About this role
Job summary
The Paediatric Team at Dorset County Hospital is seeking an experienced, motivated and compassionate nurse to become our Roald Dahl Paediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for Complex Medical Conditions Transition. This is a unique and rewarding Band 7 role, created in partnership with Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity, supporting children and young people with complex medical needs as they move from paediatric to adult services.
As a Roald Dahl CNS, you will join a national network of specialist nurses funded by the charity, known for delivering exceptional, holistic, child-centred care. You will be based within the Paediatric Department at Dorset County Hospital, working closely with multidisciplinary teams, community services, and regional partners to ensure young people and their families experience a safe, supported and empowering transition.
What We Offer
The opportunity to become part of the Roald Dahl Nurse network, with access to specialist training, peer support, and professional development. A supportive paediatric team within Dorset County Hospital. Opportunities to shape and lead transition services across the Trust. A role that makes a profound difference to children, young people, and families living with complex medical needs
Main duties of the job
We are looking for a nurse who is:
A Registered Children's Nurse (RSCN/RN Child) with substantial post-registration experience. Skilled in managing complex medical conditions and confident in autonomous practice. Passionate about improving transition experiences for young people. An excellent communicator, advocate, and collaborator. Motivated to contribute to service innovation and evidence-based practice. Committed to the values of Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity, including kindness, bravery, and making the extraordinary possible. Key Responsibilities
Specialist clinical leadership in the management of children and young people with complex medical conditions. Coordinating transition pathways between paediatric and adult services, ensuring continuity of care. Holistic family support, including emotional, social and practical guidance. Advanced clinical assessment and care planning tailored to individual needs. Education and training for families, carers, and healthcare professionals. Service development, audit, and quality improvement to enhance transition care across the Trust. Acting as a key link between hospital, community, and voluntary sector partners.
About us
At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff. Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.
We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.
We understand that some applicants may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in preparing their application materials. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind candidates that all submissions must be truthful and accurately reflect your own experiences and suitability for this role.
Personal integrity and authenticity are central to our recruitment process. We value honesty and appreciate applications that are genuine and representative of the individual behind them.
UKVI Sponsorship: This role is eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). We welcome applications from individuals who require sponsorship to work in the UK. Sponsorship will be offered subject to meeting UKVI eligibility criteria.
Job description Job responsibilities
The post holder will work in conjunction with Roald Dahls Marvellous Childrens Charity (RDMCC). The role will be to provide expert holistic nursing care and support to young people living with a complex medical condition. You will be a highly motivated, dynamic, innovative, and enthusiastic Childrens nurse.
You will support the Transition Service and assist in developing Transition pathways across the organisation and providing suitable and sufficient support to ensure young people with complex conditions transition positively to adult services.
You will actively support staff in both paediatric and adult services, enabling continuous service development, and improved health outcomes for young people accessing healthcare at DCH. Quality improvement methodology may be used to develop creative solutions to improve services.
The RDMCC Nurse will:
Provide clear and effective leadership and co-ordination of the patient pathway for young people with medical complexity (CMC).
Work with minimal supervision to develop and deliver the specialist service based on principles that are evidence based, and which enhance the quality of patient care.
Ensure a high-quality service meeting the individual needs of the young person and their family.
Lead the co-ordination of holistic and seamless clinical care for Complex Medical Conditions, who are often known to several specialty teams.
Promote efficient patient pathways.
Being identifiable by uniform, visible and accessible in the clinical area to the clinical team, patients and service users. Changes to the working pattern must be agreed with the immediate line manager and reviewed at regular intervals.
To be a champion for young people ensuring their voice is heard and that young person-friendly care (Developmentally Appropriate Healthcare) is supported. This includes ensuring appropriate clear care plans are in place, recognition and management of vulnerabilities and ensuring the patient experience/environment is young person friendly both in the atmosphere and approach of staff/clinical teams and in the presentation of the clinical area in compliance with the Youre Welcome Document (DoH, 2017).
To work closely with the Childrens Community Nursing Team and Specialist Nursing Teams, engaging staff members in the development of transition pathways and documentation within their services.
About Roald Dahls Marvellous Childrens Charity
Roald Dahls Marvellous Childrens Charity funds over 90 specialist nurses across the UK, supporting seriously ill children and young people to lead marvellous lives. Their partnership with Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust enables this post to deliver exceptional, compassionate, and life changing care.
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications Essential
NMC Child Registered Nurse (RN Child / RSCN) MSc in relevant subject or equivalent qualification / experience Teaching / Mentorship Qualification or willingness to undertake. Evidence of continued professional development and training.
Knowlege & Experience Essential
4 years post registration experience in children's nursing Proven clinical, organisational, and managerial skills. Experience working within a multidisciplinary team. A minimum of 2 years' experience at Band 6 level or above Sound knowledge & experience of safeguarding children & vulnerable adults Experience of working with CYP with medical complexity
Skills & Abilities Essential
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal Ability to plan, organise and prioritise own work. Able to undertake pertinent clinical skills. Able to practice as an autonomous practitioner. Clear understanding and commitment to clinical governance and quality assurance Ability to be flexible, adaptable, and innovative. Ability to work with the multi-disciplinary team Ability to delegate skills appropriately including competency assessment Working knowledge of IT and new technologies Ability to problem solve/use initiative and work autonomously/part of a team Working knowledge of relevant legislation and national guidelines around palliative care Experience of working with a multi-disciplinary team and Inter-agency working Ability to organise and respond efficiently to complex and sensitive information Demonstrates leadership/ management abilities and willingness to develop these Research and audit skills Valid driving licence
Desirable
Flexibility/adaptability to be able to work 24-hour shift pattern
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 Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address Children's Centre
Damers Road
Dorchester
DT1 2DY
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.dchft.nhs.uk/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)