Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as a substantive Band 7 Senior Heart Failure Nurse Specialist at UHS.

We are looking to recruit a motivated, innovative and experienced Heart Failure Nurse Specialist for the Heart Failure Team, focusing on providing care for patients in the community setting.

You'll be working collaboratively with multidisciplinary team colleagues across both the hospital and community settings, covering Southampton and South West Hampshire.

Responsibilities will include  autonomous advanced clinical decision making for patients with a diagnosis of heart failure as well as leadership in conjunction with the heart failure nurse specialist management team. 

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In this role, your key responsibilities will include:

Undertaking advanced clinical assessment, utilising your post qualification course in history taking and physical examination and experience of managing the syndrome of heart failure.

Applying your Non-Medical Prescriber Qualification, preferably at Masters level and your understanding of the heart failure medications you prescribe. 

Balancing your knowledge of the often complex symptom burden of heart failure patients with applying evidence based practice. 

Providing effective and compassionate communication, ideally supported by a qualification in advanced communication  or counselling. You will understand that you will often need to engage in difficult conversations with patients and their families or carers.

Functioning as an autonomous decision maker as well as a team member. Enjoyment of working in a team is crucial. Candidates will be role models to team members. They will share skills as well as developing, managing and teaching colleagues.

Using knowledge and expertise to synthesise research and audits related to heart failure. Leading to the development of the service.

Travelling to different localities within the local region to provide patient care. You therefore need a driving license and a vehicle.

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.