About this role
Job summary
Bristol NHS Foundation has a well established Germ Cell Team that looks after patients diagnosed with Germ Cell cancer across the region. Working as part of the Team, the post holder will be a key member of the Germ Cell Multidisciplinary Cancer Team, providing high-quality specialist care and support to patients diagnosed with a germ cell cancer.
The Germ Cell Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) will manage and coordinate a defined caseload of patients across the cancer pathway, providing specialist assessment, support, education and care from diagnosis, through treatment, follow-up and survivorship. The role involves undertaking nurse-led clinics, delivering telephone and face-to-face consultations, coordinating patient pathways and acting as a key worker to ensure a seamless and patient-centred service.
The post holder will provide specialist advice and support to patients, their families and healthcare professionals. Working collaboratively with consultants, specialist nurses, allied health professionals, primary care teams and community services, the post holder will help patients navigate complex treatment pathways and ensure timely access to appropriate care and support.
This role offers an excellent opportunity for a motivated nurse wishing to develop specialist expertise in germ cell cancer care. The post holder will be supported to develop their knowledge, skills and gaining enhanced clinical assessment, decision-making and care coordination skills.
Main duties of the job
Supporting patients in the consultant clinics and beyond; specialist information giving, emotional support.
Communicate complex and sensitive information regarding diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options, surveillance plans and disease progression.
Act as a key worker and patient advocate, ensuring patients and carers understand their treatment pathway and are supported to make informed decisions.
Responding to calls to the CNS helpline.
Providing nurse led clinics for germ cell patients follow up.
Actively monitoring and managing toxicity to SACTs.
Attending and contributing to the weekly team radiology meeting.
Development of survivorship and support programmes within the speciality.
Liaising with wider multidisciplinary team (e.g. Uro-Oncology team at NBT, Community palliative care, Macmillan support workers, GPs, hospital ward teams).
Help to implement and develop the role out of a remote monitoring system for patients on follow up - My Medical Record
About us
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations,operatingfrom three main sites at Southmead, Bristol citycentreand Weston.
With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that theSouth Westhas to offer.
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge.
Job description Job responsibilities
Interpersonal and communication skills
Provide specialist information, support and advice to patients and their families from diagnosis through treatment, follow-up and living with and beyond cancer.
Communicate complex and sensitive information regarding diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options, surveillance plans and disease progression.
Act as a key worker and patient advocate, ensuring patients and carers understand their treatment pathway and are supported to make informed decisions.
Provide telephone, virtual and face-to-face consultations, adapting communication styles to meet individual patient needs.
Develop therapeutic relationships with patients and families experiencing anxiety, distress and uncertainty related to cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Liaise effectively with consultants, specialist nurses, MDT members, primary care teams, community services and external providers to coordinate care.
Facilitate referrals to support services, including palliative care, psychological support, allied health professionals and charitable organisations.
Communicate difficult or potentially distressing information sensitively, including disease progression, treatment complications and end-of-life discussions when appropriate.
Support patients where communication barriers exist, including cognitive impairment, emotional distress, language differences or sensory impairment.
Professional knowledge and expertise
Maintain specialist knowledge of germ cell cancer, associated treatments, surveillance pathways and supportive care interventions.
Demonstrate clinical knowledge acquired through professional registration, degree-level education and specialist cancer training.
Apply national and local cancer policies, pathways, protocols and guidelines to clinical practice.
Maintain knowledge of Living With and Beyond Cancer initiatives, cancer survivorship and remote monitoring pathways.
Provide evidence-based specialist advice to patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
Maintain professional competence through continuing professional development, education, audit and service improvement activities.
Work within the NMC Code and Trust policies to ensure safe and effective practice.
Problem-solving and decision-making
Assess patients presenting with complex physical, psychological and social needs associated with germ cell cancer and its treatment.
Analyse clinical information, investigation results and patient-reported symptoms to inform clinical decision making.
Prioritise urgent concerns and escalate appropriately to medical colleagues or emergency services where required.
Recognise deterioration and identify patients requiring urgent review, intervention or referral.
