Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Colorectal CNS

The closing date is 26 November 2026

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Job summary
The post holder will work within national guidance relating to colorectal cancer management and personalised care and local trust policies. They will be an integral part of the colorectal cancer team within the Trust giving advice, and support to patients, carers, Health Professionals, as necessary in relation to colorectal cancer. The post holder will act as an advocate for the patient and help coordinate service provision. Providing professional expertise, advice and care to those needing treatment and their families. The nurse will work across organisational boundaries and act as a link by maintaining ongoing contact with patients in a variety of settings. She/ he will participate in nursing research and education to advance clinical excellence in the care of this patient cohort.

Main duties of the job
Provide specialist, expert clinical knowledge to clinical colleagues, patients, carers and relatives. As an expert practitioner, liaise, guide and advise the multi-disciplinary team and external agencies in the provision of optimum patient care.
Lead the development of nursing clinical services within the specialist field.
To act as 'key-worker' within the multi-disciplinary team taking a central role co-ordinating individual patients care; promoting continuity through the treatment modalities, and to provide patients with a primary point of contact for information and advice.

About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job

Details
Date posted: 13 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year pa pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 418-COLO99772-EH-A
Job locations: Luton & Dunstable, Lewsey Road, Luton, LU4 0DZ, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities

• Acts as a key-worker for a clinical caseload, co-ordinating care and providing easy access for ongoing support for patients.
• To contribute to multidisciplinary meetings as a core member to advocate for the patient and representing nursing views.
• Puts quality at the heart of practice by delivering evidence based individualised and personalised care through holistic needs assessment, planning, evaluation of care and all care interventions.
• To undertake nurse led clinics and perform advanced clinical skills and assessment relating to diagnosis and treatment.
• Collect, collate, evaluate and report information, maintaining accurate patient records.
• Involve patients and carers/relatives in the planning and delivery of care and development of services.
• In accordance with local protocols, order, monitor and interpret investigative procedures in a clinically effective and cost efficient manner to support patient diagnosis, initiate further assessment and ongoing treatment as required.
• To support the medical team in meeting the faster diagnosis standard in cancer waiting times
• To educate and promote self-management for patients through risk stratified follow up for lung cancer patients who have completed treatment
• Work collaboratively using effective communication with other stakeholders, professionals and agencies across health and social services to ensure patient needs are met, especially in relation to ongoing care and support.
• To respond to unpredictable clinical events and take the necessary corrective action.
• Ensuring your own and others clinical practice is patient centred and evidence based in accordance with the NMC Code of Practice & other professional codes and standards
• Monitoring and maintaining high standards of documentation and record keeping in line with the NMC Standard for Record Keeping. Having systems and processes in place for daily checking and challenging any inaccuracies or omissions.
• Contribute to the health promotion agenda with the local health economy.
• To undertake non-medical prescribing duties within the legal framework for nurse prescribing and adhere to the Trusts Policy for Non-medical Prescribing.
• In keeping with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and Standards of Proficiency for Nurse and Midwife Prescribers, keep up to date with best prescribing practice in relation to the management of conditions within his/her specialist area.
• Undertake regular audits of his/her prescribing practice.

Leadership

• Acts as a role model demonstrating high standards of care and providing clinical leadership to others as a mentor and undertaking appraisals where appropriate.
• Provide specialist, expert clinical knowledge to clinical colleagues, patients, carers and relatives, as an expert practitioner, liaise, guide and advise the multi-disciplinary team and external agencies in the provision of optimum patient care.
• Individuals will be highly visible in their clinical areas, working alongside, and leading the team in a clinical supervisory role.
• Proactively maintain and foster clear lines of communication between the clinical staff and the Care Group management team
• Act as a conduit between ward staff to ensure effective communication between the multidisciplinary teams and the ward.
• Evaluate service delivery against key performance targets, national quality measures identify areas for improvement and initiate change.
• Collect, collate quantitative and qualitative data to provide evidence of quality, effectiveness and outcomes, producing regular formal and an annual service reports.

Education

• Lead the development of patient focused education, including training self-manage ongoing consequences of treatment.
• Participate and influences in the development of others through education and training.
• Address specific health targets related to own area of practice through education.
• Demonstrates high level clinical, technical and research skills through breadth and depth of knowledge.
• Demonstrates continuous evaluation of practice, making changes where appropriate.
• Promotes the service and clinical excellence by publishing and presenting innovations, audit and research.
• Takes personal responsibility lifelong learning and personal development through clinical supervision, appraisal and actively engages with learning and development opportunities in line with the ACCEND framework
• Participate in regular 1:1s and IPR with Lead Nurse for Cancer & Palliative Care
• Ensure own compliance and compliance of others with regard to mandatory training and PREP requirements.

Service development and improvement

• Develops new skills in response to emerging knowledge and techniques.
• Standards of patient care are continually evaluated and improved, embrace new ideas and instigate and manage change within a complex environment for the benefit of patient care.
• Act as clinical resource within the Trust.
• Assist in the development of induction programmes, guiding practice, assessing competence, enabling and supporting learning.
• Continually monitor standards of care and contribute to improvement of care through audit and research, including participation in the national audit programme, quality surveillance measure and review and implementation of NICE guidance.

Person specification
Qualifications
Essential

• NMC Registered Nurse
• Level 6 (Batchelors Degree) Education in Nursing or equivalent experience
• Postgraduate Diploma or Equivalent Training in Speciality

Desirable

• Teaching and Assessing Qualification
• Working towards a relevant master's degree / Level 7 Qualification
• Non-medical prescriber qualification
• Patient examination skills course

Experience

• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
• Significant experience of working in the relevant speciality
• Experience of supervising staff
• Evidence of leadership, service development or specialist clinical practice

Knowledge

• Proven ability to work autonomously and manage caseload
• Highly developed specialist clinical knowledge relevant to the role
• Advanced communication skills, including delivering difficult news and handling sensitive or contentious information.
• Ability to plan and organise complex programmes of care.
• Strong analytical and judgement skills for complex clinical decision making
• Trained Practice Supervisor

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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.

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.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Luton & Dunstable, Lewsey Road, Luton, LU4 0DZ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/working-here/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Head of Nursing for Gynaecology & Cancer, Bev Summerhayes, Bev.Summerhayes@bedsft.nhs.uk, 07890066469

Supporting documents
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