Palliative and End of Life Care Clinical Specialist Nurse/AHP

Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Oswestry; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading orthopaedic hospital in the UK is seeking a committed Palliative and End of Life Care Clinical Specialist Nurse/AHP to lead service development. This role involves implementing care pathways, supporting clinical teams, and providing staff training. The ideal candidate must have significant experience in palliative care and a strong passion for delivering exceptional patient care in critical moments. This is a fixed-term post with outstanding professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Outstanding professional development opportunities

State-of-the-art facilities

Qualifications

• 5 years postgraduate experience in a nursing or AHP role.
• 2 years of significant post registration experience in a palliative care specialty.
• Experience of managing change and working effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement palliative and end-of-life care pathways.
• Provide expert clinical support and education to staff.
• Lead quality improvement initiatives and oversee clinical audits.

Skills

Advanced communication skills

Ability to independently make clinical decisions

Project or quality improvement experience

Effective time management and organisational skills

Education

RN Diploma or Degree 1st Level Registered General Nurse

Post registration qualification in palliative care

Teaching qualification or equivalent experience

Job description

Palliative and End of Life Care Clinical Specialist Nurse/AHP

The closing date is 22 January 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a committed Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional with proven expertise in palliative and end‑of‑life care to lead service development at the Trust. The successful candidate will be passionate about delivering exceptional patient care and supporting individuals during critical stages of life.

Please note that we have no access to OSCE support courses, and nurses pending registration are welcome to apply but must be able to evidence that they have satisfied the NMC Objective Structured Clinical Examination Test of Competence.

Main duties of the job

This newly created, high‑impact role is a two‑year fixed‑term post aimed at enhancing palliative and end‑of‑life care across a broad geographical area. The position centres on developing and implementing care pathways, supporting clinical teams, and delivering staff training – including the ICB palliative care training resource.

Key duties include leading policy and strategic development, driving quality improvement and service transformation, and offering expert clinical support and education to those caring for patients in their final stages of life.

The role also involves liaison with external agencies, hospices, and local service providers, as well as overseeing clinical audits to ensure compliance with national standards. As a visible clinical specialist, the post‑holder will coordinate care, develop care plans for end‑of‑life elective surgery patients, and may independently prescribe if qualified.

About us

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic NHS Trust (RJAH) is one of the leading orthopaedic hospitals in the country, with some of the highest levels of staff and patient satisfaction, as well as a strong reputation for research and innovation.

In the National Staff Survey, 74% of our staff would recommend the Trust as a place to work and 92% would recommend the hospital to a friend or relative for treatment.

Joining RJAH is more than just a job – we want our people to have the best opportunities to thrive in their role. We have a range of fantastic staff benefits on offer to everyone who joins RJAH and you’ll have access to outstanding professional development opportunities and state‑of‑the‑art facilities – including our recently‑opened £6 million Headley Court Veterans' Orthopaedic Centre (the first unit of its kind in the UK).

Job responsibilities

• Pathways of care and active support to clinical teams in all aspects of palliative and end of life care.
• Training of staff at RJAH and support ICB palliative care training resource.
• Strategic development and overview.
• Development and delivery of quality improvement and service transformation.
• Support and education of staff across the Trust without direct supervision, working autonomously as lead nursing/AHP expert.
• Liaise with outside agencies covering a large potential referral geography (hospices, local service providers and Trusts).
• Partner with existing specialist teams (Sheldon Ward, Montgomery Unit, Spinal Team, MCSI teams) and pre‑operative optimisation teams.
• Participate in high‑level reviews of the service and future strategy development for the end-of-life care pathway.
• Oversee clinical audit activity and ensure compliance with NICE guidance and national regulators.
• Informal visits to the Trust to view the working environment and meet the team are welcomed.

Person Specification

Qualifications / Training

• RN Diploma or Degree 1st Level Registered General Nurse or relevant AHP qualification.
• Post registration qualification in palliative care or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of continued professional development to master’s level.
• Physical Assessment Course.
• Advanced communication skills course.
• Non‑medical prescriber or willingness to achieve.
• Teaching qualification or equivalent experience.

Experience

• 5 years postgraduate experience in a nursing or AHP role.
• Significant post registration experience in a palliative care specialty (minimum 2 years).
• Experience of managing change.
• Experience of working effectively as part of the multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of working with service users to develop practice and evaluation or audit.
• Presentation skills, teaching skills and experience.

Skills and Competencies

• Ability to independently make clinical decisions.
• Ability to develop effective interpersonal relationships with colleagues.
• Ability to work both within a team and autonomously.
• Effective time management and organisational skills.
• Advanced communication skills.
• Ability to influence change through advanced clinical knowledge and skills.
• Project or quality improvement experience.
• Research / audit skills.
• Ability to work across professional boundaries.
• Experience of participation in research and audit.
• Presentation skills, teaching skills and experience.
• Good IT skills (Word, email, PowerPoint).

Knowledge

• Knowledge of advances and current issues in palliative care.
• Knowledge of health care policy and strategy relevant to palliative care.
• Knowledge of current NHS end‑of‑life performance and service improvement initiatives.
• Understanding of improvement redesign and change management.
• Knowledge and application of audit, research and evidence to practice.
• Knowledge of clinical and information governance.
• Knowledge of professional practice standards and code of conduct.
• Knowledge of NICE guidance, standards of care and legislation.
• Knowledge of project management methodologies.

Personal Qualities & Trust Values

• Work flexibly to meet the demands of the service.
• Motive and lead others effectively.
• Manage opposition and overcome obstacles positively and non‑threateningly.
• Exemplify the Trust Values.

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.

Address

Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust