Job overview

An opportunity has arisen for a Heart Failure Specialist Nurse to work in a well-established community team. We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic and innovative with excellent experience and expertise in the care and management of patients with Heart Failure. This post is part time covering 3 days per week across our West locality, but you may be requested to work across the SCFT footprint should the demand arise.

 You will be case managing newly diagnosed Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction heart failure patients as well as those with a long-standing diagnosis, confirmed by Echocardiogram to manage their condition by initiation and optimisation of guideline medical therapies, prevention of admission and readmission, palliative care and able to apply evidence-based practice to align with local and national strategies.  

 The successful candidate will have expert knowledge of heart failure management and be able to utilize their physical assessment skills to facilitate clinical decision making. Patients will benefit from regular oversight of their condition and heart failure teams will gain support from University Hospital Sussex MDTs.

 You will be an autonomous practitioner however, you will be part of, and supported by, existing community Heart Failure services working in bordering localities. If you do not possess the essential skills you may be offered a development post.  

Main duties of the job

• 1.       To work as a clinical expert and autonomous clinician to provide heart failure services across the designated locality, provide a seamless service for patients, involving advanced clinical assessment, symptom management, medications management, patient education and psychological care and caseload mange to ensure safe discharge back to GP with heart failure care plan where able.
• 2.       To work in collaboration with other members of the acute HF service with access to weekly MDT.
• 3.       Work across organisational and professional boundaries to improve quality of patient care
• 4.       To provide education and support to other members of the multidisciplinary team
• 5.       To ensure carers receive support and are signposted to appropriate services
• 6.       To ensure excellent end of life care as appropriate and facilitate
• 7.       To ensure accurate documentation and data collection to prove service.
• 8.       Assist as delegated by the Team Leader in the recruitment of staff, appraisal  process, risk assessment process, incidents and complaints, and the  performance management process.
• 9.       Assist in clinical supervision and peer review including mentorship to junior colleagues.
• 10.   Provides clinical leadership to team members

Working for our organisation

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?
•    Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
•    Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
•    Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
•    Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
•    Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
•    Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
•    Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
•    Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.