Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist, Specialist Palliative Care

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust; Coventry; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious hospital in the UK is looking for a Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative Care. In this role, you will lead and manage the nursing team, ensuring high-quality patient care and enhancing overall service delivery. The ideal candidate will possess exceptional leadership and clinical skills, with a strong commitment to patient outcomes. Join this dynamic team and contribute to innovative practices in palliative care.

Benefits

Comprehensive training programs

Supportive working environment

Competitive salary and benefits

Qualifications

• Experience in palliative care and clinical leadership required.
• Ability to improve patient outcomes through service improvement methods.
• Strong background in policy and guideline development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Specialist Palliative Care nursing team.
• Manage nursing resources according to service delivery needs.
• Ensure compliance with quality standards and clinical governance.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Clinical expertise

Education

Registered Nurse qualification

Job description

Overview

Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist, Specialist Palliative Care – University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

The closing date is 23 October 2025

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced, compassionate Clinical Nurse Specialist to lead our well-established and dynamic Specialist Palliative Care nursing team here at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust. We are looking for a passionate and forward-thinking Band 8a Nurse to lead and shape our specialist service.

You will play a pivotal role in service development, clinical leadership, and innovation. As the Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist, you\'ll bring advanced clinical expertise, strategic insight, and a commitment to excellence.

Successful applicants will be required to provide an immunisation and vaccination report, from either their current UK occupational health provider or their UK GP.

Main duties of the job

The role of the Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist (LCNS) for the Specialist Palliative Care Team is a high profile, dynamic, proactive and pioneering role. The LCNS for the Specialist Palliative Care Service will be able to make informed decisions and have managerial responsibility for the Specialist Palliative Care Nursing Service.

The roles focus will be to improve overall patient experience and outcomes for patients requiring specialist palliative care using service improvement and quality methodology and be responsive to challenging healthcare needs and advances in practice.

The post holder will lead and manage the specialist palliative care nursing teams. They will engage directly with medical and nursing teams in the management of patients, providing specialist advice, skills leadership, collaboration and consultancy ensuring that patients gain appropriate and timely care.

In addition, they will develop consistent approaches to the strategic management of the patient group, through training and education, policy and guideline development, audit and research and implementation of evidence-based care. They will ensure that nursing resource are managed and supported in line with service delivery.

About us

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.

We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.

Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.

We are proud to be recognised as a Pathway to Excellence designated organisation - please click the link for further details about this prestigious award. Pathway To Excellence - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (uhcw.nhs.uk)

By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.

The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation\'s core values.

Job responsibilities

• Accountable for own actions in accordance with the Code of Professional Conduct. Will contribute to corporate objectives, acting within local, Trust and statutory guidelines and policies at all times.
• Highly developed communication skills enabling maintenance of high-quality service within a complex and challenging environment with often, conflicting priorities.
• Responsible for leading the provision of a high-quality professional nursing service across the Specialist Palliative Care Service promoting best practice and implementing a review process that looks at quality and efficiency to meet the needs of patients and service.
• Will develop and implement policies, procedures, and guidelines across several departments, ensuring that clinical governance is embedded in practice.
• Overall budget responsibility, for nursing resources across the service monitoring variance and implementing contingency plans as appropriate, e.g., bank, agency expenditure and sickness.
• Support the Group Director of Nursing and AHPs and Clinical Lead (Specialist Palliative Care) in ensuring service objectives are met and in the developing of nursing services and deputising as required.
• Responsible for the efficient management of processes e.g., complaints within a defined area e.g., complaints; training and development; appraisal and patient flow.
• Utilise information and IT systems to produce accurate and timely workforce and resource data and reports.
• Responsible for development, implementation, and evaluation of projects to improve patient care and service development through the audit cycle, linking to the clinical governance framework and business planning process. Utilise extensive understanding of the Specialist Palliative Care Patients pathways to deliver specialist nursing at all points of the pathway.
• Undertake direct workload requiring moderate to high physical effort according to patient dependency or staff need.
• Demonstrate through effective leadership the ability to provide professional and emotional support to individuals and groups, e.g., during difficult situations or unexpected events.
• Accountable for maintaining a clean, safe environment ensuring adherence to Trust standards of cleanliness, hygiene, and infection control at all times.
• Responsible for adherence to Health and Safety and Trust policy and Divisional objectives designed to protect healthcare staff and service users from clinical and non-clinical risk and known hazards.

For further details of the role please see the attached job description.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• See supporting documents
• See supporting documents

Experience

• See supporting documents

Knowledge Skills

• See supporting documents
• See supporting documents

Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours

• See supporting documents

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.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

Address

University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire

University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire