Job summary
Lead Nurse CNS Services Planned Care, Band 8b An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and highly motivated senior nurse to join the Planned Care Division as Lead Nurse for Clinical Nurse Specialist Services. This is a cross-site Band 8b leadership role, responsible for providing strategic, professional and clinical leadership across Clinical Nurse Specialist services and supporting the delivery of safe, effective, evidence-based and patient-centred care. The successful candidate will provide visible, compassionate and inclusive leadership, line-manage designated staff and contribute to workforce planning, recruitment, retention, appraisal, performance and sickness management. They will be an influential communicator, capable of working across professional and organisational boundaries and of managing complex, sensitive or contentious matters constructively. Participation in the Trust's out-of-hours on-call rota is also required.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will lead service development, quality improvement, research, audit, education and the implementation of evidence-based practice. They will use clinical outcomes, benchmarking, patient and staff feedback, incidents, reviews and complaints to evaluate services, identify opportunities for improvement and support the delivery of national and local requirements. The role includes developing policies, protocols, clinical standards and educational programmes, while building the capability and professional confidence of the specialist nursing workforce.

About us
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation 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 clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and 'Outstanding' in leadership and resource use.

We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex.

We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs.

The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background. Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates. Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven't heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period.

Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.

Details
Date posted: 14 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8b
Salary: £66,582 to £77,368 a year
plus HCAS
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 289-PC-280
Job locations: Cross site, 369 Fulham road, London, SW10 9NH, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Expert Practice

• The Lead Nurse will employ highly developed, expert clinical skills to assess patient need, co-ordinate care, manage treatment and provide specialist clinical leadership
• The post holder will provide strategic and professional senior nursing leadership in the development and delivery of multi professional services and in the integration of care across departmental/organisational boundaries
• They will facilitate expert and autonomous nursing care and the provision of support to patients and families
• The post holder will provide and lead autonomous direct care and advice through various modalities including ward-based, outpatients, ward attenders, telephone clinics/support, community settings and domiciliary visits. The post holder may need to delegate patients to other members of the team but will supervise and retain responsibility for the management of their care whilst they are a patient of the Trust.
• They will raise the profile of specialist area and its work within and outside the Trust. The Lead Nurse will initially act as the first point of contact for clinical expertise for staff within the nursing team, and provide an experienced liaison route for all professionals in the MDT. They will work in collaboration with the MDT in order to achieve the highest standards of care for this patient group. This will involve teaching and supporting the early identification of pathways and treatment options, to ensure patients are being cared for in the most appropriate manner and environment
• The post holder will coordinate pathways and independently manage a challenging and diverse patient caseload and may make and receive referrals directly to doctors, GPs, Community Nursing Teams, hospices and Allied Health Professionals as appropriate. The post holder will promote communication between primary, secondary and community providers as well as the non-statutory sector, and will advise/lead on the discharge planning process for designated patients
• The post holder will support professionals, patient and families through periods of diagnosis, treatment and palliation
• The post holder will provide expert advice on issues of clinical governance and risk

Education and Training

• multidisciplinary teams and the training and development of professionals. This may include mentorship, supervision and attachments/placements of junior nursing staff. The post holder will undertake regular assessments of the education needs of new and existing staff, in conjunction with the team
• The post holder will ensure the development and sustainability of information, skills and acquired knowledge for service. The development of staff and the transfer of skills and knowledge to improve standards, the scope of practice and professional judgement of others (as appropriate) forms a key part of the role
• As part of advising on practice, the post holder will be a key link with professional bodies and associations for the specialist area and will review and translate evidence-based recommendations and guidance into daily patient care. They will proactively keep up to date with new developments in research and best practice. Internally, the post holder will lead on internal policy and guideline development
• Formal and informal teaching sessions will be created and delivered. The post holder will collaborate with the post graduate medical education department to ensure junior medical staff have the necessary training and education to provide evidence based practice

PLEASE SEE JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION FOR FULL DETAILS OF THE JOB

Person Specification
Assessment
Essential

• Extensive senior leadership experience in specialist nursing services
• Demonstrable track record of leading service transformation, quality improvement and clinical governance.
• Master's level qualification (or working towards) or equivalent experience with evidence of education, research and workforce development.

Desirable

• Non-Medical Prescribing Qualification
• Advanced Academic Achievement
• Evidence of National Influence and Professional Contribution

Education and qualifications
Essential

• Registered nurse with post registration experience
• Qualification or equivalent experience in teaching, mentorship and supervision
• Qualification in the specialty
• Demonstrable senior nursing experience in a relevant area with clinical leadership experience
• Has attained a Degree in a relevant subject area or is registered for and working towards a Master's Degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area
• Leadership qualification
• Evidence of recent continuing professional development
• Ability to practice within the scope of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct
• Ability to demonstrate application of NICE Guidance to own sphere of practice

Desirable

• Registered for and working towards a Master's Degree or PhD in a relevant subject
• Non-medical prescribing
• Advanced skills certificate

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: Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Cross site, 369 Fulham road, London, SW10 9NH, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Divisional Director of Nursing
Paula Davis
paula.davis1@nhs.net
02033158000

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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.