Job summary
- Main area
- Palliative Care
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 180-C-267011
- Employer
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Addenbrookes Hospital-Division C
- Town
- Cambridge
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 p.a. pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 26/01/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 17/02/2026
Employer heading
Specialist Palliative Care Nursing Team Lead
Band 8a
Job overview
We are seeking an inspiring and expert Lead Nurse for Specialist Palliative Care to lead our Palliative Care nursing team of Clinical Nurse Specialists and Specialist Support Nurses. This is a new role to introduce strategy and vision for specialist palliative care nursing across Cambridge University Hospitals.
This senior role offers the opportunity to provide strong professional leadership while remaining grounded in clinical practice. You will oversee the day-to-day running of the specialist palliative care nursing service, support and develop a skilled team of CNSs and SSNs, and ensure our care pathways remain safe, effective and aligned with national standards. Working closely with medical colleagues, senior nursing colleagues, operations teams and partners across the system, you will help to strengthen patient experience and drive innovation across both inpatient and outpatient services, including the anticipated Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.
Main duties of the job
You will bring advanced clinical expertise to the management of complex palliative care cases, offering autonomous assessment, symptom management and sensitive communication at times of uncertainty. Alongside this, you will champion the education, wellbeing and professional growth of the specialist nursing workforce, fostering a culture that values excellence, compassion and continual improvement.
A key aspect of the role will be contributing to the multi-disciplinary development, and supporting the running of, a new end of life care ward, scheduled to open in early 2026. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape a cohesive, collaborative model of care across the hospital, while working with our community and ICB partners to influence the design of future services across community and hospice settings.
Crucial to the role is also track records in development and delivery of education, experience of audit and research in palliative care, and an interest in Quality Improvement would be advantageous.
Working for our organisation
Come Nurse with us…
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the country. It comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital. We provide accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge and regional and national specialist services. It’s a great place to nurse, work and live.
You will work on a vibrant hospital campus with a friendly community feel; we have excellent facilities to practise your skills and abilities to support your career pathway and development. Our values of Together – Safe, Kind, Excellent support the delivery of outstanding care. We have a fully electronic patient record system that is improving health-care quality; this is transforming services, improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.
Why choose Cambridge University Hospitals?
• Our values and reputation for outstanding care
• Opportunities to experience a range of specialities
• Career and development opportunities
• Preceptorship and mentoring programmes delivered by a dedicated clinical education support team
• Research experience and opportunities
• Lovely location and quality of life
• Excellent schools/colleges and transport links (road, rail and air)
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.
Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:
- applied for a Graduate visa
- or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment
- or the Trust has agreed that they will Sponsor you as a Skilled Worker and you will complete your studies within 3 months of the anticipated start
For NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough based roles, all applicants from NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who have identified that they are at risk of redundancy will be prioritised over those not at risk. However, interviews cannot be guaranteed.
This vacancy will close at midnight on 26 January 2026
Interviews are due to be held on 17 February 2026
Benefits to you
At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.
On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only café, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.
CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.
Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.
We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- RGN with a degree
- Post registration module in Specialist palliative care
- Research Module
- Advanced clinical assessment skills (if nurse led services part of role)
- Teaching & mentoring qualification
- Evidence of professional continuous development and portfolio of learning
- Leadership or management module
- Willingness & ability to work toward masters
- Advanced Communication skills training or equivalent
Desirable criteria
- Non-medical prescriber
- Advanced communication skills or Counselling qualification.
- Masters degree
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant clinical experience as nurse specialist in the speciality of palliative care
- Experience in project management and quality improvement
- Evidence of operational management and leading service change.
- Managing and or leading a team
Desirable criteria
- Practical experience of policy development
- Audit or research experience
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Recognised as an expert in the field of practice with the ability to clinically assess and diagnose.
- Budget management
Skills
Essential criteria
- Advanced communication skills
- Effective communicator with proven ability to influence all levels of staff
- Ability to work autonomously as an independent practitioner.
- Proven leadership and team leading skills
- Proven ability to manage and progress own professional development.
- Presentation skills
- Able to respond to change and apply themselves to development in practice.
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria
- Highly motivated
- Committed to continuous service development and quality improvement
- Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and targets
- Reliable and supportive
- Ability to synthesise information, consider and evaluate risks and options when making difficult decisions
- The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind, excellent.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Julie Burkin
- Job title
- OT and Lead Practitioner
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01223 274404
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