Job summary
We are recruiting for a Lead Rheumatology Clinical Nurse Specialist who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.
This opportunity will suit a dynamic individual with band 7 experience in advanced nursing practice, service development and line management.
As a senior member of the Rheumatology service, you will work closely with the Medical and Operational teams to deliver speciality, divisional and trust objectives. You will be responsible for Nursing leadership, inspiring and developing the Rheumatology Specialist Nurse workforce and foster and develop strong collaborative working relationships internally and externally.
Our Values are Include, Respect and Improve. It is important that you understand and refer to our values during your recruitment process and beyond!
Main duties of the job
Lead and develop the Rheumatology Specialist Nursing Service, ensuring high-quality and cost-effective healthcare. Provide leadership to the nursing team.
Maintain and develop a service to assess, monitor, and implement care for patients with rheumatological conditions within East & North Herts Trust.
Develop, maintain, and improve standards and quality using evidence-based care and introduce new treatments, in relation to national and local guidance (e.g., NICE guidance and BSR standards).
Have specialist assessment skills and qualifications for non-medical independent prescribing.
Be able to work closely with a multidisciplinary team and work autonomously and exercise a high level of clinical expertise.
Develop new and improved care pathways and be involved in the strategic review of clinical services as appropriate.
You will work with the wider non-clinical teams to manage budget, operations, service development & business planning. They must also possess expertise in clinical risk evaluation, examination and diagnostic techniques, rheumatology nursing strategies and the provision of staff support and training across organisational and professional boundaries.
About us
At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general & specialist services we provide & our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible & innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
- The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
- New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
- Hertford County, Hertford
- Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation; our staff & patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We understand that finding and starting a new job is an important life decision. If you need reasonable adjustments for a disability, or a life event, such as menopause - so that we can consider your application fairly & to get the best out of you during the selection process, please let us know.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. Employees are entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns & we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made & considered formally, & will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Person Specification
Qualifications / Training
Essential
- RGN with a degree
- Teaching & mentoring qualification
- Evidence of further education in specialist area
- Non-medical prescriber or willing to work towards
- Advanced clinical assessment skills
- Leadership or management module
- Cytotoxic course
Desirable
- Master's degree or working towards
- Advanced communication or counselling qualification
Previous Experience
Essential
- Significant experience in the specialist area
- Experience in project management
- Experience of leading service change
- Practical experience of policy development
- Budget management
- Managing and/or leading a team
Desirable
- Audit or research experience
Skills
Essential
- Proven expertise & ability to clinically assess and diagnose in specialist area
- Leadership and motivation skills experience
- Proven ability to manage and progress own professional development
- Teaching experience in clinical practice
- Work autonomously as independent practitioner
- Able to respond to change and apply to development practice
- Problem solving and decision-making
- Commitment to developing nursing practice
- Consider & evaluate options when making difficult decisions
- Presentation skills
- Computer literate
- Reliable and supportive
- Ability to travel between sites
Desirable
Knowledge
Essential
- Able to demonstrate knowledge of rheumatology conditions, medical & non-medical treatments and the impact on the patient and their carers
- Knowledge and understanding of available outside agencies
- Knowledge of professional accountability
Other requirements
Essential
- Experience and evidence of engagement around the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda. Able to actively support the development of a culture that recognises and promotes equality, values diversity, and actively leads by example in deploying these qualities. Understands the impact on equality, diversity and inclusion issues in all aspects of service delivery and planning
- Role model our Trust values every day
Person Specification
Qualifications / Training
Essential
- RGN with a degree
- Teaching & mentoring qualification
- Evidence of further education in specialist area
- Non-medical prescriber or willing to work towards
- Advanced clinical assessment skills
- Leadership or management module
- Cytotoxic course
Desirable
- Master's degree or working towards
- Advanced communication or counselling qualification
Previous Experience
Essential
- Significant experience in the specialist area
- Experience in project management
- Experience of leading service change
- Practical experience of policy development
- Budget management
- Managing and/or leading a team
Desirable
- Audit or research experience
Skills
Essential
- Proven expertise & ability to clinically assess and diagnose in specialist area
- Leadership and motivation skills experience
- Proven ability to manage and progress own professional development
- Teaching experience in clinical practice
- Work autonomously as independent practitioner
- Able to respond to change and apply to development practice
- Problem solving and decision-making
- Commitment to developing nursing practice
- Consider & evaluate options when making difficult decisions
- Presentation skills
- Computer literate
- Reliable and supportive
- Ability to travel between sites
Desirable
Knowledge
Essential
- Able to demonstrate knowledge of rheumatology conditions, medical & non-medical treatments and the impact on the patient and their carers
- Knowledge and understanding of available outside agencies
- Knowledge of professional accountability
Other requirements
Essential
- Experience and evidence of engagement around the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda. Able to actively support the development of a culture that recognises and promotes equality, values diversity, and actively leads by example in deploying these qualities. Understands the impact on equality, diversity and inclusion issues in all aspects of service delivery and planning
- Role model our Trust values every day
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
