Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist

at  Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Hospital Palliative Care Team has a challenging and rewarding opportunity for Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) to join our dynamic and progressive service. Working within the Cancer Division, the Palliative Care CNS post is part of an established team that spans the Trust to provide an excellent consultancy service to improve the quality of life for patients with a life limiting illness or those at the end of their life during their hospital admission.
The post holder will be expected to work trust wide. We are looking for a candidate who is motivated, enthusiastic with excellent communication skills and the ability to work both autonomously and as part of an inter-disciplinary team.
A key aspect of the role will be to work collaboratively to develop the service in line with National and local end of life strategies.
This post provides an exciting, challenging and rewarding opportunity for candidates to work within a supportive and committed team.
The successful candidate will have yearly appraisal and objective setting.
Palliative care is an approach that improves quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychological and spiritual.
The Hospital Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist team work in a consultative capacity to facilitate the delivery of high-quality care to palliative and end of life care (EoLC) patients and their family and carers across Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
The post holder will provide vision and professional leadership working collaboratively with key stakeholders and build on strong relationships within the organisation. They will utilise experience and expertise to influence change in practice through role modelling, education and support in the clinical area, to empower staff to provide a high standard of palliative and EoLC. They will provide leadership, innovation, mastery and excellence in clinical practice to support the patients under their care.
The post holder will be key in identifying and planning staff development and education strategies to enable the delivery of identified standards of care.

Patient assessment and consultation
Teaching, education, research and audit
Leadership raising professional standards in patient care.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is a large acute hospital Trust in the county of Kent.
The Trust provides a full range of general hospital services and some areas of specialist complex care to around 760,000 people living in the south part of West Kent and the north part of East Sussex.
The Trust’s core catchment areas are Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and their surrounding boroughs. We work from two main clinical sites: Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury. Tunbridge Wells Hospital opened in 2011 and provides single rooms with en-suites for all in-patients – the first of its kind in the country.
We employ more than 7,000 full and part-time staff in a huge range of clinical and non-clinical roles across both of our hospital sites.
Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.
Once your pre-employment checks have been completed you will be contacted by Recruitment to arrange your start date which will be in line with one of our Corporate Inductions.
Following your Corporate Induction you will be expected to attend the Trust’s 2-week Induction Programme for RNs, NAs, RMs, ODPs and Paramedics. The programme is full-time (please email mtw-tr.professionalstandards@nhs.net if this is problematic) and will involve travel to both Trust sites. The programme includes supernumerary shifts in the clinical area, classroom-based sessions and e-learning.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)
At MTW, we seek to develop a culture where everyone can reach their full potential with opportunities to grow and develop their career. We recognise and value the unique contributions that each of our staff bring, delivering the best quality care and service to our patients. We are committed to being a diverse employer and strive to reflect everyone in our local communities. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences and celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that will make our Trust the best place to work.
Interview Date: 16th April 2024