Job summary
- Main area
- East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (weekdays)
- Job ref
- 358-7244381-W&C
- Employer
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Glenfield Hospital
- Town
- Leicester
- Salary
- £46,148 - £52,809 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 27/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

ACHD Lead Specialist Nurse
NHS AfC: Band 7
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Job overview
Band 7 Lead Specialist Nurse – Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD)
Location: Glenfield Hospital, Leicester
Department: East Midlands Congenital Heart Disease Level 1 Centre (EMCHC)
About the Role:
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, motivated and highly skilled Registered Nurse to join the Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) team at Glenfield Hospital as the Lead Specialist Nurse. This Band 7 post offers a pivotal leadership role with responsibility for nursing service management, clinical leadership, and strategic development within a nationally recognised ACHD service.
About the Service:
The ACHD Specialist Nursing Team operates within the East Midlands Congenital Heart Disease Level 1 Centre (EMCHC), providing expert, specialist care to adult congenital heart patients across Leicester and the wider East Midlands region. The service includes inpatient care, outpatient clinics, and specialised outreach to peripheral centres, ensuring equitable access to high-quality ACHD care throughout the network.
Why Join Us?
Glenfield Hospital’s ACHD service is a dynamic, forward-thinking team with a commitment to delivering outstanding care. This role offers a unique chance to lead a specialist nursing service within a nationally recognised centre, influence service growth, and make a real difference in the lives of patients living with congenital heart disease.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities:
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Lead and manage the specialist nursing team, fostering a supportive and professional environment that promotes continuous learning, high standards of clinical care, and staff development.
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Coordinate the ACHD outpatient service, ensuring efficient clinic operations and excellent patient and family experience.
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Provide expert nursing care and support to a complex patient cohort undergoing cardiac catheterisations, cardiac surgeries, diagnostic assessments, maternal medicine and transitional care.
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Collaborate closely with the multidisciplinary team—including Cardiologists, Surgeons, Clinical Psychologists, Physiologists, Cardiographers, and Healthcare Support Workers—to ensure holistic patient-centred care and to contribute to multidisciplinary case reviews and treatment planning.
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Lead quality improvement initiatives, clinical audits, and service development projects to enhance patient outcomes and service delivery.
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Promote patient safety, governance, and adherence to best practice guidelines within the ACHD service.
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Represent the nursing team within regional networks and national forums, contributing to the ongoing development of congenital heart disease care standards.
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Be visible, accessible and responsive to the needs of service users, patients, carers and the public.
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Act as an expert clinical practitioner and professional role model within the team and across the wider organisation.
Working for our organisation
- high-quality care for all,
- being a great place to work,
- partnerships for impact, and
- research and education excellence
- we are compassionate,
- we are proud,
- we are inclusive, and
- we are one team
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
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Be a visible, accessible, credible and assertive leader to whom patients, relatives and staff can turn for assistance, advice and support.
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Lead the ACHD Nursing team and build successful links between nursing and other professions to support and promote effective multi-disciplinary team working.
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Lead and support the ACHD Nursing team through the process of change, demonstrating tenacity, drive, professional integrity, balance and perspective.
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Develop the role of other team members, supporting them in gaining the appropriate competencies to achieve the required standards of care.
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Motivate all team members and lead innovation and expertise in clinical practice by example.
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Through effective communication, disseminate information across the health care teams and CMGs.
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Communicate and share clinical experiences and good practice within and across CMGs.
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Resolve conflict as speedily as circumstances allow and ensure feedback and planning for the future occurs.
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Maximise use of clinical resources, implementing best practice in patient flow, admission and discharge arrangements.
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Act in a professional manner and ensure self and staff adhere to the UHL Uniform policy at all times.
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Practice clinically by actively participating in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of evidence-based care for a defined caseload.
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Contribute to the continual improvement in patient care utilising national and local agendas, including Standards for Better Health and UHL Business and Strategy plans (Eight Pillars Strategy) and also peer review.
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Monitor the quality of patient care delivered to ensure that patients and users receive the highest standards of care at all times and participate in the regular audits and evaluation of patient satisfaction.
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Regularly monitor standards of clinical care and documentation, developing and implementing strategies to improve performance.
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Build effective working relationships across Directorates and other departments, referring hospitals and across Primary Care.
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Facilitate communication regarding shared experiences of care that will benefit the needs and experiences of patients and carers.
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Identify opportunities to develop new ways of working and challenge, change and expand roles, working in conjunction with the Education and Practice Development Team/s, Matrons and Head of Nursing.
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Work together with the Matron and Head of Nursing to develop auditable standards of care that actively support national benchmarking.
