Job summary
Nurse Consultant & Non-Medical Prescribing Lead Paediatric Palliative Care
- Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week
- Location: Oxford and Hybrid
- Salary: HDH Band 8a £59,746 - £64,696 per annum
- Closing date: 9th February 2026 at 12 noon
- Interview date: w/c 16th February 2026
A brand-new leadership role. A rare opportunity. A chance to shape the future of children's palliative care.
Helen & Douglas House Children's Hospice is delighted to introduce a newly created Nurse Consultant and Non-Medical Prescribing Lead post, joining our expanding senior clinical leadership team at an exciting time of service growth and transformation.
As the Nurse Consultant, you will have a unique opportunity to influence clinical strategy, shape the Outreach Specialist Nursing services, and strengthen non-medical prescribing within our paediatric palliative care services.
Working alongside Medical Consultants and the Executive Team, you will deliver highly specialist, compassionate care to babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, while leading innovation, education and service development across hospice and community settings.
Main duties of the job
The role includes:
Advanced clinical practice in complex paediatric palliative care, including pain and symptom management and end-of-life decision-making.
Strategic and professional leadership of the Outreach Specialist Nursing Team.
Leading and developing non-medical prescribing practice within community palliative care.
Influencing clinical strategy, governance, safeguarding and quality improvement.
Education, supervision and development of advanced practice roles.
About us
Helen & Douglas House is a registered hospice charity based in Oxford, providing palliative, respite, end-of-life and bereavement care to life-limited children and their families.
We foster a climate where team members feel able to openly question, debate and appropriately challenge their own and the practice of others; as such, we welcome new ideas and strive to constantly improve our delivery of care to our patients.
For an informal conversation or visit please contact the Director of Nursing and Care shayes@helenanddouglas.org.uk.
Job description
Job responsibilities
DUTIES AND KEY
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Expert Clinical Practitioner
- To be professionally accountable for all work undertaken and to
practice at an advanced level of professional autonomy in line with
local/national policy and guidance and the NMC Code.
- To work as a Nurse Consultant
using advanced clinical reasoning and diagnostic skills, prescribing, planning,
and evaluating interventions for patients with complex presentations.
- To be an authoritative expert
assessor/advisor on pain and symptom management, psychological /spiritual/
social /practical and ethical decisions at the end of life and to work in
partnership with a range of health professionals to improve their education and
skills in these areas.
- Develop and conduct skilled nursing intervention with patients with
palliative care needs, assessing and addressing issues such as quality of life,
futility, prognosis, withdrawing and withholding treatment and end of life
decision making within an ethical framework.
- To undertake complex and sensitive holistic care assessments and plan,
implement and evaluate care utilising advanced communication skills.
- To improve access to medication through the support and implementation
of independent Nurse prescribing within the Outreach Specialist Nursing Service.
- Demonstrate negotiation and diplomacy skills and partnership working
across the multi-disciplinary team
- To work in collaboration with
multidisciplinary teams both internally and externally, with regards to safe,
effective, timely admissions and discharges of patients.
- Support existing services to provide a co-ordinated multidisciplinary
approach to the provision of palliative care for children including established
community contacts such as General Practitioners and Childrens Community
Nurses
- To identify areas for
improvement and development which will enhance the paediatric palliative care
provision for BCYP and their family/ carers.
For the full job description please see the supporting documents.
Job description
Job responsibilities
DUTIES AND KEY
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Expert Clinical Practitioner
- To be professionally accountable for all work undertaken and to
practice at an advanced level of professional autonomy in line with
local/national policy and guidance and the NMC Code.
- To work as a Nurse Consultant
using advanced clinical reasoning and diagnostic skills, prescribing, planning,
and evaluating interventions for patients with complex presentations.
- To be an authoritative expert
assessor/advisor on pain and symptom management, psychological /spiritual/
social /practical and ethical decisions at the end of life and to work in
partnership with a range of health professionals to improve their education and
skills in these areas.
- Develop and conduct skilled nursing intervention with patients with
palliative care needs, assessing and addressing issues such as quality of life,
futility, prognosis, withdrawing and withholding treatment and end of life
decision making within an ethical framework.
- To undertake complex and sensitive holistic care assessments and plan,
implement and evaluate care utilising advanced communication skills.
- To improve access to medication through the support and implementation
of independent Nurse prescribing within the Outreach Specialist Nursing Service.
- Demonstrate negotiation and diplomacy skills and partnership working
across the multi-disciplinary team
- To work in collaboration with
multidisciplinary teams both internally and externally, with regards to safe,
effective, timely admissions and discharges of patients.
- Support existing services to provide a co-ordinated multidisciplinary
approach to the provision of palliative care for children including established
community contacts such as General Practitioners and Childrens Community
Nurses
- To identify areas for
improvement and development which will enhance the paediatric palliative care
provision for BCYP and their family/ carers.
