Palliative Care Associate Nurse Specialist

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Palliative Care Associate Nurse Specialist

The closing date is 05 March 2026

The post holder will work as part of the wider specialist palliative care team and, with the support from senior colleagues, be responsible for providing specialist/complex advice and support to all members of the multi professional team in the care of patients with a life limiting disease who are experiencing symptoms that require specialist palliative care. The post holder will learn how to triage and prioritise appropriately according to the patient's needs, manage a caseload of patients, apply and revise individualised plans of care, and develop advance communication skills to support this multifaceted group of patients and those important to them. The post holder will be supported and developed to work autonomously as part of the seven day face to face service, shadowing more senior colleagues until competent and confident to work independently.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be part of a well respected team within the Trust. The team consists of Consultants in Palliative Medicine, Clinical and Associate Nurse Specialists. We work closely with our Oncology colleagues, cancer site specific CNSs, AHPs, Chaplaincy, Butterfly Volunteers, Bereavement team and our local community hospices. A weekly multidisciplinary team meeting is held each Thursday morning. Our philosophy is to treat everyone with respect, dignity and compassion with the intention of maximising quality of life, lessening suffering by supporting the emotional, physical, spiritual and social needs of our patients and of those important to them. We are a small but dedicated team which requires all members to work closely and collaboratively together.

About us

Our Trust is one of England's top performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites - Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital - along with award winning clinics across North West London. Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services including maternity, A&E and children's services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health care. The CQC rates us Good in safety, effectiveness, care and responsiveness, and Outstanding in leadership and resource use. We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30 million expansion of critical care at Chelsea and an £80 million Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Mid. We are delivering sustainable healthcare through our Green Plan. In line with Greener NHS ambitions, we aim for net zero carbon emissions by 2045. We are committed to equal opportunities and believe diversity drives innovation and excellence. We welcome applications from the global majority, veterans and underrepresented communities, valuing the perspectives they bring.

Job responsibilities

The associate nurse specialist role is a development post based on a number of competency driven objectives, in order for the successful candidate to develop their clinical skills, clinical reasoning, confidence and leadership ability with the aim of becoming a highly skilled and competent Band 7 Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist. Progression and development into a Band 7 CNS role is dependent on previous experience and your advancement within this role; we envisage this will take approximately two years full time. All members of the Specialist Palliative Care team will be involved with your development (Palliative Care Consultants, CNS AHPs). Personal development and application is paramount.

Person Specification

• Educated to degree level
• Minimum of four years' post registration experience - some of which in a palliative care setting
• Demonstrable transferable skill set for this role
• Sound knowledge of the principles of person centred care
• Qualification in Palliative care or relevant study
• Advanced communication skills course
• Involvement in audit and quality improvement
• Demonstrable experience of formal or informal teaching

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.

Address

Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Hospital, Fulham Road site

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year. Work weekends as part of a seven day service.

Employment is subject to a six month probation.

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full time

Reference number

289 EI 110

Job locations

Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Hospital, Fulham Road site