Specialist Nurse - Respiratory Virtual Ward | Barts Health NHS Trust

Barts Health NHS Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Greater London is seeking a nurse to join its virtual ward team specializing in chronic respiratory disease. This role involves delivering person-centered care, conducting assessments, and leading service improvements. Candidates should have experience at Band 6 or 7 level and will work within a supportive environment that prioritizes patient independence and well-coordinated care. The role is on a 12-month fixed-term contract with a commitment to inclusivity and staff well-being.

Qualifications

• Experience with patients having chronic respiratory diseases.
• Ability to work autonomously and perform assessments in the community.
• Familiarity with creating individualised self-management plans.

Responsibilities

• Lead service improvement exercises for respiratory patient management.
• Triage referrals and ensure correct patient recruitment.
• Oversee patient flow in the Community Virtual Ward.
• Conduct home visits post-discharge for patient follow-up.
• Collaborate with respiratory wards and teams.
• Create self-management plans for patients.

Skills

Advanced nursing knowledge

Chronic respiratory disease management

Leadership and mentorship

Education

Nursing qualification (Band 6 or 7)

Job description

This post will join our new virtual ward team of nurses, therapists and consultants and deliver the Newham University Hospital’s Virtual respiratory ward, expediting discharge of patients with chronic respiratory disease. The role will deliver person centred care, comprehensive respiratory assessment of adults with chronic respiratory disease, both within the hospital and within Newham community.

This post will be of interest to Nurses who are working at Band 6 or 7 level with acute or chronic respiratory patients, who wish to progress and apply their expertise in an expanding and developing service. You will be supported in your development within an expert team.

The team includes doctors, specialist nurses and therapists who care for patients with chronic respiratory disease from attendance to hospital through to care at home via early supported discharge or admission avoidance processes. Our vision is for the people of Newham to experience well-coordinated care and support in the most appropriate setting, which is truly person-centred and helps them to maintain their independence. The Virtual Ward service will be available 7 days a week.

To draw on advanced nursing knowledge and practical skills to care for patients living with chronic respiratory disease.

• To lead on service improvement exercises and support junior staff and other professionals in gaining competence and confidence in respiratory patient management.
• Triage referrals to ensure that correct patients are recruited to the service and feed back to referrers if inappropriate.
• Provide a day to day oversight of the expected patient flow in the Community Virtual Ward in relation to timelines and service expectations.
• Perform home visit at appropriate times after a patient’s discharge from the acute setting. To work closely with other respiratory teams as required.
• To work closely with the respiratory wards and medical areas of Newham Hospital and the Respiratory MDT within these acute sites – to identify potential patients that require follow up with the Community Virtual Ward/ Supported Discharge service.
• To identify and create individualised self-management plans with patients, to improve patient’s ability to manage their own condition and also communicate this plan to their GP’s and any other services as appropriate.
• Undertake autonomous patient assessments and plan appropriate clinical interventions in the community setting.

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm‑free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Although this position is a 12 months fixed‑term contract, the actual contract duration will be adjusted to account for the time taken to advertise the post, complete the hiring process, and finalise pre‑employment checks. This means the contract will begin when the candidate starts the role and may be slightly shorter than 12 months.

This advert closes on Thursday 11 Dec 2025