Job overview

Dartford and Gravesham Trust alongside the Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance has been actively working on the Lung Optimisation Pathway and preparing for lung cancer screening implementation set for April 2026. This post would support the current Urgent Suspected Referral and CXR to CT Pathway improvement focus and there would be an expectation that a proportion of this work would reduce due to the commencement of the Lung Cancer Screening implementation when the post transitions across. The NHS recognises that lung cancer is an area where early diagnosis is desperately needed to help improve survival.  

If you are interested in enhancing and support Lung cancer pathways, achieving cancer waiting standards in particular the Faster Diagnosis Standard of confirming or excluding a Cancer Diagnosis by Day 28 and supporting the national strategic direction of 75% of all cancers being diagnosed at stage 1and 2 by 2030 this post may be for you.

Main duties of the job

The Lung cancer Support Nurse will work across both Lung Cancer and Lung Screening Pathways as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to support the delivery of high-quality care for patients within lung screening, suspected or confirmed lung cancer. The post holder will assist in coordinating care pathways, providing clinical expertise, emotional support, patient education, and playing a key role in the holistic care of patients across the lung cancer trajectory.

They will liaise and effectively communicate with members of the multi-disciplinary team and allied health care professionals to provide coordinated high-quality patient-centred care, applying specialist expertise to all facets of care of patients.

They will be able to make informed decisions within their own area and scope of professional practice to ensure agreed standards, objectives and targets are met. It is expected that the post holder will work flexibly to meet the needs of the service and will perform nurse-led clinics in the community diagnostic centre, located at Livingstone hospital and onsite at DVH.

Working for our organisation

We are committed to being an inclusive and diverse employer. We strive to employ people who reflect the communities we serve, and aim to create an inclusive culture where everyone can reach their full potential. Whatever your race, ethnicity, belief, generation, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, disability or experience, you’ll appreciate the opportunities we give you to work in an inclusive atmosphere. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to build on the progress we’ve achieved to make our Trust diverse and the best place to work. We celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that help us overcome challenges and embrace new possibilities. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant Pledge and have a commitment to the Armed Forces Community.

We are dedicated to using our Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) approach as our shared organisation model of change to enhance our services and ensure excellence in patient care.

If you are considering applying for a role, please be aware that as an NHS Employee you may have contact with vulnerable service users. We strongly encourage that all our staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 and are vaccinated annually against Flu, in order to protect the health and safety of our staff and patients. Your commitment will help us to put the safety and care of our patients first, as well as helping us to protect you and your colleagues.