Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist- Inpatient Pain Service

What You'll Do

• Provide expert, evidence-based care for inpatients with acute and complex pain
• Lead and support the inpatient pain nursing team
• Work collaboratively with the chronic pain service to ensure consistent pain management across both hospitals
• Deliver and evaluate formal and informal education for the multidisciplinary team
• Contribute to service development, quality improvement, and implementation of current research Represent the service at local and national pain conferences and networking events

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to clinical nurse specialists, ensuring high quality delivery and continuous development of the inpatient pain service.
• Ensure the pain service adapts to changing patient needs, emerging evidence, and national/local guidelines.
• Work closely with Consultant Pain Leads, the Matron, fellow Band 7 colleague, and the wider pain team to deliver the services strategic objectives.
• Contribute to the development of integrated governance structures that support seamless working between inpatient and chronic pain services
• Lead daily inpatient pain ward rounds, acting as an autonomous practitioner in complex clinical decision making.
• Use advanced clinical reasoning to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate pain management plans for patients with acute and complex pain.
• Maintain a strong clinical presence, role-modelling excellence in pain management and ensuring evidence based interventions are consistently delivered.
• Prescribe and administer treatments in line with the organisations medication guidelines.
• Act as a clinical expert in inpatient pain management, offering guidance on complex pain presentations.
• Support staff education, promote best practice, and champion high standards of pain care across the organisation.
• Work effectively with the chronic pain service, palliative care, acute care response team, pharmacy, and Gloucestershire drug and alcohol services to ensure coordinated, holistic care.
• Take an active role in governance processes, embedding a culture of reflection, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure care delivery aligns with current research, best practice standards, and regulatory guidance.

• Maintain and continually develop the specialist knowledge, clinical competence, and advanced skills required to perform the role effectively.
• Use the Trust appraisal process to identify personal training and development needs, ensuring ongoing professional growth.
• Undertake all mandatory and statutory training relevant to the role.
• Support the education, training, and professional development of staff within the inpatient pain team.
• Lead the design, delivery, and evaluation of specialist pain education for staff across all levels of the organisation, tailored to clinical need.
• Oversee the provision and delivery of training for devices used in inpatient acute pain management
• Work collaboratively with the Trusts professional education team to ensure high quality, evidence based training provision.
• Lead the development, coordination, and ongoing support of the inpatient pain link nurse programme.

• Manage your own daily caseload of inpatients with acute and complex pain, while supporting colleagues with theirs to ensure safe, equitable workload distribution.
• Encourage and embed a shared leadership culture, empowering team members to take ownership of initiatives and service improvements.
• Demonstrate high standards of patient care, communication, professionalism, and organisation, setting expectations for the wider team.
• Assess staffing levels in relation to clinical need and adjust allocations to maintain safe, effective service delivery.
• Maintain an…