Lead Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist - Vascular

Job Summary

Working full‑time: 37.5 hours per week. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a talented and dynamic nurse to join our vascular team at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as Lead Vascular Clinical Nurse Specialist. The post holder will lead an established team of experienced vascular nurses. The role offers an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your skills and leadership ability whilst experiencing a new challenge in a Trust which offers you a breadth of diversity and experience.

The Countess of Chester Hospital operates and manages vascular services across Wirral, West Cheshire and Warrington. This model unifies the approach to vascular services across South Mersey, ensuring high quality and consistent care across the region. The role of Lead Vascular Clinical Nurse Specialist is high profile, dynamic, proactive and pioneering. The lead nurse for vascular services will be able to make informed decisions and have managerial responsibility for nursing service delivery across vascular specialist nursing areas.

The focus of the role will be to improve overall patient experience and outcomes, for all patients with vascular conditions using service improvement and quality methodology, and will be responsive to challenging healthcare needs and advances in practice.

The Trust's services are provided from three locations: the Countess of Chester Hospital – 473 general and acute beds;
Ellesmere Port Hospital – 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility; and Tarporley War Memorial Hospital – a base for community services serving the local rural population. The Trust employs 5,964 staff to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire including Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire.

The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System, and due to its location on the border with North Wales, also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. Patients are treated from England and some parts of Wales. In 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances ranging from simple outpatient appointments to major cancer surgery.

• Date posted: 27 February 2026
• Pay scheme:
  Agenda for Change
• Band:
  Band 8a
• Salary: £55,690 to £62,682 a year pa
• Contract:
  
  Permanent
• Working pattern:
  Full‑time
• Reference number: 210‑2025‑633

Countess of Chester Hospital, Liverpool Road, Chester, CH2 1UL

The Lead Vascular Clinical Nurse Specialist will lead a team of vascular nurses, providing managerial responsibility for nursing service delivery across all vascular specialist areas. Key responsibilities include managing senior clinical decision making, leading service improvement and quality initiatives, ensuring excellent patient experience and outcomes, and responding to evolving healthcare needs and advances in practice.

• Qualifications
  • RN/RSCN Diploma or Degree
  • MSc in Health, Quality or leadership related or working towards within 2 academic years of appointment or equivalent
  • Desirable: A recognised qualification in vascular nursing
• Experience
  • Knowledge of advanced clinical, psychological and social needs of patients accessing our vascular services
  • Evidence of prior senior clinical decision making
  • Desirable:
    Experience of leading patient involvement / patient feedback

Disclosure and Barring Service check is required. Candidates will need to submit a DBS check; the cost will be deducted from salary over the first three months of employment. Skilled‑worker sponsorship is available; however, the Trust will not sponsor if the starting salary does not meet immigration rules. UK professional registration is required. Applicants must also have a current DBS update and comply with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: ‘Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?’ The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application.