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Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and dynamic nurse to join the Renal Transplant Service at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust as Lead Nurse (Band 8a) on a fixed-term basis (12months).
We are seeking an innovative and compassionate clinical nurse specialist (CNS) with a strong commitment to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care across the renal transplant pathway. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced CNS looking to develop their leadership skills and take the next step in their career.
This pivotal role will provide clinical, operational and professional leadership for the renal transplant nursing service, leading the CNS team and working closely with the multidisciplinary team to drive service development, advance nurse-led practice and enhance patient experience.
We provide a specialist tertiary renal transplant service for patients across North Central London and Hertfordshire, including transplant recipients, living donors, patients awaiting transplantation, and young adults transitioning from paediatric services.
The successful candidate will bring substantial renal and transplant experience, excellent communication and leadership skills, and a passion for improving outcomes for transplant recipients and living donors. This role offers a unique opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience within a nationally recognised transplant service while contributing to the future development of renal transplantation care
Main duties of the job
- Liaise with key members of the MDT to advise & support in the delivery of specialised patient care for patients within renal transplant service across professional boundaries.
- Run nurse led clinics & be responsible for excellent standards of nursing care to patients through planning, co-ordinating, delivering and evaluating nurse-led clinics & services.
- Supporting the leadership, development, & performance management of CNS workforce including living donation, transplant assessment and recipient teams. Ensuring consistent standards of care, patient experience, & clinical outcomes across services.
- Contribute to workforce planning, service transformation, & QI initiatives to meet current and future service demands.
- Lead and support with specialist nursing knowledge the development, and implementation of programmes of nursing care for individual patients and the client group as a whole.
- Contribute to training and education within renal transplantation and living donation and wider teams.
- Promote an innovative and progressive attitude to the continual improvement of patient care through reviewing the evidence base and embedding this in practice through engagement in research activities.
- Foster strong multidisciplinary & cross-organisational relationships, representing the service at local, regional, & national forums as required to enhance the profile of the service & support system-wide collaboration.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached job description for more information about this role and working at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
Person specification
Skills and aptitudes
Essential
- Excellent leadership and team management skills
- Highly developed communication skills, including the ability to convey complex and sensitive information
- Ability to provide expert clinical advice and support in complex situations
- Strong organisational and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage competing demands
- Ability to analyse and interpret complex data and use it to inform decision-making
- Ability to influence, negotiate, and work collaboratively across multidisciplinary and organisational boundaries
- Ability to manage and resolve conflict and challenging situations effectively
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
- Advanced IT skills in the use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet
- Ability to write clear and concise documents
Desirable
- Ability to lead change and support service transformation initiatives
Royal Free shared commitments
Essential
- Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust shared commitments
Personal qualities and attributes
Essential
- Highly professional role model
- Organisational skills–able to deliver objectives within an agreed time
- Demonstrates the ability to work in a multiprofessional team
- Ability to work under pressure
- Continues to advance specialist knowledge and understanding
- Ability to reflect, questions and evaluate on practice
- To be flexible and approachable
Education and professional qualifications
Essential
- Registered general nurse with current NMC registration
- Relevant first degree (or equivalent experience)
- Teaching, mentorship or leadership qualification (or willingness to work towards
- Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD)
- Advanced assessment qualification (or equivalent experience)
- Non-medical prescribing course of willingness to undertake.
Desirable
- Have/Working towards a Master’s level qualification
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Band 8a Lead Nurse Specialist Practice Kidney Transplantation with Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Clinical nurse specialist role. The advertised salary is £66,274 - £73,496 per annum inclusive of HCAS. The contract type is 12 months (Fixed term). The application deadline is 07 Aug 2026.
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