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Job requirements
Essential
15 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Experience
Significant experience in field of own practice.
- Experience
Experience of managing or supervising multi-disciplinary team and ability to mentor/educate junior staff.
- Experience
An understanding of clinical governance frameworks including Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), policy and procedure, audit and quality assurance.
- Experience
An understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures, particularly those related to vulnerable patients.
- Experience
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to be able to problem solve, use own initiative and plan, organise and prioritise own and others' workload.
- Experience
Evidence of continuous professional development and a willingness to participate in further training and education.
- Experience
Competent IT skills.
- Qualifications
Professional adult nursing qualification and clinical knowledge acquired through training to diploma or degree level
- Qualifications
Plus post graduate training in specialist area
- Qualifications
Post graduate Critical Care course at level 6 (60 credits) (or equivalent experience). Completion of step 2 and 3 competencies.
- Qualifications
ECMO trained nurse with up to date competencies.
- Qualifications
Leadership / management training and/or experience.
- Qualifications
To complete training and maintain competency as an ECMO specialist and competency in the 'transfer of the critically ill patient'.
- Qualifications
Registered with Nursing and Midwifery Council.
- Additional Criteria
As well as being able to demonstrate examples of how they work in a way that is consistent with our values of compassion, excellence and collaboration the successful candidate will be able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to driving culture change through equality, diversity and inclusion.
Desirable
Not listed in the available specification.
Job summary
Royal Papworth Hospital is commissioned by the National Specialist Commissioners to provide ECMO to patients with Severe Respiratory Failure. As a member of the ECMO Retrieval team, you will provide a high standard of safe, holistic and evidence-based patient care, in consultation with the patient, their relatives and the multidisciplinary team. In addition to the responsibilities of the Senior Staff Nurse in Critical Care this role encompasses the role and responsibilities of retrieval nurse for the RPH ECMO Service.
The successful candidate will have current NMC registration and demonstrate evidence of 2 years as a competency assessed ECMO trained nurse.
The Retrieval Nurse acts as ECMO Coordinator receiving all referrals to RPH ECMO service and ensuring discussion with Consultant and response to referrers is done in a timely manner.
As a member of the ECMO Retrieval team the Retrieval Nurse provides expert care to patients assessed for ECMO support, including assisting with cannulation in theatre and during transfer to RPH from referring hospitals.
When not on retrieval the ECMO retrieval nurse will assist with ECMO cannulation and circuit changes and practice as a senior staff nurse in CCA providing excellent patient care and support to the clinical team.
We are looking for candidates with the attributes to work in a small team always acting in a professional manner when practicing in other hospitals displaying the core values of RPH.
Main duties of the job
Clinical and Professional:
-Act as ECMO Coordinator receiving all referrals to RPH ECMO service, ensuring discussion with Consultant and response to referrers is done in a timely manner.
-Provide expert care as a member of the ECMO retrieval team to assessing patients for ECMO support, assisting with cannulation in theatre and providing safe monitoring and care during transfer to RPH from referring hospital.
-When not on retrieval assist with ECMO cannulation and circuit changes in RPH and practice as a senior critical care nurse providing excellent patient care and support to the clinical team.
-Act as a role model both in clinical expertise and clinical leadership.
-Use clinical knowledge/expertise, provide a high standard of skilled care to patients based on a full assessment of individual needs in consultation with the multi-professional team.
-Act as a resource for the entire multidisciplinary team.
-In consultation with patients, family and the multi-professional team, devise and evaluate care plans based on the assessment process, with realistic nursing goals.
-Act as a reflective practitioner, questioning clinical practice.
-Ensure due regard is given to customs, values and spiritual beliefs of patients, carers and their relatives.
-Personally accountable for own practice as a Registered Nurse and to work at all times within the Nursing & Midwifery Council Code of Conduct.
About us
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is the UK's leading heart and lung hospital, delivering care to more than 50,000 patients a year in its new state-of-the-art hospital in Cambridge. We perform the most heart and/or lung transplants in the UK and carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979. It also offers emergency heart attack treatment, sleep centre care and is one of just five centres nationally for those in severe respiratory failure.
Based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe the Trust is at the heart of treatments of the future. Royal Papworth became the first hospital trust in the country to be rated outstanding in all five areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission - a rating it still holds today. The Trust holds its values of compassion, excellence & collaboration at its core, and all colleagues joining the team are expected to uphold these in their day-to-day roles & interactions. Royal Papworth is proud of its diverse workforce and encourages people to embrace their individuality.
The Trust values difference and welcomes all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion & belief, sex and sexual orientation. Providing they meet the minimum post criteria, applicants with disabilities will be offered an interview.
For a street view tour: https://royalpapworth.nhs.uk/virtual-tour
Details
- Date posted: 08 September 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 6
- Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time
- Reference number: 175-2627-1978
- Job locations: Royal Papworth Hospital, Papworth Road, Cambridge Bio Medical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0AY, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities
On this page you will find a Role Profile which provides information about the hospital and full details about the role. We recommend that you review this and refer to it as you complete your application. Please include how you will meet the Trust Values Compassion, Excellence and Collaboration. If you would like more information about the role or working at Royal Papworth Hospital, please get in touch with the contact for this role.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for ECMO Retrieval Nurse with Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridge, England. It is listed as a Band 6 Nurse (adult and children) role. The advertised salary is £39959.00 to £48117.00. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 20 Sep 2026.
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