Macmillan Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Chesterfield; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare institution in the UK is seeking a Macmillan Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist to provide expert clinical decision-making and support for patients with complex needs. You will lead a caseload of patients, promoting best practices in Palliative care, developing educational programs, and ensuring delivery of outstanding patient service. The position requires significant experience in clinical specialty and strong leadership skills. This role offers an opportunity to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team.

Qualifications

• Significant post registration experience including in clinical specialty.
• Able to deal with complex and difficult emotional situations.
• Change management experience.
• Previous experience of working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Responsibilities

• Contributes to the delivery of outstanding patient care for Palliative and End of Life care needs.
• Leads on service development and implementation of new ways of working.
• Participates in diagnostic MDT meetings and coordinates patient care.
• Identifies and develops clinical protocols and operational policies.

Skills

Sound negotiation skills

Ability to deliver educational sessions

Evidence of continuing professional development

Led research project

Developed an educational programme

Education

1st Level Degree or equivalent

Advanced Communication course/qualification

Teaching and assessing

Evidence of study relevant to Palliative care

Job description

Macmillan Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist

Closing date: 11 January 2026

Uses expert levels of clinical decision making through specialist assessment and interpretation of clinical information to support patients and carers who have complex and/or changing physical symptoms, emotional or practical needs.

Overall responsibility for the care of a caseload of patients requiring specialist advice as appropriate, accept referrals from other healthcare professionals and work unsupervised.

Through demonstration of high levels of clinical expertise and practice, work collaboratively with members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT), divisional care unit and others to review and plan services which are responsive, cost effective and evidence based.

Provide strong, professional leadership working in partnership to enhance professional standards of care across the service linking in with primary, secondary and tertiary care as appropriate.

Participate in research and audit within specialist area.

Instrumental in providing specialist advice and educational programmes across all disciplines internally and externally, evaluating the effectiveness.

Main duties of the job

The Palliative Care team

Contributes to the delivery of outstanding patient care by:

Providing a patient centred, evidence-based specialist service for patients with Palliative and End of Life care needs and those important to them at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Developing and supporting a programme of education that enables other team members to be competent in the delivery of all aspects of the Palliative Care service.

Acting as a resource for all those involved in the care and management of the patients who have Palliative Care needs.

Promoting an innovative and progressive attitude to the continual improvement of patient care through the use of both formal and informal educational strategies with the multi‑professional team, directly in clinical areas and in the classroom setting.

Ensuring that the service is evaluated via a programme of audit and quality assurance/monitoring.

Working in partnership with other service leads to provide a cohesive seamless service.

Taking a role in developing clinical practice.

About us

As colleagues, we will always be guided by our proud to CARE values:

Compassion: Treating everyone with kindness - welcoming diversity and inclusion, considering individual needs; and challenging inappropriate behaviours outside of our values.

Ambition: Aspiring to be the best - reaching high standards, providing exceptional care and services; and achieving measurable improvements in people's health and wellbeing.

Respect: Valuing and appreciating everyone - listening, learning, and acting on their experiences, being open and honest; and recognising that working with others brings benefits.

Encouragement: Opportunities for all - supporting education and development, helping people to bring their improvement ideas to life and speak‑up; and getting everyone involved in our future.

Job responsibilities

Lead area Deliverables

Contributes to the delivery of outstanding patient care by:

Palliative care Inpatient

Leads on service development and the implementation of new ways of working that improve the quality of patient care i.e. providing a visual presence in ED/EMU, admission avoidance, innovation in delivery of education.

CUP

Participates in diagnostic MDT meetings and coordinates patient care in partnership with the MDT coordinator.

Identifies and develops clinical protocols and operational policies that are in line with National standards.

Please see job description for further details.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

• 1st Level Degree or equivalent
• Advanced Communication course/qualification
• Teaching and assessing
• Evidence of study relevant to Palliative care

Experience

• Significant post registration experience including in clinical speciality
• Able to deal with complex and difficult emotional situations
• Change management
• Previous experience of working as a CNS

Skills and Knowledge

• Sound negotiation skills, with the ability to deal with difficult or challenging situations
• Ability to deliver educational sessions to nurses and other disciplines
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Led research project
• Developed an educational programme

Personal attributes

• Positive attitude, self‑motivated
• Ability to work under pressure, organise own workload and prioritise
• Adaptable to meet service needs
• Innovative and dynamic

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.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Chesterfield Royal Hospital