Job summary
The regional Children's Holistic Integrated Palliative Care Service (CHIPS) is seeking an experienced, compassionate and highly motivated Nurse Specialist to join our expanding multidisciplinary team. The CHIPS team delivers specialist palliative care across the North-East and North Cumbria forbabies, children and young adults (BCYA), and their families, with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.

Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, at the Great North Children's Hospital, we are a welcoming and supportive multidisciplinary team. This opportunity is for a dedicated individual with a passion for caring for BCYA and their families who may be receiving treatment with curative or palliative intent, be on an active transplant waiting list or be in the terminal phase and require end-of-life and bereavement care planning.

The Nurse Specialist will be expected to work autonomously, as part of the CHIPS multidisciplinary team as well as wider regional/national multidisciplinary teams. Delivering high-quality, holistic care alongside evidence-based assessment, advice, treatment, education and support to BCYA, their families, and other professionals across inpatient, outpatient and community settings. The role also offers development opportunities for both professional and service development, and the CHIPS team has access to specialist support from the psychology service

Main duties of the job

• Providing specialist paediatric palliative and end-of-life care across home, hospice, hospital and community settings.
• Provide specialist nursing support for complex clinical decision-making.
• Facilitate sensitive conversations with patients and families, including advance care planning and end-of-life discussions.
• Working in partnership with multidisciplinary teams to ensure that the care delivered is of the highest standard.
• Acting as a specialist nursing resource for symptom management and palliative care, monitoring and evaluating the effects of prescribed treatments, adjusting medication within agreed protocols in conjunction with the medical team.

Main Responsibilities

• Act as a highly specialist practitioner within the Paediatric Palliative Care Service.
• Contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of evidence based practice, policies and care pathways
• Support service improvement through audit, data collection, quality improvement initiatives and outcome monitoring
• Provide clinical leadership, supervision, teaching and mentorship to nursing staff and students
• Ensure clinical practice is delivered in accordance with Trust policies, NMC standards, safeguarding requirements and information governance
• Actively contribute to multidisciplinary working and promote integrated, coordinated care across services and the region.
• Promote the importance of holistic care for BCYA with complex health conditions.

About us
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from:

• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Freeman Hospital
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Cramlington Manor Walks
• Urgent treatment centres
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job responsibilities
We would welcome applications for flexible working, including job shares, part-time hours, or hybrid working with another role. There is also a requirement for out of hours working with regular weekend on-call commitments and participation in an ad hoc overnight on-call service, with the service development plan aiming to extend this to a 24/7, 365 days a year service.

• Interview Date 2 September 2026
• 37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week - Full & Part Time Hours Available
• You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE
CHIP's is a developing service, with the aim of being able to provide CYP and their families with access to 24/7 specialist palliative care in the near future.

Being based at GNCH, the nursing team can expect that the host organisation will provide the infrastructure, administrative support and governance required for individuals and the multi-disciplinary team to thrive within an ambitious and innovative culture.

Candidates should hold a clear UK drivers Licence.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust define a nurse specialist as a qualified nurse where the primary purpose of role is to provide guidance and support based on advanced level knowledge to patients, carers and health professionals concerning a specific disease/condition.

Within the sphere of specialist practice:

• Demonstrates significant advanced knowledge and skills within speciality and sphere of practice.
• Take a lead role facilitating the planning, delivery and evaluation of care pathways for a designated group of patients.
• Support the development of nursing practice within the specialist field and contribute to the body of nursing knowledge.
• Have corporate identity as an expert within specialist area.
• Lead and provide training and education across the organisation in relevant area of practice.

Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential

• Registered Nurse (appropriate to branch)
• Current NMC registration
• Degree level / Master's level study, or a combination of equivalent specialist study / experience
• Meets Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) requirements for mentorship if relevant to role

Desirable

• Master's Degree
• Management experience / qualification

Knowledge & Experience
Essential

• Extensive post registration experience, some of which will be at a senior level within the required specialist area of practice
• Extended clinical practice underpinned by training and assessment
• Audit / research experience
• Evidence of on-going continuous professional development
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant NHS policy or project specific policy context
• Has understanding / experience of adult / child safeguarding

Desirable

• Evidence of leading programme(s) of education and / or training

Skills & Abilities
Essential

• Good IT skills
• Effective report writing skills
• Able to work independently and across disciplines as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
• Effective organisation and time management skills
• Current driving licence if relevant to role
• Moving and handling patients and objects in line with Trust guidelines using appropriate aids

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. 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).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).