Upper GI Clinical Nurse Specialist

This is an exciting opportunity for a 1 year secondment within MTW UGI CNS Service. We are looking for a positive and enthusiastic nurse with a strong work ethic and a solid clinical background in gastro-intestinal or cancer care to join our well-established team of Upper GI Clinical Nurse Specialists at Band 7 level.

The Upper GI CNS team at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is a forward-thinking, patient-focused team providing a high standard of care for patients diagnosed with Upper GI cancer, embracing change to improve patient experience.

The CNS Team are an integral part of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and work closely with medical/surgical colleagues, diagnostic services, inpatient and outpatient teams to provide a holistic and patient-centred service. The CNS Team have strong links with Kent Oncology Centre to ensure a streamlined pathway of care for patients.

The CNS Team also includes a UGI Development Nurse and Cancer Support Worker who provides a valuable contribution to the patient pathway.

Main duties of the job

The role will involve working as a member of the Band 7 Upper GI CNS Team, to provide in-depth knowledge on the care pathway and complex needs of patients diagnosed with Upper GI cancer, joining them to take the lead on the day-to-day running of the service.

You will also work clinically with patients and carers from the time of referral to provide nursing advice and practical and psychosocial support including Holistic Assessments and Personalised Care Plans.

You will also provide support for junior members of the team including undertaking annual appraisals and performance reviews. You will actively engage with the weekly MDT acting as patient advocate and supporting decision-making.

To work at Band 7 level you will need to have gained experience at Band 6, or equivalent level in a gastro-intestinal medical, surgical or oncology setting.

The post will involve cross-site working and a degree of flexibility to meet the needs of the service. We currently operate a Monday to Friday service and are happy to consider a flexible working pattern providing the needs of the service are met.

Would you like to work flexibly?In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

MTW is a large acute hospital trust in the south-east of England. We provide a full range of general hospital services and some aspects of specialist and complex care to around 600,000 people living in west Kent and East Sussex. We have a team of over 8,000 full and part-time staff. We also provide specialist cancer services to around 2 million people across Kent and East Sussex via the Kent Oncology Centre.