Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Health & wellbeing packages

Salary sacrifice schemes

Discount opportunities

Job summary

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist for Head and Neck cancer. The post leads a small CNS team, delivering autonomous, patient-centred care from diagnosis through survivorship and palliative care.

The role requires senior clinical leadership, MDT collaboration, governance, and ongoing service development to improve outcomes for head and neck cancer patients within the Trust.

Qualifications

• Registered General Nurse with nursing degree and post-registration development.
• Advanced communication certificate and non-medical prescribing where applicable.
• Evidence of Masters level study or willingness to undertake.
• Leadership training and HR experience are desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert clinical leadership and specialist nursing care for head and neck cancer across the pathway.
• Lead a team of Band 6 CNS colleagues with supervision, appraisal and development support.
• Drive service evaluation, quality improvement, audit, research and governance activities.

Skills

Head & neck cancer care

Autonomous practice

Clinical leadership

Team leadership

Communication skills

Service development

Governance & patient safety

Education

Registered General Nurse

Nursing Degree

Advanced communication certificate

Post-registration academic development

Masters level study

Non-medical Prescribing

Job description

Main area Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist for Head and Neck Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 190-3258-DIR

Site Royal Hallamshire Hospital Town Sheffield Salary £49,387 - £56,515 Per annum pro rata for part time staff Salary period Yearly Closing 11/11/2026 23:59 Interview date 19/11/2026

We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated so whilst you care for our patients and clients, we’ll take care of you. We offer many different ways of helping staff including career development opportunities, flexible working, good annual leave and pension schemes , health and wellbeing packages and financial support systems. Joining the Trust also allows you access to a number of saving options via our salary sacrifice schemes and a wide range of discount opportunities with retailers and service providers.

Job overview

The Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for Head and Neck Cancer is a senior autonomous practitioner responsible for providing expert clinical leadership and management of the Head and Neck CNS service across Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The post holder will ensure the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care for patients diagnosed with head and neck malignancies throughout their cancer pathway, from diagnosis through treatment, rehabilitation, survivorship and palliative care.

The Lead CNS will manage and support a team of three Band 6 Clinical Nurse Specialists, providing professional leadership, supervision, appraisal, performance management and workforce development. The post holder will work as an integral member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT), acting as a key worker for patients with complex needs and contributing to service development, quality improvement, audit, research and governance activities.

Working closely with Consultants, Allied Health Professionals, Cancer Services and operational teams, the Lead CNS will ensure patients receive coordinated, timely and evidence-based care in line with national cancer standards, NHS Long Term Plan priorities and Trust objectives. The post holder will lead on service evaluation and innovation, supporting continuous improvement in patient experience and clinical outcomes.

Main duties of the job

The Lead Head & Neck Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist will provide expert clinical leadership and specialist nursing care for patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer throughout their cancer pathway. Acting as an autonomous practitioner, the post holder will deliver holistic, patient-centred care from diagnosis through treatment, rehabilitation, survivorship and end-of-life care, ensuring patients and their families receive timely information, psychological support and coordinated care.

The post holder will lead and manage a team of three Band 6 Clinical Nurse Specialists, providing professional leadership, supervision, appraisal, performance management and development support to ensure the delivery of a high-quality service. They will act as a role model for clinical excellence and support service improvement, innovation and workforce development.

The post holder will be accountable for maintaining high standards of clinical practice, governance and patient safety whilst contributing to the strategic development of Head and Neck Cancer services within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Working for our organisation

You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its staff. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.

At Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, we are proud to provide outstanding care for our patients and communities across our five hospitals and a range of community services. We are one of the UK's largest NHS Foundation Trusts, delivering specialist and tertiary services locally, regionally and nationally.

We are looking for an inspirational nurse leader who is passionate about delivering personalised care, service improvement and clinical excellence. In return, we offer a supportive working environment, access to ongoing professional development opportunities and the chance to make a real difference to the lives of people affected by cancer.

At Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, our values are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to delivering care with compassion, working together, striving for excellence and continuously improving the services we provide for our patients, carers and communities.

Educatioin and Qualifications

• Registered General Nurse
• Nursing Degree
• Advanced communication certificate
• To have completed the national practice assessor training or equivalent teaching and assessing qualification for those with ENB998.
• Evidence of post registration academic development
• Evidence of working at Masters level or willing to undertake study at Masters level
• Leadership skills course / management experience with HR issues
• APACS
• Non-medical Prescribing

Experience

• Substantial post registered experience
• Experience of head & neck cancer care management and in-depth knowledge of the disease processes
• Advanced analytical and clinical reasoning skills to support judgement and decision-making skills to deal with differential diagnoses during the dynamic pathways
• Evidence of autonomous practice/running nurse led clinics
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Evidence of a flexible approach to service development.
• Ability to manage change effectively.
• Evidence of academic and managerial achievement.
• Ability to work independently and across disciplines as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
• External working including GPs and CCGs’
• Experience of patient examination and history taking
• Counselling skills
• Knowledge of national agenda on improving cancer services

Skills and Knowledge

• Expert knowledge and understanding of head & neck cancer and treatments
• Up to date knowledge of current clinical and professional issues
• An understanding of audit and research-based nursing practice
• Ability to lead and influence change across professional groups
• An understanding of resource management
• Organise and manage a diverse group of staff
• Ability to consult and liaise with a range of professionals
• Commitment to equal opportunities and can demonstrate knowledge of the national and local equity and diversity agenda
• Evidence of autonomous practice and running nurse led clinics

Personal Qualities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including specialist skills to communicate with staff/patients in relation to complex and sensitive issues
• Demonstrates high motivational skills
• Non-judgemental and able to adapt to different working environments
• Strategic thinking
• Able to demonstrate excellent leadership skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Motivational team worker
• Demonstrates and role models Trust values and behaviours

Please note that in order to comply with the UK Government’s rules on Skilled Worker sponsorship, any applicants who do not meet the eligibility requirements or concessions on salary thresholds under the Skilled Worker visa will not be eligible to receive sponsorship from the Trust. Please keep this in mind when submitting your application. Further details on these concessions, and who qualifies for them, can be found here .

The Trust is committed to its obligations in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, and we positively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Should you require any assistance in applying for the position please contact the General or Medical Human Resources Departments on the number identified on the NHS Jobs page for the organisation. Job Share applicants are welcome for all full time posts unless indicated but cannot be guaranteed. In addition for Fixed Term Contracts, internal secondments may be considered, please seek the approval of your current line manager before applying for the position. All employment with the Trust is subject to a number of NHS Employment Checks being met to a satisfactory standard including verification of identity, eligibility to work in the United Kingdom, references and qualifications in addition to professional registration, a disclosure and barring records check and occupational health check if these are deemed to be a requirement for the position to be undertaken.

For more information about our organisation and the opportunities available, please visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook

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.