Specialist Screening Practitioner

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust; Southampton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust is seeking a Specialist Screening Practitioner to support the bowel cancer screening programme. The role emphasizes autonomous practice, cross-site collaboration, and delivering high-quality patient care within a national training framework.

You will work predominantly at University Hospital Southampton with opportunities to cross-site and network with nurses and programme leaders.

Qualifications

• Current NMC registration.
• Masters Degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• Qualification in specialist area of practice.
• Knowledge of national standards that inform practice (e.g. National Service Frameworks, NICE guidelines).
• Ability to mentor and develop staff.
• Excellent communication and teaching skills.

Responsibilities

• Assess health and psychosocial needs of screening participants.
• Communicate effectively to empower informed health choices.
• Act as advocate and provide education to patients and their families.
• Prepare patients for colorectal examination across sites in the catchment area.
• Lead and advise colleagues in collaboration with other health care professionals.

Skills

Communication

Mentoring staff

Teaching

Self-reflection

Personal accountability

Education

NMC registration

Masters Degree

Specialist practice qualification

Job description

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust

Specialist Screening Practitioner

The closing date is 22 November 2026

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (please change where appropriate e.g. Health Innovation Wessex (HIW) etc) is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Contract Type: Permanent

Main duties of the job

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Specialist Screening Practitioner working with patients in the screening programme to identify and treat bowel cancer.

The role requires excellent communication skills to promote the delivery of a high standard of patient care and work between organisational boundaries.

Patient assessment and support to navigate the screening pathway is at the core of this interesting and varied role.

As a screening practitioner you will have opportunities to work across different organisations within a team of nurses with the support of the programme manager/lead nurse.

The role will require some cross site working within the catchment area but will be based predominantly at University Hospital Southampton.

You should be able to show experience of working autonomously and the ability to present information to a wide range of professional groups.

You will need adaptability and an understanding of personal accountability to work in a variety of settings.

You will be supported with a robust and comprehensive national training programme to be completed in your 1st year in the role.

About us

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated 'Good' by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

Job responsibilities

In this role , your key responsibilities will include

Communication and assessment skills to assess the health and psychosocial needs of individual participants in the screening programme.

Ability to communicate with patients in ways that empower them to make informed choices about their health and health care.

Act as advocate for individual patients and the client group and also provide appropriate education to patients and their families to promote health and encourage self-care.

Assess and prepare patients for colorectal examination at different sites across the catchment area acting as the patient advocate supporting them to navigate and make informed choices throughout the screening process.

Work collaboratively and in partnership with other health care professionals, offering appropriate leadership and advice to colleagues.

Person Specification

Qualifications / training required

• Current NMC registration.
• Qualification in specialist area of practice.
• Has the ability to evaluate own strengths and weaknesses Experienced at mentoring and developing staff.
• Knowledge of national standards that inform practice (e.g. National Service Frameworks, NICE guidelines etc)
• Masters Degree
• Communication Training

Previous or relevant experience necessary

• Relevant clinical experience.
• Clinical Governance, Risk Management.
• Experience of teaching and training within clinical setting.
• Experience of presentation / education within the wider health care community

Aptitudes and skills required

• Customer Care Skills

Values and behaviours

• Patients First
• Always Improving
• Working Together

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 Hospital Southampton NHS Trust

Depending on experience£39,959 to £48,117 per annum, pro rata