Clinical Nurse Specialist


Company:	NHS Jobs
Salary:	£51,657 - £58,785
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6HG
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	7 Aug 2026
Closing date:	20 Aug 2026

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Summary

To develop and deliver highly specialist, evidencebased nursing interventions for service users, drawing on a wide range of theoretical frameworks and treatment modalities to meet complex mental health needs. To provide timely and accessible care through a combination of clinicbased, community, and outreach models, in line with service priorities and recoveryfocused practice. To offer highly specialist clinical advice and consultation to colleagues and external agencies regarding assessment, formulation, and treatment, working autonomously within professional, ethical, and organisational guidelines. To offer senior clinical oversight, leading on crisis management, supporting complex decisionmaking, and ensuring timely escalation of risk, safeguarding, and urgent clinical concerns in line with Trust policies. To carecoordinate a defined caseload of service users, undertaking highly specialist assessments and delivering integrated, personcentred care in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team. In collaboration with senior and junior colleagues, to contribute to the development of nursing practice across the service, including the provision of clinical supervision to nursing staff. To actively engage in clinical supervision, appraisal, and continuing professional development, maintaining and enhancing advanced clinical competencies. To work collaboratively and provide specialist nursing consultation to colleagues within HPFT and external partner agencies, supporting early identification, physical health monitoring, and the psychological management of mental health conditions, associated disabilities and frailty.To promote effective communitybased care, and minimise avoidable inpatient admissions in line with Trust objectives. To take a leading role in service innovation and development, including supporting projects and initiatives with junior staff, to ensure the delivery of safe, effective, and highquality nursing care. Responsible for workforce processes such as sickness management, and performance concerns in line with Trust policy, contributing to a safe, well governed and high performing Community MHSOP. The post holder will take an active role in the management and resolution of service user and carer complaints, ensuring concerns are responded to in a timely, compassionate, and transparent manner. They will contribute to investigations, and ensure learning from complaints is embedded into practice to improve service quality and patient experience. Clinical Responsibility The post holder will provide a senior nursing perspective to the clinical work of the multidisciplinary team and the delivery of all aspects of Community MHSOP. They will contribute to referral triage and allocation, advising on the appropriateness of nursingled interventions, and will maintain a small caseload of highly complex and demanding cases requiring advanced clinical expertise. The post holder will undertake highly specialist, holistic biopsychosocial assessments, using advanced clinical reasoning to formulate, implement, and evaluate evidencebased treatment and care plans informed by appropriate theoretical frameworks, research evidence, and best practice guidance. Using highly specialist knowledge and experience, the post holder will analyse and interpret complex presentations, patterns of behaviour, and relational dynamics, contributing expert nursing input to formulation, risk management, and treatment planning for service users, carers, and families. The post holder will provide specialist nursing advice, guidance, and consultation to the multidisciplinary team and partner agencies, supporting highquality, coordinated clinical decisionmaking. Where clinically appropriate, the post holder will deliver flexible and proactive outreach interventions to support alternatives to inpatient admission, promoting engagement and continuity of care within community settings. The role involves working with individuals and families experiencing high levels of distress and complexity, including exposure to emotionally charged or potentially hostile situations. The post holder will demonstrate advanced skills in recognising and managing risk, deescalating conflict, and maintaining safe therapeutic environments. The post holder will act as care coordinator when required, taking responsibility for initiating, coordinating, and evaluating care plans, incorporating the views of service users, families, carers, referring agencies, and professionals within the wider care network. The post holder will make highlevel clinical judgements and treatment decisions, taking account of therapeutic, historical, developmental, and systemic factors influencing individuals and families. The role includes offering support to carers, identifying and assessing the need for a carers assessment in line with Care Act responsibilities and working collaboratively to ensure carers are supported through appropriate referral pathways, psychoeducation, and group interventions where appropriate. The post holder will practise in a culturally responsive and inclusive manner, recognising and addressing the impact of culture, identity, inequality, and diversity on mental health and access to care. The post holder will demonstrate expert safeguarding practice for adults and children, working in accordance with local and national legislation, interagency protocols, and Trust policies. Provide direct clinical governance oversight for all nurseled interventions within the service, including Depot/LAI, Clozapine, Olanzapine, and Physical Health promotion and Frailty prevention, and support the initiation, monitoring, and management of highrisk and specialist medications, ensuring practice remains safe, evidencebased, and compliant with local and national guidance. Work in close partnership with the Clinical Matron to promote consistent, highquality nursing practice across all community teams and clinics, supporting aligned standards and shared clinical leadership. Regularly monitor and review clinical activity, outcomes, and performance data to inform assurance, reporting, and ongoing service improvement. Lead and contribute to audit, quality improvement activity and incident learning, ensuring actions are implemented and embedded to improve patient safety and experience. Ensure that documentation, care planning and clinical pathways within the nurseled clinics meet professional, legal and organisational requirements. Provide expert clinical guidance to staff, escalating risks appropriately and supporting robust governance processes across the service. Monitor and ensure adherence to Trust policies relating to medicines management, infection prevention and control, physical health monitoring, and national quality standards. The post holder will take a leading role in medicines management, working with the medicines management team to ensure safe prescribing, monitoring, storage, and adherence, including oversight of medical devices and clinical equipment in line with Trust standards. Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility The post holder will provide visible clinical leadership, supervision, and professional support to junior staff, newly qualified practitioners, and students, promoting highquality, evidencebased, personcentred care. The post holder will provide and/or facilitate a range of supervision, including clinical, management, professional, and safeguarding supervision, ensuring staff are supported to deliver safe and effective care. They will ensure supervision is regular, documented, and reflective, in line with Trust policy and professional standards, and will escalate concerns appropriately where risks to practice or safety are identified. The post holder will act as a Preceptor and/or provide oversight of the preceptorship process for Newly Qualified Nurses, supporting their transition into practice. This includes offering structured guidance, supervision, and developmental support to build competence, confidence, and professional resilience in line with Trust preceptorship frameworks. They will offer expert clinical advice and mentorship, supporting staff development and workforce capability through supervision, coaching, and role modelling of best practice. The post holder will practice in accordance with the NMC Code, maintaining all postregistration requirements, professional standards, and continuing professional development. As a Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist, the post holder will demonstrate advanced clinical leadership and deputise as required to ensure continuity of care, effective clinical prioritisation, escalation, and risk management. They will contribute to operational and strategic service development, supporting transformation, quality improvement, and innovation in line with HPFT values and priorities. The post holder will contribute to recruitment and retention processes, including participation in shortlisting, interviewing, and induction of new staff. They will support workforce planning by identifying skills gaps, promoting professional development opportunities, and fostering a positive learning culture within the team. The post holder will play a key role in clinical governance, promoting and monitoring compliance with medicines management, infection prevention and control, and health and safety standards, and supporting audit, assurance, and continuous quality improvement to enhance patient safety, experience, and outcomes. In line with managerial responsibilities, the post holder will actively promote and support staff health and wellbeing, including both physical and mental health. They will be open, approachable, and proactive in discussing wellbeing needs, monitoring staff health where appropriate, and directing staff to available organisational support services.

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