Paediatric Lead Respiratory Nurse
The closing date is 15 July 2026

Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, dynamic, and inspirational Paediatric Lead Nurse, Band 8a, to lead our specialist Respiratory Nursing Service within a leading tertiary and regional centre.

This is a pivotal leadership role, providing strategic, clinical, and operational leadership across a highly specialised respiratory service caring for children and young people with some of the most complex respiratory conditions. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will ensure the delivery of outstanding, evidence-based care while driving innovation, service development, and excellence in patient experience.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, dynamic, and inspirational Paediatric Lead Nurse to lead our specialist Respiratory Nursing Service within a leading tertiary and regional centre.

This is a pivotal leadership role, providing strategic, clinical, and operational leadership across a highly specialised respiratory service caring for children and young people with some of the most complex respiratory conditions. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will ensure the delivery of outstanding, evidence-based care while driving innovation, service development, and excellence in patient experience.

Main duties of the job
As the Paediatric Lead Nurse for Respiratory Services, you will provide professional leadership across our specialist respiratory pathways, supporting children and families throughout their healthcare journey. You will oversee services caring for children with:

• 1. Complex and severe asthma
• 2. Cystic fibrosis
• 3. Long Term Ventilation (LTV)
• 4. Complex respiratory and chest conditions

As a recognised regional centre, our service supports patients from across the wider region, providing highly specialised care alongside outreach, education, and collaborative working with local hospitals and community teams.

You will lead a highly skilled team of Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialists, fostering a culture of clinical excellence, continuous improvement, compassionate leadership, and professional development. You will work closely with consultants, allied health professionals, operational managers, community providers, and commissioners to ensure services continue to evolve to meet the needs of children and their families.

You will need to be an exceptional childrens nurse with expert clinical knowledge and outstanding leadership skills. You should have significant senior level experience within a paediatric respiratory nursing post.This is an exciting time to join Cambridge University Hospital with the completion of the East of England Children's Hospital in the next few years.

About us
Come Nurse with us...
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the country. It comprises Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Rosie Hospital. We provide accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge and regional and national specialist services. It's a great place to nurse, work and live.

You will work on a vibrant hospital campus with a friendly community feel; we have excellent facilities to practise your skills and abilities to support your career pathway and development. Our values of Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent support the delivery of outstanding care. We have a fully electronic patient record system that is improving health-care quality; this is transforming services, improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Why choose Cambridge University Hospitals?

• Our values and reputation for outstanding care
• Opportunities to experience a range of specialities
• Career and development opportunities
• Preceptorship and mentoring programmes delivered by a dedicated clinical education support team
• Research experience and opportunities
• Lovely location and quality of life
• Excellent schools/colleges and transport links (road, rail and air)

Details
Date posted: 07 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum, pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 180-E-267201
Job locations: Addenbrookes Hospital-Division E, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.

Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:- applied for a Graduate visa- or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment

This vacancy will close at midnight on 15 July 2026
Interviews are due to be held on 27 July 2026

Benefits to you
At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only caf, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• 1. RN Child with a degree
• 2. Post registration module in Specialist field of work
• 3. Research Module
• 4. Advanced clinical assessment skills (if nurse led services part of role)
• 5. Teaching & mentoring qualification
• 6. Evidence of professional continuous development and portfolio of learning
• 7. Leadership or management module Willingness & ability to work toward Masters

Desirable

• 1. Non-medical prescriber
• 2. Advanced communication skills or Counselling qualification.
• 3. Masters degree

Experience
Essential

• 1. Significant clinical experience as nurse specialist in the speciality.
• 2. Experience in project management
• 3. Evidence of leading service change.

Desirable

• 1. Practical experience of policy development Audit or research experience

Knowledge
Essential

• 1. Recognised as an expert in the field of practice with the ability to clinically assess and diagnose.
• 2. Managing a budget
• 3. Managing and or leading a team

Skills
Essential

• 1. Advanced communication skills
• 2. Effective communicator with proven ability to influence all levels of staff
• 3. Ability to work autonomously as an independent practitioner.
• 4. Proven leadership and team leading skills
• 5. Proven ability to manage and progress own professional development.
• 6. Presentation skills Able to respond to change and apply themselves to development in practice.

Additional Requirements
Essential

• 1. The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of Safe, Kind, Excellent
• 2. Highly motivated committed to continuous service development and quality improvement
• 3. Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and targets
• 4. Reliable and supportive
• 5. Ability to synthesise information, consider and evaluate risks and options when making difficult decisions

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 (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).

Employer details
Employer name: Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Addenbrookes Hospital-Division E, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Paediatric Matron
Emma Lally
emma.lally2@nhs.net