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Act at all times in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct associated codes of practice.
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Proactively seek feedback on patient and public experience in order to address concerns in a timely manner and build on success.
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Support the Matron to ensure the environment is safe, clean, comfortable and well maintained in line with patient and public expectations.
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Take professional responsibility for liaising with leads in facilities and infection control to ensure that prompt, appropriate and relevant actions are undertaken to properly maintain a clean and healthy environment.
3.4 To lead and actively participate in Patient and Public Involvement initiatives such as focus groups/citizens’ councils and act on recommendations as required.
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Maintain professional and patient advocacy at all times.
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Consult with Operational Managers, Matron and relevant others on key developments ensuring the efficient and effective management of ward resources.
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Work collaboratively with the Operational Managers and Matron to implement agreed changes in resource management and achieve efficiency targets.
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Manage and supervise the rostering, allocation, utilisation and prioritisation of workload to ensure the maximum effectiveness for delivery of care within the Specialised team and Outpatients Department.
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Actively engage in the Trust’s selection, recruitment and retention strategies.
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Ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times and information relating to patient/ users and personnel is used only in connection with authorised duties.
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Use health-related information only for the purposes of what it is intended for and in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
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Ensure that the delivery of care to all patients meet the standards set by you and the Standards for Better Health.
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Responsible for ensuring the highest standards of Infection prevention and control are practised at all times.
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Demonstrate a high level of commitment to and enthusiasm for research, evidence-based practice, audit and education in the clinical area.
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Actively contribute to reconfiguration projects, service redesign developments and CMG business planning as required.
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Be proactive in the risk assessment, management, clinical incident reporting and management of complaints.
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Ensure all staff move and handle patients and goods in ways that promote the health of the patient and care team and are consistent with legislation.
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Contribute to the development of CMG and Trust policies, procedures and clinical guidelines and ensure adherence by self and team.
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Undertake clinical and associated audits as appropriate for the given area.
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Responsible for managing staff performance and competence within area of responsibility following Trust policies and procedures and to identify and manage poor performance.
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Undertake the Trust Corporate and CMG-specific Induction and competency Programmes appropriate to role.
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Take responsibility for ensuring self and all staff comply with mandatory training and NMC professional re-registration requirements.
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Undertake specialist education training as required that will allow health care to be delivered to the user through new ways of working.
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Teach and assist others to develop professionally, reaching their full potential. Encourage professional accountability in others
- Take responsibility for ensuring that all learners in their area are appropriately supported and competently assessed in line with NMC guidelines and other professional bodies.
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Work collaboratively with the Education and Practice Development Team to ensure that education and development opportunities are provided for the workforce to enable staff to be both confident and competent to perform their roles safely.
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Work collaboratively with the Education and Practice Development Team to develop policy, protocols and education that will support new initiatives and quality care delivery.
please see job description/person specification for further details on the role
Person specification
Education/ Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Current NMC registration with no restrictions to practice
- Degree with relevance to specialism
- Education at Master’s degree level ( L7) or above in specialism
- Recognised NMC Teaching and Assessing qualification and a Practice Assessor preparation day
Desirable criteria
- Working towards or qualification in Non-medical prescriber or working towards.
- Participates in formal and informal teaching
Clinical Skills, Knowledge and ability
Essential criteria
- Evidence of change management skills
- Demonstrates a high level of clinical competence and expertise relevant to speciality
- Good understanding of clinical governance and application to quality and safety
- An awareness and understanding of national and local issues that affect Nursing / midwifery and the NHS as a whole
- Up-to-date knowledge and understanding of nursing policy and practice relevant to speciality
Desirable criteria
- Venepuncture and cannulation
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant post-registration experience at Band 6 or above
- Experience in Adult Cardiology services
- Previous experience in leadership and management at band 6 or above
Desirable criteria
- Demonstrates experience in Adult Congenital Heart Disease Services
- Experience of participation/undertaking clinical trials and research
- Experience in directly undertaking and responding to clinical audit and quality assurance.
Communication and Relationships
Essential criteria
- Effective communicator and negotiator
- Use initiative and has the ability to lead and co-ordinate a multi-disciplinary team
- Ability to inspire confidence in others, demonstrating strong leadership qualities and acting as a positive role model to other members of the team
- Flexible and Adaptable in approach
- Acts as a clinical role model
- Ability to provide and receive highly complex information
Desirable criteria
- Computer literacy (Microsoft Word / excel / Virtual teams)
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Essential criteria
- Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs.
- All staff are expected to engage in compassionate and inclusive leadership in the provision of high quality care and interactions with others.
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
- Sammy Moran
- Job title
- Matron
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07921522131
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