Palliative Care Associate Nurse Specialist

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 05 March 2026

The specialist palliative acre team at West Middlesex Hospital site consists of Consultants in Palliative Medicine Clinical Nurse Specialist, Associate Nurse Specialist, Allied Health Professional and a Team Administrator . The team work closely with our Chaplaincy team, Butterfly Volunteers, Bereavement Team and our local Hospices and Community Palliative care CNS'. We hold a multidisciplinary team meeting every Tuesday morning. Our philosophy is to treat everyone with respect, dignity and compassion with the intention of maximising their quality of life and lessen suffering by supporting the emotional, physical, spiritual and socials needs of our patients and those important to them.

The associate nurse specialist role is a development post based on a number of competency drive objectives, in order for the successful candidate to develop their clinical skills, clinical reasoning, confidence and leadership ability with the aim of becoming a highly skilled and competent B7 Palliative Care CNS. Progression and development into a B7 CNS role will be dependant on previous experience and your advancement within the role, we envisage this will take approximately two years full time.

The post holder will work as part of the wider SPC team and with the support form your senior colleagues be responsible for providing specialist advice and support to all members of the multi-professional team in the care of patients with a life limiting disease who are experiencing symptoms that require specialist palliative care. The post holder will learn how to triage and prioritise appropriately according to the patients need.

Manage a case load of patients. Apply and revise individual plans of care. Develop advance communication skills to support this multifaceted group of patients and those important to them. The post holder will be supported and developed to work autonomously as part of the seven-day face-to=face service. Shadowing senior colleagues initially until competent and confident to work independently.

Our Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites--Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital--along with award-winning clinics across North West London.

Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5m, providing full clinical services including maternity, A&E and children's services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health care. The CQC rates us Good in safety, effectiveness, care and responsiveness, and Outstanding in leadership and resource use.

We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Mid.

We are delivering sustainable healthcare through our Green Plan. In line with Greener NHS ambitions, we aim for net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Achieving this requires collective effort. We encourage staff to reduce their impact on carbon, waste and pollution wherever possible. Every action counts to create a healthier, more sustainable future.

We are committed to equal opportunities and believe diversity drives innovation and excellence. We welcome applications from the global majority, veterans and underrepresented communities, valuing the perspectives they bring.

If you haven't heard from us within 3 weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probation.
Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.

Before applying for the post perspective applicants should study the attached job description and personal specification for extensive details of the roles and responsibilities and the essentials and desired qualities required for this role.

• Registered Nurse
• Educated to degree level
• Minimum of four years post registration experience, some of which will have been in a palliative care setting
• Experience of taking charge of a unit
• University led Qualification in Palliative or End of Life care
• Demonstrable experience of formal teaching
• Demonstrable experince of multi professioanl working
• Involvement in audit and quality improvement work

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.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust