Lead Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist - Respiratory

Job summary
Working Part time: 36 hours per week

The Trust is looking to recruit a trained Respiratory Clinical Nurse Specialist to lead our respiratory nursing service. We are looking for an enthusiastic and knowledgeable candidate who will utilise the skills of leadership, clinical expertise, evidence based practice and innovation to facilitate and deliver care which is patient centred, safe, and effective.

The post holder will be expected to lead by example, motivate others and deliver high standards of care. You will work closely with the lead clinician to improve operational efficiency and enhance the performance of the respiratory service.

The successful candidate will be part of a skilled team of consultants and nurse specialists that aim to support the Trust and the Respiratory Service. As an individual, you will act as expert in this specialist area of Respiratory and must have experience in the wider respiratory service.

Main duties of the job
The Clinical Nurse Specialist for Respiratory will work in partnership with the named Lead Consultant to deliver clinical objectives for the Respiratory services. You will act as an autonomous practitioner in undertaking diagnostic and therapeutic clinic sessions, taking responsibility and accountability for appropriate clinical management and care programmes. The post holder is responsible for the standards and evaluation of training and supervision of nursing staff within the team.

About us
The Trust's services are provided from three locations: o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds. o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility. o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery

Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website -

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• RN/RSCN Diploma or Degree
• NMC Registered
• Management Qualification (ISM) or relevant management experience
• Extensive experience at senior level/ leadership role
• MSc in Health, Quality or leadership related or working towards within 2 academic years of appointment ? or equivalent
• Non-medical prescribing or working towards within 2 academic years of appointment
• Recognised teaching/assessing qualification 998/997 /mentorship

Desirable

• Trained in Advanced Life Support
• Continuous Professional Development portfolio
• Postgraduate Certificate in Education

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Knowledge of advanced clinical, psychological, and social needs of patients respiratory services
• Good understanding of strategic health economy targets for the delivery of respiratory services
• Good knowledge of national and local targets, NICE Guidelines and policies for respiratory
• Evidence of prior senior clinical decision making
• Evidence of recent research and audit Evidence of change management and/or innovative practice

Desirable

• Advanced communication training
• Experience of leading patient involvement/patient feedback

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Development of analytical and judgmental skills
• Capability in computer skills
• Ability to communicate at all levels
• Research /audit skills
• Self-reliant, self-motivated proactive personality
• Flexible to meet the needs of the service
• Acknowledgment of limitations in practice
• Commitment to own professional development

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address Countess of Chester Hospital, Liverpool Road, Chester, CH2 1UL, United Kingdom
Employer's website (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Service Manager, Suzanne Lewis, View email address on meeveem.com, View phone number on meeveem.com

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.