Associate Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join us in one of three newly created roles, working alongside and strengthening our established Community Nurse Specialist team. We are looking for an experienced and compassionate Registered Nurse to join St Catherines Hospice as an Associate Clinical Nurse Specialist. Working across the hospice and community, you will manage a specialist caseload and use your clinical expertise to provide personalised, holistic and coordinated care for patients with palliative care needs, while supporting their families and carers.

You will be a Registered Nurse on the NMC Register with significant post-registration experience and a degree in a health-related subject, or equivalent substantial clinical experience. You will bring experience of providing palliative care across different settings, including care for people with non-malignant conditions, together with advanced knowledge of medicines and therapies used in palliative care.

You will communicate sensitively and professionally, work effectively as part of a team and be confident using your initiative while recognising when advice or escalation is required. A palliative care qualification, experience in a community setting, teaching or mentoring experience, and a non-medical prescribing qualification are desirable. You must also hold a full UK driving licence and have access to a vehicle insured for business use.

Main duties of the job

• Manage a caseload of patients with moderate needs, completing specialist assessments and planning appropriate interventions.
• Use autonomous clinical reasoning and risk assessment to support timely, confident decision-making.
• Contribute to advance and anticipatory care planning with patients, families, carers and multi-professional colleagues.
• Provide specialist advice, signposting and bereavement support within your scope of competence.
• Contribute to MDT discussions, discharge planning, case conferences and local Gold Standards Framework meetings.
• Support clinical audit, education, research and service improvement activity.
• Participate in the hospices 24-hour advice line, including the overnight service, for which additional remuneration is paid.

About us

You will join a caring, compassionate and committed organisation where specialist practice, learning and continuous improvement are valued. As part of one of the countrys few University Hospices, you will have opportunities to contribute to teaching, supervision, mentoring and research while developing your own professional practice.

• A warm, valuesdriven culture with supportive clinical leadership and access to specialist palliative care education and regular clinical supervision.
• NHSpension transfer eligibility (if applicable) or hospice pension.
• Free parking on site
• Wellbeing support that includes access to free confidential counselling.
• 36 days annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays) pro rata for part time. All staff receive an additional wellbeing day on their birthday or nearest working day. Access to a buy additional leave scheme.
• Life assurance scheme
• Opportunity to join the blue light scheme and cycle to work scheme.

If you are an experienced nurse who is passionate about delivering high-quality, person-centred palliative care, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Details

• Date posted: 12 October 2026
• Pay scheme: Other
• Salary: £44,903 a year
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time
• Reference number: B0150-26-0012
• Job locations: Lostock Lane, Lostock Hall, Preston, PR5 5XU, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

This post is to work as an Associate Clinical Nurse Specialist, providing specialist palliative care, knowledge and expertise to patients. Working autonomously, the post holder will manage a specialist caseload, support decision-making, contribute to advance and anticipatory care planning, and work collaboratively with patients, families, carers and multi-professional colleagues to promote personalised, holistic and coordinated care.

The post holder will practise with a high degree of autonomy as a senior specialist practitioner, accepting professional accountability for comprehensive assessment, clinical reasoning, risk management and care planning within their scope of competence. They will provide specialist advice in sometimes rapidly changing situations and recognise when medical, managerial or wider multidisciplinary escalation is required.

The post-holder will uphold the Hospice values of being caring, compassionate and committed. As part of one of the few University Hospices in the country, the post holder will contribute to teaching, supervision, mentoring and research within the organisation. As the Care Directorate provides 24/7 services across both the Inpatient Unit and community services, a flexible approach is essential.

Duties include:

Clinical Care

• Manage a caseload of patients with moderate needs and assessments, ensuring appropriate intervention and effective use of resources.
• Support carers and provide signposting information as appropriate to enable informed choices to be made concerning treatments and future care.
• Provide bereavement support within the boundaries of own competency and role referring to other agencies as appropriate.
• When qualified as an NMP, prescribe a range of medicines in line with own prescribing formulary ensuring that this is cost effective and in line with St Catherines NMP policy.
• Complete relevant orders and procedures as applicable e.g. Verification of Death procedure, Unified Do Not Actively Resuscitate orders.

Contribute to the 24-hour hospice advice line, including participation in the overnight advice line for which additional remuneration is paid, independently assessing the urgency and complexity of enquiries, providing specialist advice within scope of competence, documenting decisions and escalating clinical risk appropriately.

• Maintain accurate, contemporaneous care records, referrals, and clinical notes.

Leadership

• Provide clinical leadership by delivering holistic specialist palliative care, assessing patient needs, and developing advance/anticipatory care plans
• Contribute to or lead multi-professional discussions, including MDTs, discharge planning, case conferences, and district nursing meetings.
• Support hospice audit, education and research activities.
• Support continuous improvement project work and team projects as agreed.
• Support GSF meetings with local GP's supporting a connected approach to patient care within the community

Governance and Reporting Responsibilities:

• Report any incidents / accidents as required via our vantage system.
• Comply with legislation, Hospice policies, procedures and protocols.
• Liaise with external clinical organisations, including the CQC and CHC, to support patients with additional needs, such as enhanced care requirements.

Provide specialist input into incident reviews, complaints, safeguarding concerns, medicines-related issues and clinical risk management within the service. Identify themes, share learning, recommend proportionate improvements and monitor agreed actions within the remit of the role, escalating significant concerns promptly through the appropriate governance arrangements.

Carry out other duties within your ability and within reason as required by the Chief Executive, Director of Nursing, Governance and AHPS, Community Services Manager.

Volunteers:

The Hospice has the advantage of being supported by a number of volunteers.

If a volunteer is assigned to assist you at any time, you will still retain responsibility for the requirements of this job in terms of accuracy, efficiency and standards of completion. You will also

ensure good communication and be mindful of your responsibility towards that volunteer in terms of Health and Safety.

Confidentiality:

You should be aware of the confidential nature of the Hospice environment and/or your role. Any matters of a confidential nature, relating to patients, carers, relatives, staff or volunteers must not be divulged to any unauthorised person.

Data protection:

You should make yourself aware of the requirements of the Data Protection Act and follow local codes of practice to ensure

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).