply specialist knowledge and expertise to support positive clinical outcomes and compassionate care for patients with dementia
• Promote best practice and evidence based approaches to caring for people with dementia
• Co-ordinate care and safety planning for people who require additional support or restrictive interventions as a result of symptoms associated with dementia and support clinical teams to follow these and respond to escalation in concerns
• Deliver training and education to staff in order to enable higher levels of confidence and competence by staff across the hospital when they work with people with this diagnosis
• Encourage, lead and participate in multi-agency working to ensure that people's needs are met holistically and discharge planning is effective.
• Provide line management supervision to the specialist dementia support worker

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

Job responsibilities

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Person Specification

Experience

• Significant post-registration clinical experience of working with people with dementia and delirium in different settings
• Experience of recent involvement in practice/ service development.
• Experience of working with groups and individuals in a variety of roles and settings
• Demonstrated experience of working as an autonomous practitioner
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage services
• Experience of professional supervision of staff
• Experience of audit/ evaluating clinical practice
• Experience of undertaking staff performance reviews and planned development of staff
• Experience of working with patients/ clients to develop practice

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse or Health or Social Care professional
• Formal knowledge of dementia/ older people acquired through clinical post-graduate education

Knowledge

• Incorporating and demonstrating competencies including person-centred care, therapeutic skills, sharing knowledge, best practice, and critical reflective practice at enhanced specialist level
• Ability to use a range of therapeutic skills
• Understanding practice and promoting person-centred and relationship-centred care
• Collaborative and multi-agency working

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 Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust