Acute Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist

Acute Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist

Acute Oncology is a dynamic and evolving specialty that brings together oncology, emergency care, acute medicine, and palliative care to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care for individuals presenting with oncological emergencies.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and enthusiastic nurse to join the well-established Acute Oncology Service (AOS) at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust. We are seeking a highly motivated, compassionate, and forward-thinking nurse with a strong interest in acute oncology and a commitment to delivering excellent care.

The post holder will act as a key worker, providing a vital link between patients, carers, and multidisciplinary teams across all healthcare settings. The role focuses on improving acute oncology and cancer of unknown primary (CUP) pathways and enhancing patient experience.

The Acute Oncology Service supports patients experiencing systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT) toxicities and oncological emergencies, including neutropenic sepsis and malignant spinal cord compression. The team provides a seven-day advisory service and manages the Acute Oncology Triage Advice Line.

You will work closely with medical and nursing teams, offering specialist advice and support in the management of inpatients admitted with complications related to cancer and its treatments.

Training and Support

Full support will be provided by the Acute Oncology Lead Nurse, with learning guided through a recognised competency-based framework. The successful candidate will be encouraged to contribute to ongoing service development and the implementation of the Trust's policies and objectives.

Additional Information

This is a Macmillan-funded post, offering access to a wide range of benefits including mentorship, education programmes, coaching, service development funding, patient information resources, and patient grants.

Role Purpose

The role of the Acute Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist is essential in ensuring the care and management of patients with cancer in an acute setting, such as a hospital emergency department or urgent care unit.

The role focuses on providing expertise and leadership for patients who are experiencing oncological emergencies or complications related to their cancer treatment.

Job Summary

The post holder is a key member of the Acute Oncology Service and plays a key role in the delivery of its service throughout the trust. This role is pivotal to the implementation of the 7-day Acute Oncology service in line with the National Chemotherapy Advisory Group report (NCAG, 2009) and National Quality Standard Measures. The post holder will provide early specialist input for patients presenting with oncological emergencies or complications of cancer and its treatment, ensuring timely assessment, intervention, and coordination of care.

This will enable safer, high-quality care for patients experiencing complications of chemotherapy and radiotherapy through early recognition, prompt management, and facilitation of early discharge where appropriate. The post holder will provide rapid clinical review of patients with cancer-related complications, with timely referral and coordination of care with specialist oncology and/or palliative care teams. Appropriate and timely investigation of patients who may benefit from treatment for metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) or cancers of unknown primary, including targeted assessment, prompt triage, and efficient referral to specialist oncology, surgical, or palliative care services.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Practice

The post holder will provide direct patient care management, prioritising and managing their own workload while maintaining responsibility and accountability for an individual caseload.

Work in conjunction with the Lead Acute Oncology Nurse to ensure the delivery of a high-quality specialist nursing service within the Acute Oncology Service (AOS).

Undertake comprehensive nursing assessments, using advanced clinical judgement and decision-making skills to initiate appropriate interventions, and plan, implement and evaluate care in response to changing patient needs.

Work collaboratively and proactively with wards and departments to support the management of patients referred to AOS, ensuring timely clinical interventions, appropriate investigations, and supporting a reduction in length of hospital stay.

Utilise advanced communication skills to provide and receive highly sensitive and complex information to and from patients, families, and carers.

Work in partnership with multidisciplinary teams and external agencies to ensure holistic care is delivered, particularly in relation to ongoing care needs and discharge planning.

Provide clinical knowledge, advice, and support to AOS patients, carers, and healthcare professionals in the management of complications related to:

• Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT)
• Radiotherapy
• Suspected…