Upper Gastrointestinal Nurse Specialist

Job summary
Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (MWL) provides clinical support to patients with cancers of the Upper GI tract, and an exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and motivated nurse to join a well-established Upper GI team on a fixed term contract. We are looking for an innovative, forward-thinking nurse who is highly motivated to improve practice and committed to developing clinical skills.

The Upper Gastrointestinal Nurse Specialist acts as a keyworker and provides a continuous point of contact throughout the patients' pathway from diagnosis and onwards. Applications for this post are invited from nurses who have experience in gastrointestinal, oncology or palliative care nursing. You should also have a degree and possess excellent communication skills with a commitment to continuing education. The successful post holder will work cross both Whiston & St Helens hospital sites. We offer a friendly, supportive working environment and as the post is Macmillan badged you may have access to financial support for commitment to personal professional development.

AfC approval pending

Main duties of the job
The post holder will abide by legal requirements and statutory rules relating to practice and promote and maintain standards of professional practice in accordance with The Nursing and Midwifery Councils (NMC) Code and Professional Conduct and Scope of Professional Practice.

The post holder will play a key role in the delivery on cancer services throughout the Trust. To give advice and implement patient care in an area which requires specific clinical knowledge, skills and experience. To work alongside other clinical colleagues to ensure quality of care to the patients is maximised.

Date posted: 29 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year Per Annum
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 409-8138707
Job locations: Whiston Hospital, Warrington Road, Prescot, L35 5DR, United Kingdom

About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:
Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES

• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate programmes of evidence-based nursing care.
• Provide expert advice and clinical practice.
• Provide specialist education and training to others.
• Work collaboratively and co-operatively with clinical colleagues to develop services and high quality of care delivered.
• Lead the development of clinical services within the specialist field.
• Providing leadership to specialist nursing team in the provision of first contact assessments, diagnosis and comprehensive assessments. Triage more complex/advanced conditions where more specialist treatment is required to appropriate nursing staff.
• Manage an agreed patient caseload, when the diagnosis may be uncertain, according to own advanced clinical judgement and skills.
• Order/undertake, interpret and act upon diagnostic tests and investigations.
• Independent Endoscopist or a willingness to undertake training with the view to making a preliminary diagnosis.
• Identify, assess and triage patients ensuring smooth transition to other services as appropriate.
• As required undertake highly specialist procedures and lead on clinical pathways which may include making clinical judgement on the prioritisation of cases for treatment.
• Support the team to develop comprehensive care plans, with measurable outcomes, including advice or education to other clinical staff and care givers.
• Ensure the team involves patients, cares and relatives in the planning and delivery of care.
• Act as a highly autonomous practitioner, with minimal supervision, exercising judgement, discretion and decision making in clinical care.
• Ensure own and team compliance with any specific regulations for example: Quality Surveillance Programme, drug administration, record keeping and data collection within own area of work.
• Develop protocols for nurse led clinics, ensuring that outcomes are evaluated and activity monitored.
• Initiate medication/treatment reviews independently within area of work.
• Manage complex cases and those for specialist investigations referring to MDT as appropriate.
• Lead on the development of integrated care with primary and secondary care clinicians as required and other agencies involved with care delivery.
• Ensure appropriate services are put in place to support management of condition at home, supported by the multidisciplinary team as required.
• The post holder will abide by legal requirements and statutory rules relating to practice and promote and maintain standards of professional practice in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Councils (NMC) Code and Professional Conduct and Scope of Professional Practice.
• Develop and maintain required specialist clinical skills in the assessment and treatment of patients within the area of responsibility
• Responsibility to develop and deliver Living with and beyond cancer patient support service
• Responsibility to develop and deliver the Recovery package as per NHS England requirements.
• Provide specialist telephone advice
• Key worker role

