Respiratory Nurse Specialist


Company:	NHS Jobs
Salary:	£39,959 to £48,117 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	DURHAM, DH1 5TW
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	27 Aug 2026
Closing date:	9 Sept 2026

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Summary

A Respiratory Nurse Specialist works as an expert clinician within the hospital to assess, treat and support patients with a wide range of acute and chronic respiratory conditions. The role combines advanced clinical care, patient education, service development, and multidisciplinary team working. Main duties and responsibilities Facilitating early supported discharge from hospital to the virtual ward or Hospital at Home. Ensuring smooth transitions between services by providing clear handover, discharge advice and safety-netting. Supporting data collection, audit and service evaluation for both the Hospital at Home and Virtual Ward pathways. Performing comprehensive respiratory assessments: Respiratory rate, work of breathing, auscultation Oxygen saturation and ABG interpretation Exertional testing and breathlessness scoring Reviewing and optimising inhaler use, medication adherence and treatment plans. Supporting management of acute conditions such as: COPD exacerbations Asthma attacks Pneumonia ILD Bronchiectasis flare-ups Delivering clinical interventions including nebulised medications, oxygen therapy titration, and airway clearance support. delivering respiratory clinics to administer asthma biologics, 6MWT, nebulised drug trials. Managing oxygen and supporting staff with advice to wean and manage 02. Contribute to virtual ward MDT meetings, discussing patient progress and care plans. Participate in service development initiatives to improve patient outcomes and pathways. Contribute to clinical audit, quality improvement projects and research where appropriate. Ensure practice aligns with local and national guidelines (e.g., NICE, BTS, GOLD). Maintain accurate, timely and comprehensive patient documentation. Adhere to infection prevention and control standards and promote safe practice across the service. Maintain professional registration and comply with NMC standards of practice. Engage in continuing professional development and attend mandatory training. Act as an autonomous practitioner while recognising limits of competence and seeking support where required. Represent the respiratory nursing team in meetings, working groups and specialty development forums patient and family education, smoking cessation, inhaler technqiue, managemet plans work with in the MDT with respiratory consultants, pharmacists, community repsiratory nurses carrying out specialist procedures such as spirometry and FeNO Assess patients with a diagnosis of OSA, initiate treatment, educate and advise appropriately. Follow up patients on CPAP therapy, adjust treatments and troubleshoot as necessary.

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