Acute Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job overview

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.

Main duties of the job

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

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 oncological emergencies, including neutropenic sepsis and metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC)

Disease progression

Signs and symptoms of Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP)

Maintain a highly visible and accessible presence at key points of entry within the Trust.

Ensure safe, high standards of nursing care are delivered in accordance with Trust policies, procedures, and national guidelines.

Maintain accurate, contemporaneous patient records in line with Trust and NMC standards.

Continually develop and advance personal clinical skills, including clinical assessment, non-medical prescribing (where applicable), risk management, and evidence-based practice.

Request and interpret appropriate investigations in line with scope of practice and clinical protocols.

Act as a key worker for patients with Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP), coordinating their care pathway.

Management Responsibility

Assist the AOS Lead Nurse to collect and collate service data to inform service delivery, development, and the Trust’s annual reporting requirements.

Participate in local audits, data collection and patient experience surveys.

Contribute to the implementation of clinical protocols and pathways for oncological emergencies, including neutropenic sepsis, MSCC, emergency admissions, and CUP, and act as a coordinator for these patient groups.

Provide support to generalist staff and Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialists.

Actively participate in Acute Oncology Team (AOT) meetings to support service delivery, quality, and development.

Develop and maintain strong multidisciplinary relationships, promoting collaborative working, even in challenging situations.

Education, Research and Audit

Identify and deliver effective educational strategies for patients, carers, and staff, using an honest, empathetic, and assertive approach when discussing complex care and treatment plans.

Provide education regarding expected treatment side effects and support treatment adherence, including when treatments may be complex, painful, or life-limiting.

Assess patient understanding and adapt communication methods, accordingly, including the use of interpretation services where required.

Promote patient autonomy through education and support, enabling informed decision-making about care and treatment.

Contribute to education and training programmes related to acute oncology and oncological emergencies.

Recognise and develop opportunities to expand personal scope of practice within acute oncology.

Assist the Lead AOS Nurse in auditing key aspects of the service to ensure continuous improvement in patient care.

Utilise current research and evidence-based practice to inform clinical care and disseminate knowledge across the multidisciplinary team.

Clinical Risk Management & Health and Safety

Comply with Health and Safety at Work legislation and Trust policies to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, a safe working environment for staff, patients, and visitors.

Take personal responsibility for attending all mandatory training.

Report all accidents, incidents, and near misses in accordance with Trust clinical risk management procedures.

Contribute to the safety and security of the environment, including the protection of patients, staff, visitors, and Trust property.

Job Design and Review

This job description may be subject to change in the future. Any proposed changes will normally be discussed fully with the post holder with the AfC job evaluation process applied and confirmed via the issue of an updated job description.