Lead Cancer Nurse

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust; Lower Blandford St Mary; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Dorset is seeking a senior professional to lead cancer nursing services, governance, and strategic development. You will drive standards across the cancer care spectrum, aligning with national plans and ensuring credible stakeholder engagement across care groups.

The role requires a Master’s degree or equivalent experience, registered professional status, and proven senior leadership in acute healthcare, with a focus on transformation and change management.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse/Allied Health Professional/Health Care Scientist.
• Master's degree or equivalent experience.
• UK professional registration is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the quality, risk and governance of cancer services, ensuring it is reported at the highest level.
• Lead the development and implementation of a Trust-wide Cancer Nursing Strategy and present it to the Trust Board and national bodies.
• Lead strategic cancer nursing workforce planning to ensure staffing and skills now and in the future.
• Work with the Head of Cancer Services and Directors to align policy and ensure engagement with external partners.

Education

Registered Nurse/Allied Health Professional/Health Care Scientist

Master's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.

We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the‑art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.

We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.

We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.

At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.

As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.

Job overview

The post holder will work collaboratively with the Cancer Services Team, the Wessex Cancer Alliance, primary and secondary care and the voluntary sector to improve the quality of health provision for patients with cancer and their families.

• The postholder will maximise the contribution that nursing and cancer support services make to Cancer Services, focusing on leadership, accountability, support and supervision ensuring that cancer nursing within UHD is of the highest standard.
• Forming essential communications links with the Group Directors of Nursing for all Care Groups and the wider cancer nursing and AHP workforce.
• The postholder will work to promote the integration of Cancer Services, streamline processes, optimise communication as well as promote service improvement and redesign in line with local and national priorities.
• With support from GDONs, ensure the systems and processes in place comply with legislation and governance requirements.
• To be highly visible, accessible and to have an authoritative nursing presence demonstrating the Trust vision and values in all behaviours.
• To provide Trust wide professional leadership and coordination of all cancer nursing and cancer related AHP services.
• To ensure UHD has the right systems and processes in place to ensure compliance with Long Term Plan and the NHS Cancer Programme.

Main duties of the job

• Leading the quality, risk and governance of cancer services, ensuring it is reported and represented at the highest level. Oversee incident reviews, risk management, audits and quality improvement.
• Lead the development and implementation of a Trust-wide Cancer Nursing Strategy, aligned with the Trust strategy, national cancer strategy and the NHS 10-year Health Plan. Present the Trust Cancer Nursing Strategy to Trust Board/ICB/national bodies.
• Lead strategic cancer nursing workforce planning and implementation to ensure cancer services are appropriately staffed and skilled now and in the future.
• To work alongside the Head of Cancer Services, the Cancer Services Clinical Director and the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer and significantly contribute to the strategic direction and policy setting for Cancer Services, forming an essential communications link between the organisation and the wider cancer nursing and allied health professionals.

Interview: 30th November

Working for our organisation

This is a very exciting time to join our hospitals in Dorset. We are in line to receive a significant national investment of £201 million to help transform our services and redevelop Poole Hospital and the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals, now merged as University Hospitals Dorset. We have been able to access these national funds because we have such a good plan in Dorset.

Our vision is to join up our services so they can be delivered in a more integrated way. We have a great opportunity together to improve outcomes for patients, make better use of all our resources, and ensure our services can be provided on a sustainable basis.

For developing our workforce, the aim is to establish modern, well‑equipped centres of excellence with sustainable roles for staff, standardisation of education and training so that we can attract and retain skilled clinical and non‑clinical staff to Dorset. This is a great opportunity for you to be part of the transformation change activity taking place following the merger of two hospital trusts to form University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust last October.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse/Allied Health Professional/Health Care Scientist
• Master's degree or equivalent experience

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in the acute healthcare setting in clinical leadership/clinical management position
• Proven track record of operational management at a senior level in the acute healthcare setting managing multiple ward / services/ departments. Including staff, financial/budgetary and change management.
• Evidence of delivering complex change at organisational level involving wide engagement including external partners.

Please note:

Staff recruited are expected to be available to work flexibly across all our Trust locations to meet service demands.

This advert may be closed early if sufficient applications are received.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst this vaccination is not a condition of employment we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.

Internal Candidates: staff employed prior to merger who voluntarily change jobs will be appointed to UHD terms and conditions.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.