Job summaryThe Department of Head and Neck at the University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) has an exciting opportunity for a motivated Band 6 Head and Neck Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
Please apply if you possess significant experience and a sound knowledge in care of the patient with a Head and Neck cancer. At interview you can demonstrate skills in management of the patient with an altered airway to support the patient, carer and ward staff as necessary. You will articulate your passion for the speciality to drive delivery of the highest standard of care.
The UHB Head and Neck CNS team consists of a generic head and neck team, a head and neck and altered airway team, an altered airway team, a skull base team and thyroid team as well as a dedicated head and neck counsellor and a head and neck complementary therapist. Team members are expected to support each other to cover as the service requires.
You will be part of the multi disciplinary team so nurturing of excellent working relationships is vital. The patient pathway may be between the sites of Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Birmingham Heartlands Hospital the expectation is that you work across the sites as the service requires. Referrals are also taken from Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust.
You will be the keyworker for the patient from diagnosis of both benign and malignant disease tracking investigations and treatment and follow up. For effective use of resource the potential for nurse led clinics will be maximised
Main duties of the jobAs the clinical expert keyworker and point of contact you will support both the patient and their carers and ensure progression of the patient along all stages of the complex head and neck and thyroid cancer disease pathway.
The role of head and neck clinical nurse specialist involves nurse led clinics, supporting patient and carers at diagnosis, facilitating the requesting and reporting of investigations-and ensuring multi-disciplinary discussion for treatment plan, psychological support, supporting through both surgical and or non-surgical treatment and as appropriate other agency referral.
Willingness to undertake further development in order to become a Non-Medical Prescriber and to undertake imaging requesting is a prerequisite.
Altered Airway management, troubleshooting competence is a fundamental of this role of head and neck clinical nurse specialist as well as ability to teach, advise and support the patient, carers and other colleagues caring for patients with tracheostomy or laryngectomy.
As a head and neck clinical nurse specialist no day is the same and each day presents opportunities and new challenges
About usUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.
DetailsDate posted: 07 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 304-1103090
Job locations: Trustwide, Mindelsohn Way, Birmingham, West Midlands, B15 2TH, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*
Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential- Registered Nurse with valid NMC registration
- Educated to degree level or equivalent experience.
- Portfolio of certified / accredited post registration professional development.
Desirable- Health Assessment post graduate qualification / willingness to work towards
ExperienceEssential- Post registration experience with evidence of knowledge and development for the associated area of specialist practice.
- In depth knowledge of specialist procedures required for role, with willingness to undertake further training/ education to achieve agreed level of competence.
- Knowledge of standards and policies associated with role.
- Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and cross agency work environment.
- Demonstrable understanding of the national / NHSE diagnostic/ therapeutic expectations / strategy around endoscopy services and can relate this to the role.
- Demonstrable understanding of clinical governance / patient safety processes -- can relate this to the role in relation to their personal/professional accountability.
Desirable- Non Medical Prescriber Couse
- Non Medical Imaging requesting
- Teaching/Assessment course
- ENT/Maxillofacial specific course
Additional CriteriaEssential- Excellent written, verbal communication skills
- Ability to follow complex instructions consistently in relation to the delivery of endoscopy practice.
- Consistently professional, collaborative, and compassionate in their approach to colleagues/ patients
- Effective people skills including high degree of self-awareness / self-regulation.
- Ability to understand, interpret and critically analyse information/ data and develop skills in reporting of video capsule images.
- Ability to recognise limits of own competence and seek advice/ support escalating concerns as required.
- Ability to apply, evaluative and reflective techniques to personal practice, events, and activities.
- Ability to plan, prioritise workload in response to service need
- Ability to explain the requirement to balance clinical caseload and developing skills, knowledge, and competence.
- Ability to work towards autonomous enhanced practice through exposure, supervised practice to a preset level of clinical competence.
- Ability to apply, evaluative and reflective techniques to personal practice, events, and activities.
- Ability to contribute to service development
- Acts to support and enable teamwork.
- Cheerful outlook towards supporting organisational / service changes, learning and continuous quality improvement
Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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 SponsorshipApplications 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 RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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). 
