Clinical Nurse Specialist Germ Cell

Job overview

Bristol NHS Foundation has a well established Germ Cell Team that looks after patients diagnosed with Germ Cell cancer across the region. Working as part of the Team, the post holder will be a key member of the Germ Cell Multidisciplinary Cancer Team, providing high-quality specialist care and support to patients diagnosed with a germ cell cancer.

The Germ Cell Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) will manage and coordinate a defined caseload of patients across the cancer pathway, providing specialist assessment, support, education and care from diagnosis, through treatment, follow-up and survivorship. The role involves undertaking nurse-led clinics, delivering telephone and face-to-face consultations, coordinating patient pathways and acting as a key worker to ensure a seamless and patient-centred service.

The post holder will provide specialist advice and support to patients, their families and healthcare professionals. Working collaboratively with consultants, specialist nurses, allied health professionals, primary care teams and community services, the post holder will help patients navigate complex treatment pathways and ensure timely access to appropriate care and support.

This role offers an excellent opportunity for a motivated nurse wishing to develop specialist expertise in germ cell cancer care. The post holder will be supported to develop their knowledge, skills and gaining enhanced clinical assessment, decision-making and care coordination skills.

Main duties of the job

Supporting patients in the consultant clinics and beyond; specialist information giving, emotional support.

• Communicate complex and sensitive information regarding diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options, surveillance plans and disease progression.
• Act as a key worker and patient advocate, ensuring patients and carers understand their treatment pathway and are supported to make informed decisions.

Responding to calls to the CNS helpline.

Providing nurse led clinics for germ cell patients follow up.

Actively monitoring and managing toxicity to SACTs.

Attending and contributing to the weekly team radiology meeting.

Development of survivorship and support programmes within the speciality.

Liaising with wider multidisciplinary team (e.g. Uro-Oncology team at NBT, Community palliative care, Macmillan support workers, GPs, hospital ward teams).

Help to implement and develop the role out of a remote monitoring system for patients on follow up - My Medical Record

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Interpersonal and communication skills

• Provide specialist information, support and advice to patients and their families from diagnosis through treatment, follow-up and living with and beyond cancer.
• Provide telephone, virtual and face-to-face consultations, adapting communication styles to meet individual patient needs.
• Develop therapeutic relationships with patients and families experiencing anxiety, distress and uncertainty related to cancer diagnosis and treatment.
• Liaise effectively with consultants, specialist nurses, MDT members, primary care teams, community services and external providers to coordinate care.
• Facilitate referrals to support services, including palliative care, psychological support, allied health professionals and charitable organisations.
• Communicate difficult or potentially distressing information sensitively, including disease progression, treatment complications and end-of-life discussions when appropriate.
• Support patients where communication barriers exist, including cognitive impairment, emotional distress, language differences or sensory impairment.

Professional knowledge and expertise

• Maintain specialist knowledge of germ cell cancer, associated treatments, surveillance pathways and supportive care interventions.
• Demonstrate clinical knowledge acquired through professional registration, degree-level education and specialist cancer training.
• Apply national and local cancer policies, pathways, protocols and guidelines to clinical practice.
• Maintain knowledge of Living With and Beyond Cancer initiatives, cancer survivorship and remote monitoring pathways.
• Provide evidence-based specialist advice to patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
• Maintain professional competence through continuing professional development, education, audit and service improvement activities.
• Work within the NMC Code and Trust policies to ensure safe and effective practice.

Problem-solving and decision-making

• Assess patients presenting with complex physical, psychological and social needs associated with germ cell cancer and its treatment.
• Analyse clinical information, investigation results and patient-reported symptoms to inform clinical decision making.
• Prioritise urgent concerns and escalate appropriately to medical colleagues or emergency services where required.
• Recognise deterioration and identify patients requiring urgent review, intervention or referral.
• Evaluate treatment-related toxicities and recommend appropriate management strategies.
• Exercise professional judgement when managing uncertain or complex clinical situations.
• Identify barriers to care and develop practical solutions to ensure continuity of patient support and treatment.

Planning and coordination

• Manage and prioritise an autonomous caseload of patients across the germ cell cancer pathway.
• Coordinate investigations, appointments, follow-up reviews and surveillance programmes.
• Plan and deliver nurse-led clinics, including face-to-face, telephone and virtual consultations.
• Coordinate care across multiple clinical settings including inpatient, outpatient and community environments.
• Ensure timely referrals to diagnostic, treatment and supportive care services.
• Contribute to multidisciplinary team working and cancer pathway coordination.
• Organise follow-up care and support transitions between acute and community services.
• Respond effectively to fluctuating caseloads and changing service demands.

Patient care and support

• Develop, implement and evaluate personalised care plans in partnership with patients and families.
• Provide specialist symptom management advice throughout the cancer pathway.
• Support patients receiving active treatment, surveillance and follow-up care.
• Provide education and self-management advice to enable patients to manage the impact of cancer and treatment.
• Ensure patients are aware of all appropriate treatment options, including clinical trial opportunities where available.
• Advocate on behalf of patients to ensure equitable access to care and support services.
• Maintain accurate clinical records in accordance with professional and organisational standards.
• Monitor treatment outcomes and ensure appropriate follow-up arrangements are in place.

Service development and improvement

• Contribute to the ongoing development of the germ cell cancer service and wider oncology pathways.
• Participate in the implementation of national cancer initiatives and local quality improvement projects.
• Support the development, review and implementation of clinical guidelines, protocols and standard operating procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve patient experience, pathway efficiency and service delivery.
• Support the development of innovative approaches to cancer follow-up and survivorship care. The Germ Cell team are currently implementing a digital cancer remote monitoring system called My Medical Record. The CNS will be critical in the effective implementation and development of this service.
• Contribute specialist knowledge to service redesign discussions and MDT developments.

Leadership and team management

• Support the education and development of new staff, students and colleagues.
• Participate in clinical supervision, appraisal and personal development processes.
• Delegate activities appropriately and retain accountability for delegated responsibilities.
• Support service objectives and contribute to a positive team culture.
• Act as a professional role model and uphold Trust values and behaviours.

Information and data management

• Maintain accurate, timely and comprehensive patient records.
• Enter, retrieve and interpret clinical information from multiple electronic systems.
• Ensure compliance with confidentiality, information governance and data protection requirements.
• Collect and contribute clinical activity data to support service monitoring and reporting.
• Utilise electronic patient record systems, cancer databases and clinical information systems.
• Ensure accurate documentation of assessments, interventions, referrals and outcomes.

Innovation and continuous improvement

• Participate in clinical audit, service evaluation and quality improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to research activities, data collection and implementation of evidence-based practice.
• Support the development and review of clinical pathways and standards of care.
• Keep up to date with emerging evidence, innovations and developments in germ cell cancer management.

Autonomy and decision authority

• Work independently within agreed professional boundaries and scope of practice.
• Manage an autonomous patient caseload and nurse-led clinics.
• Make clinical decisions based on specialist knowledge, assessment findings and evidence-based practice.
• Prioritise workload independently while responding to competing clinical demands.

Physical demands

• Move between outpatient clinics, inpatient wards and different clinical environments throughout the working day.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.