Evaluate treatment-related toxicities and recommend appropriate management strategies.
Exercise professional judgement when managing uncertain or complex clinical situations.
Identify barriers to care and develop practical solutions to ensure continuity of patient support and treatment.
Planning and coordination
Manage and prioritise an autonomous caseload of patients across the germ cell cancer pathway.
Coordinate investigations, appointments, follow-up reviews and surveillance programmes.
Plan and deliver nurse-led clinics, including face-to-face, telephone and virtual consultations.
Coordinate care across multiple clinical settings including inpatient, outpatient and community environments.
Ensure timely referrals to diagnostic, treatment and supportive care services.
Contribute to multidisciplinary team working and cancer pathway coordination.
Organise follow-up care and support transitions between acute and community services.
Respond effectively to fluctuating caseloads and changing service demands.
Patient care and support
Develop, implement and evaluate personalised care plans in partnership with patients and families.
Provide specialist symptom management advice throughout the cancer pathway.
Support patients receiving active treatment, surveillance and follow-up care.
Provide education and self-management advice to enable patients to manage the impact of cancer and treatment.
Ensure patients are aware of all appropriate treatment options, including clinical trial opportunities where available.
Advocate on behalf of patients to ensure equitable access to care and support services.
Maintain accurate clinical records in accordance with professional and organisational standards.
Monitor treatment outcomes and ensure appropriate follow-up arrangements are in place.
Service development and improvement
Contribute to the ongoing development of the germ cell cancer service and wider oncology pathways.
Participate in the implementation of national cancer initiatives and local quality improvement projects.
Support the development, review and implementation of clinical guidelines, protocols and standard operating procedures.
Identify opportunities to improve patient experience, pathway efficiency and service delivery.
Support the development of innovative approaches to cancer follow-up and survivorship care. The Germ Cell team are currently implementing a digital cancer remote monitoring system called My Medical Record. The CNS will be critical in the effective implementation and development of this service.
Contribute specialist knowledge to service redesign discussions and MDT developments.
Leadership and team management
Support the education and development of new staff, students and colleagues.
Participate in clinical supervision, appraisal and personal development processes.
Delegate activities appropriately and retain accountability for delegated responsibilities.
Support service objectives and contribute to a positive team culture.
Act as a professional role model and uphold Trust values and behaviours.
Information and data management
Maintain accurate, timely and comprehensive patient records.
Enter, retrieve and interpret clinical information from multiple electronic systems.
Ensure compliance with confidentiality, information governance and data protection requirements.
Collect and contribute clinical activity data to support service monitoring and reporting.
Utilise electronic patient record systems, cancer databases and clinical information systems.
Ensure accurate documentation of assessments, interventions, referrals and outcomes.
Innovation and continuous improvement
Participate in clinical audit, service evaluation and quality improvement initiatives.
Contribute to research activities, data collection and implementation of evidence-based practice.
Support the development and review of clinical pathways and standards of care.
Keep up to date with emerging evidence, innovations and developments in germ cell cancer management.
Autonomy and decision authority
Work independently within agreed professional boundaries and scope of practice.
Manage an autonomous patient caseload and nurse-led clinics.
Make clinical decisions based on specialist knowledge, assessment findings and evidence-based practice.
Prioritise workload independently while responding to competing clinical demands.
Physical demands
Move between outpatient clinics, inpatient wards and different clinical environments throughout the working day.
Person Specification
application form Essential
Appropriate post registration experience Appropriate leadership or management experience Proven experience and commitment in teaching Organisational and management skills Ability to work effectively under pressure Ability to problem solve Ability to work alone and as part of a team Ability to cope with emotional issues Excellent interpersonal and communication skills IT skills Awareness of professional responsibilities to self and others Commitment to the development and provision of high quality nursing care Knowledge of national and local specialty specific issues
Qualifications and Training Essential
RGN.1st Level or relevant children's qualification Current NMC Registration Qualification in Teaching and Assessing
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 Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Address Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre
Horfield Rd
Bristol
BS28ED
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.uhbw.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)