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform comprehensive assessment of patient nursing needs, plan, implement and evaluate care delivery according to changing health care needs.
• Perform advanced clinical skills in assessment &/or diagnosis &/ or treatment.
• Collect, collate, evaluate and report information, maintaining accurate patient records.
• Involve patients and carers/ relatives in the planning and delivery of care and the development of services.
• Monitor investigation results, initiating further assessment/ review and co-ordination of treatment pathway as required.
• Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure discharge arrangements.
• Establish and maintain effective communication with patients and carers/relatives and professionals across health and social services.
• Contribute to the health and promotion agenda with the local health economy.
• To undertake / work towards non-medical prescribing as per NMC and trust guidance.
• In keeping with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and Standards of Proficiency for Nurse and Midwife Prescribers, keep up to date with best prescribing practice in relation to the management of conditions within his/her specialist area.
• Attend Clinical Supervision sessions.
• Attend Network meetings.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Administration supporting direct patient care/MDT preparation/follow up
• Dictating and signing letters
• Requesting appointments for patients
• Processing Clinical Outcome sheets
• Updating Somerset Cancer Registry
• Report Writing
• Presentations
• Macmillan Service Reviews
• Address issues raised by remote follow up clinic service
• Patient experience assessment/improvement advocates

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify learning needs, plan, implement and evaluate programmes of education to meet identified needs.
• Participate in the education of pre and post registered nurses, medical staff, AHPs, patients and carers and participate in curriculum development where appropriate.
• Address specific health targets e.g. CHI, NICE Guidance, NSF related to own are of practice through education.
• Ensure own compliance and compliance of others with regarding mandatory training and PREP requirements.

LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide specialist, expert clinical knowledge to clinical colleagues, patients and carers/relatives.
• Evaluate service delivery against key performance targets, National Quality Measures, identify areas for improvement and initiate change.
• Ensure the effective and efficient use of physical and financial resources; make suggestions regarding supplies and equipment.
• Collect, collate and report activity data to key stakeholders, producing regular formal reports.

RESEARCH & AUDIT

• Identify need for, participate and undertake, research, clinical audit, benchmarking and equipment trials, in order to improve effectiveness of patient care.
• Disseminate research and audit findings through presentation to professional groups and publication.
• Responsible for the development and implementation of policies, procedures and guidelines relevant to own area of work.
• Promote patient and public involvement activities in the specialist area, leading to service improvement.
• Promote peoples equality, diversity and rights.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• NMC registration on Part 1 of the Register
• Substantial years post registration
• Substantial years working
• Speciality Related Course

Desirable

• Communication skills training (Example Advanced Comms)
• Teaching/mentorship qualification
• Non-medical prescribing
• Completed Macmillan Explore
• Non-medical Endoscopist
• Completed Clinical Examination +/- Clinical diagnosistics.

Knowledge & Experience
Essential

• Knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of Upper Gastrointestinal diseases
• Experience of caring for patients with upper gastrointestinal disease
• Demonstrates an understanding of the National agenda for cancer, knowledge or quality standards, NICE guidance and CQC
• Knowledge of current clinical and nursing research
• Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
• Understanding of Macmillan priorities and role of Macmillan as a partner organisation
• Experience line managing
• Experience of knowledge of appropriate diagnostic tests and investigations, interpret results and take actions as appropriate
• Understanding of the recovery package
• Understanding of the Key Worker
• Ability to facilitate an education programme
• Willing to undertake nurse led follow up clinics

Desirable

• Experience in developing clinical pathways and/or protocols
• Ability to conduct and evaluate patient experience surveys

Skills
Essential

• Willing to develop skills to undertake advanced practice invasive procedures
• Will work to both autonomously and as part of an MDT to deliver high quality clinical care
• Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal and communication skills
• Time Management and organisational skills

Desirable

• IT skills
• Presentation Skills

Other
Essential

• Flexible approach to work
• Car owner/supported driver
• All Clinical Nurse Specialists will be required to revalidate to maintain their registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

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 (Apply through our website).

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 (Apply through our website).

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: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address: Whiston Hospital, Warrington Road, Prescot, L35 5DR, United Kingdom
Employer's website:

For questions about the job, contact:
Lead Upper Gastrointestinal Nurse Specialist, Barbara Ashall, View email address on meeveem.com, View phone number on meeveem.com