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Job summary

Main area
Palliative and End of Life Care
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
249-7856665
Employer
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Great Wester Hospital
Town
Swindon
Salary
£39,959 - £48,117 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
20/04/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Clinical Nurse Specialist - Palliative and End of Life Care

NHS AfC: Band 6

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital. 

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used, then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Job overview

We are looking for a motivated and compassionate Band 6 Clinical Nurse Specialist to join our Palliative and End of Life Care team at Great Western Hospital.

The post holder will work as part of the  Palliative and End of Life Care team providing advice and support to patients, families and staff across the Trust. The role includes supporting patients with complex palliative and end of life care needs, helping to ensure patients and those important to them receive high quality, compassionate care.

The team works closely with ward teams, discharge services and community partners to support patients who may wish to be discharged to their preferred place of care. This is a rewarding role for someone who is passionate about improving end of life care and supporting patients and families at an important time.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as part of the  Palliative and End of Life Care team providing specialist advice and support across the Trust.

Main duties include:

  • Supporting patients with complex palliative and end of life care needs across the hospital

  • Working with patients, families and ward teams to support care planning and decision making

  • Supporting discussions around goals of care, treatment escalation plans and preferred place of care

  • Working collaboratively with ward teams, discharge teams and community services to support safe and timely discharge planning where appropriate

  • Acting as a resource for staff across the Trust in relation to palliative and end of life care

  • Supporting education and development of staff to improve confidence in caring for patients approaching the end of life

  • Contributing to service development, audit and quality improvement within the Palliative and End of Life Care service

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Demonstrate exemplar nursing practice and the implementation of evidence-based care, the provision of a high standard of individualised patient care and experience, upholding the Trust Nursing Strategy which includes the 6Cs.

2. Responsible for ensuring own knowledge and compliance of appropriate NMC standards and Trust professional guidelines and that these are applied to practice, including NMC Revalidation.

3. Ensure accurate and contemporaneous patient, staff and other records are maintained, submitted and stored meeting NMC requirements.
4. Acts as a role model for other team members, promoting and demonstrating the standards of care expected. Challenges, influences and works with other nursing teams to continuously improve standards through shared governance
5. Participates and attends national and international conferences, as part of the team.

 

 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • First Level NMC Registration
  • Experience at Band 5/6
  • Educated to degree level or willing to study
  • Demonstrates ongoing continuing professional development
  • Advanced Communication Skills
Desirable criteria
  • Management/ Leadership Skills Course
  • Recognised teaching course

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Post registration experience including caring for / or experience in Palliative Care and EoL patients.
  • Experience in Palliative Care and EoL nursing
  • Teaching experience
  • Knowledge of audit and its effectiveness within health care
Desirable criteria
  • Risk Management & incident Investigation

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderInvestors in People: GoldCare Leaver CovenantStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthArmed Forces Covenant

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Lorraine Hart
Job title
Lead Palliative and End of Life Care Nurse
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01793 607028
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