Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Job Title: Clinical - Heart Failure- Clinical Nurse Specialist

Contract Type: Fixed Term - Limited Term Project and Internal secondment

Fixed Term Contract End Date: April 2028

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Band 6 Heart Failure Clinical Nurse Specialist. This is a fixed term contract to cover secondment. 

We are looking to recruit a motivated and innovative individual with experience in Cardiology to be part of a team that provides specialist heart failure nursing treatment and care within UHS and as part of the commissioned community service. 

The role provides an opportunity to learn about heart failure as a specialism and develop as an autonomous clinical decision maker with the support of a multidisciplinary team.

The UHS Heart Failure Team is a specialist multidisciplinary team that provides care and management of patients with heart failure within UHS as well as in the community in Southampton and South West Hampshire. The nurses are community or hospital based and have the opportunity to rotate between the two areas.

The post holder will be part of a multidisciplinary team including specialist nurses, consultant cardiologists, a pharmacist and administrative support staff.

The team's focus is on providing personalised, evidence based treatment to prevent heart failure admissions, reduce length of stay and provide prognostic treatment and care as well as education for heart failure patients and their families and carers. 

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care. 

 We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

 Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

 We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

History taking and physical assessment of heart failure patients. If you don't have this qualification, there is the opportunity to complete the history taking and physical assessment course as part of  development and competencies.

Treating and managing the signs and symptoms of the syndrome of heart failure and providing advise and education to patients and colleagues. 

Developing autonomous decision making skills in relation to an extended scope of practice and multidisciplinary team working.

Role modelling to junior team members by sharing skills, providing education and working collaboratively across care groups and between primary and secondary care.

Effective and compassionate communication. Ideally they will have an advanced communication qualification, knowing that they will often need to engage in important conversations with patients and their families and carers.

Providing care across sites, meaning a driving license and access to a vehicle is necessary.

For an overview of the position, please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification document. This includes a detailed breakdown of the key responsibilities, role expectations, and the qualifications we are looking for.