For the full job description please see the supporting documents.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Current NMC/HCPC registration Adult or Child
- MSc Palliative Care/Advanced Clinical Practice Advanced
- Clinical Assessment Skills Non-medical Prescribing Advanced Communication Skill
Desirable
- Post-graduate Teaching Qualification
- Leadership Qualification
- Experience and /or qualification as a Designated Medical Practitioner DMP for non-medical prescribers
Experience
Essential
- Significant Experience within a Specialist Palliative Care Environment
- Experience of working within palliative care at an advanced practice level
- Experience of working within clinical paediatric setting
- Possesses range of clinical knowledge, skills & information technology expertise.
- Displays sound professional judgement
- Exercises sound clinical risk management
- Views patients within a holistic context
- Understands the NHS system: nationally, regionally & locally.
- Understands the concepts & principles of clinical governance.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Shows an approach based on critical enquiry and evidence-based care
- Embraces evidence-based practice & audit
- Interest in research & development
- Shows breadth of awareness & a range of problem-solving skills
- Encourages ongoing learning & an educative culture, both for self and others
- Able to operate effectively in a committee; contributes to strategic decision making.
- Understands the issues of risk management
- Able to juggle a large number of demands by setting priorities & planning effectively
- Able to manage conflicting & unpredictable demands
- Strong leadership & coordination skills with ability to direct & organise teams.
- Able to communicate clearly, avoiding jargon, with a range of different people.
- Builds strong & effective relationships with patients, families & colleagues with the ability to gain their trust & confidence.
- Ability to cope with considerable pressure as well as to adapt to constant change & new demands.
- Demonstrates energy, enthusiasm & initiative in pursuing innovation and the highest standards for patients, colleagues & the organisation.
- Demonstrate excellent negotiating skills when collaborating with internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to supervise juniors, spot talent & nurture it.
- Evidence of teaching /presentation experience.
- Able to operate within a teaching/training culture
- Works with patients as individuals & not purely as a collection of symptoms.
- Able to manage patient expectations.
- Able to negotiate treatment plans with patients and families
- Ability to work as part of multidisciplinary team.
- Experience of developing and leading a multidisciplinary team
- Understanding of voluntary hospice funding and organisation
- Experience in working within Hospice environment
- Holds full driving licence
Desirable
- Displays management & financial competence
- Experience of working in a leadership or strategical role
- Experience of working with local or National NHS teams
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Current NMC/HCPC registration Adult or Child
- MSc Palliative Care/Advanced Clinical Practice Advanced
- Clinical Assessment Skills Non-medical Prescribing Advanced Communication Skill
Desirable
- Post-graduate Teaching Qualification
- Leadership Qualification
- Experience and /or qualification as a Designated Medical Practitioner DMP for non-medical prescribers
Experience
Essential
- Significant Experience within a Specialist Palliative Care Environment
- Experience of working within palliative care at an advanced practice level
- Experience of working within clinical paediatric setting
- Possesses range of clinical knowledge, skills & information technology expertise.
- Displays sound professional judgement
- Exercises sound clinical risk management
- Views patients within a holistic context
- Understands the NHS system: nationally, regionally & locally.
- Understands the concepts & principles of clinical governance.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Shows an approach based on critical enquiry and evidence-based care
- Embraces evidence-based practice & audit
- Interest in research & development
- Shows breadth of awareness & a range of problem-solving skills
- Encourages ongoing learning & an educative culture, both for self and others
- Able to operate effectively in a committee; contributes to strategic decision making.
- Understands the issues of risk management
- Able to juggle a large number of demands by setting priorities & planning effectively
- Able to manage conflicting & unpredictable demands
- Strong leadership & coordination skills with ability to direct & organise teams.
- Able to communicate clearly, avoiding jargon, with a range of different people.
- Builds strong & effective relationships with patients, families & colleagues with the ability to gain their trust & confidence.
- Ability to cope with considerable pressure as well as to adapt to constant change & new demands.
- Demonstrates energy, enthusiasm & initiative in pursuing innovation and the highest standards for patients, colleagues & the organisation.
- Demonstrate excellent negotiating skills when collaborating with internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to supervise juniors, spot talent & nurture it.
- Evidence of teaching /presentation experience.
- Able to operate within a teaching/training culture
- Works with patients as individuals & not purely as a collection of symptoms.
- Able to manage patient expectations.
- Able to negotiate treatment plans with patients and families
- Ability to work as part of multidisciplinary team.
- Experience of developing and leading a multidisciplinary team
- Understanding of voluntary hospice funding and organisation
- Experience in working within Hospice environment
- Holds full driving licence
Desirable
- Displays management & financial competence
- Experience of working in a leadership or strategical role
- Experience of working with local or National NHS teams
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
