About this role
Job summary
The Christie Sarcoma Nursing Team is seeking an experienced and compassionate Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist to join our service. This role is ideal for a motivated nurse who is committed to delivering high-quality, person-centred care and improving the experience of people living with sarcoma.
The postholder will provide specialist nursing support primarily within The Christie at the Withington site, caring for patients with curative and metastatic disease, while working closely with multidisciplinary teams.
This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful difference by supporting patients and families with empathy, respect, and excellence throughout the cancer pathway.
The Sarcoma Clinical Nurse specialist within medical oncology, is a specialist nurse with advanced knowledge and skills in the area of oncology, systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT) and supporting patient receiving palliative care.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will deliver a specialist Clinical Nurse Specialist service acting as a key worker for patients diagnosed with sarcoma within a wider nursing team. They will provide expert clinical advice, information, and emotional support, empowering patients to make informed decisions throughout their care.
The role involves advanced communication, proactive symptom management, and close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, alongside contributing to service development and quality improvement.
Applicants must have a minimum of three years' post-registration experience, with demonstrable experience in oncology. Experience in systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT), palliative care and managing advancing disease is desirable. Excellent communication skills, flexibility, and a strong commitment to compassionate, patient-focused care are essential.
Enquiries and informal visits are welcomed and encouraged. Please contact Ann Buchan, Sarcoma Advanced Practitioner on 0161 956 1867 or [email protected] or contact the nursing team on [email protected]
About us
The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.
Job description Job responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical
1. To act as a key worker for patient referred to the medical oncology sarcoma team. To provide comprehensive and specialist assessment such as holistic needs assessment at specific time points in their care pathway and care planning for patients with a range of needs, using evidence-based knowledge and good communication skills. Refer appropriately to services in the acute and community setting.
2. To inform appropriate patients about impact of treatment on fertility, providing advice about contraception and, where appropriate, making referrals to the Regional Fertility Centre at St. Marys Hospital.
3. Demonstrate competence in foundation level communication skills and have a completed advanced communications skills training.
4. To attend appropriate Sarcoma Clinics held at The Christie and liaise closely with the patients, and other member of the sarcoma team attending these. To provide information about side effects of treatment and ensure clear and concise documentation is completed.
5. To undertake non - medical prescribing within own scope of competence with adherence to relevant Trust policies and current NMC guidance. Where appropriate, to act as a nurse prescriber within the remit of appropriate clinical practice.
6. To communicate effectively and support patients and carers prior to, during and after treatment and at key points in their cancer journey i.e. disease progression/ advanced care planning. To run nurse-led support clinics in conjunction with other clinical nurse specialists to enable this.
7. To attend MDT meetings and team meetings as appropriate and to contribute to discussions about individual patients. To attend other professional and clinical meetings as appropriate.
8. In collaboration with the wider Sarcoma Team, to act as a point of contact for patients and their carers in the community and refer more complex cases on as appropriate. To work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure patient needs are met.
9. To be aware of current research protocols and liaise with the Rare Tumour & Radiation Oncology Research Team regarding eligibility.
10. To work effectively within the team to ensure that the delivery of care is reviewed and stratification of ongoing care is carried out.
11. To implement Trust Policies and Procedures
12. Champion a safeguarding culture, which meets the needs of people with issues involving mental capacity or children
13. To have an advanced knowledge of local and national standards that may impact on practise
14. To act always in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct and Guiding Documents.
Managerial/Clinical Leadership.
1. Support clinical developments / projects to promote excellence in patient care.
2. Receive clinical supervision and mentorship to facilitate reflective practice and attend peer supervision.
3. Promote patient and public involvement activities in the specialist area, leading to service improvement by working with focus groups and disease specific charities such as Sarcoma UK/ GIST cancer UK if required, including running the regional sarcoma support group.
4. Act as a role model presenting a professional image at all times.
5. To be fully aware of the divisional objectives and the Trusts corporate plan.
6. Evaluate service delivery; identify areas for improvement and initiate change.
7. Develop the ability to manage a case load without supervision.
8. To take full responsibility for own workload and manage own caseload efficiently, effectively and safely, with flexibility to meet the demands of the sarcoma patient service. To identify and maintain supportive networks for self and other colleagues.
Education and Development.
1. To accept personal responsibilities for own development and professional growth.
2. To educate patients, families and carers at an appropriate level about sarcoma, including treatment side effects and symptom management, to enable self-care wherever possible.
3. To assess own educational needs and keep up to date with nursing and clinical updates in line with NMC Code. Maintain professional portfolio and meet the requirements of NMC revalidation.
4. Develop skills in formal and informal teaching in order to provide support, education and training to other healthcare professionals, within and outside of the Christie to develop their skills to deliver appropriate specialist care to patients with sarcoma.
5. To formulate a personal development plan and undergo regular appraisals with line manager. To undertake identified training to provide the necessary skills in specialist nursing care of sarcoma patients.
6. Demonstrate presentation skills and attend study days as appropriate
Clinical Governance, Quality and Audit
1. To participate where appropriate in nursing and multi-disciplinary research, clinical audit, and benchmarking, in order to improve effectiveness of patient care.
2. Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of research relevant to the specialist area through attendance of lectures, study days conferences.
3. To use information systems such as electronic patient records to aid regular audit of the clinical role and provide activity analysis as required. Adhere to GDPR requirements.4. To keep up to date with each Trust mandatory training requirements for this role.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
First level nursing registration Post registration qualification in oncology Evidence of continued professional development Degree in Nursing/Health related subject
Desirable
Teaching and assessing/ mentorship Advanced communication skills training Level 2 psychological assessment and intervention training Non-medical prescribing Higher degree in health-related subject
Experience Essential
Minimum of 3 years' experience post registration Oncology experience
Desirable
Palliative care experience Sarcoma experience Clinical Nurse Specialist experience Nursing leadership Experience of influencing change
Skills Essential
Effective communication skills Able to work autonomously Able to present information to professional groups. Ability to develop effective interpersonal relationships with colleagues across health and social care setting. Strong organisational/ prioritising/ flexibility skills Able to work under pressure Competent to use IT packages such as Microsoft Word and Power Point Able to analyse data and provide written reports
Desirable
Evidence of effective team working across professional and organisational boundaries. Evidence of writing protocols/standards
Knowledge Essential
Clear understanding of the clinical nurse specialist role. Knowledge of professional and NHS issues, and policies relating to the sarcoma speciality Evidence of continuing professional development.
Desirable
Knowledge of clinical information systems e.g. electronic patient record
Values Essential
Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours Commitment to patient care initiatives
Other Essential
Demonstrates flexibility in working hours.
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 The Christie NHS FT
Address Medical Oncology Nursing - E00032
Manchester
M20 4BX
Employer's website https://www.christie.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)