Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Tissue Viability Nurse

The closing date is 12 March 2026

Job summary

The post-holder is an expert practitioner in tissue viability, leading the community Tissue Viability Service and modelling advanced clinical practice across Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Working closely with the Head of Nursing, they contribute to strategic planning, service development, and implementation of pressure ulcer prevention initiatives across acute and community settings. The role drives innovation through the expansion of specialist nurse-led clinics for patients with chronic oedema, complex leg ulcers, and challenging wound-care needs.

They provide highly specialised, autonomous clinical expertise while fostering collaborative, team-led approaches across the Trust. The post-holder also supports the development of clinical governance processes through audit, evaluation, and implementation of best-practice standards. In partnership with academic institutions, they lead on education, research, and the advancement of tissue viability practice. Through strategic influence, expert leadership, and service innovation, the role contributes to the Trust's wider professional agenda and promotes GSTT as a national leader in tissue viability.

Main duties of the job

As senior clinician, the post holder will lead the Tissue Viability Nursing (TVN) team, oversee daily operations, and manage a defined caseload while supporting colleagues with their caseloads. The post holder will be expected to manage patients with complex needs across varied settings. Working with the Head of Nursing, they will develop, implement, and evaluate guidelines and initiatives, particularly where services require redesign or new approaches.

The role requires autonomous decision-making, including initiating investigations, interpreting specialist results, and forming treatment plans. The post-holder provides expert advice, synthesising complex information to guide best practice. They make appropriate referrals within and beyond the Trust and work collaboratively with clinical and managerial teams to ensure coordinated care, timely transitions, and effective follow-up.

Advanced assessment skills, therapeutic handling, and safe use of specialised equipment are essential. The post-holder provides clear, consistent information to patients and families, supporting understanding and shared decision-making.

They also lead the professional development of the TVN team, offering expert supervision and supporting learning needs identified through appraisal. Through leadership, expertise, and service development, the practitioner advances tissue viability practice, enhances patient outcomes, and strengthens clinical quality across the organisation.

About us

Guy's and St Thomas' is among the UK's busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in South London and specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

Our adult community services deliver care at the heart of local communities, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high-quality teaching and research. We are part of King's Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King's College London, we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do, and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high-quality care. The commitment of our staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff, so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient patient care.

Date posted

27 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£64,156 to £71,148 a year p.a inc HCA pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

196-NM13686-M

Job locations

Community Tissue Viability Service

West Norwood Health Centre

London

SE27 0DF

Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

To act as an expert practitioner demonstrating advanced knowledge and skill beyond that associated with traditional nursing roles, including the integration of research evidence into practice by expert clinical reasoning and decision-making.

As an acknowledged expert in the provision of patient management will be the senior team clinician responsible for the care and management of defined group/groups of patients requiring specific support in collaboration with clinicians (at least 70% of time). Through nurse led clinics focusing on episodes of total managed care, including independent prescribing with scope of practice and utilising advanced therapy options e.g. sharp debridement, advanced leg ulcer management and Topical negative pressure. To make and receive direct referrals for patients with tissue viability needs across all of the multidisciplinary teams.

To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of the practitioners professional activities.

To utilise advanced clinical reasoning skills and evidence-based knowledge in the management of patients with highly complex presentations and to be clinically competent to utilise expert skills and knowledge in a variety of clinical settings.

To support Head of Nursing to develop, establish and implement guidelines and nurse led tissue viability initiatives, particularly where precedents do not exist.

To develop strategies for the process of referral of patients within the organisation.

To create, develop and design with other multi-professional team members care pathways for referral of the particular groups of patients with the aim of disseminating good practice and improving outcomes throughout the trust.

To make independent clinical decisions and initiate investigations, care/treatment and technological intervention.

To support the TVN team with expert clinical knowledge and skills and assist in development of TVN team as identified through appraisal processes including supervision of clinical practice.

To direct and use the results of specialist investigations (e.g. blood tests and ultrasound diagnostics) to assist formulation of diagnoses and plan patient management from a range of interventions.

To interpret and analyse complex clinical and non-clinical facts, to regularly provide expert advice and second opinion to health care professionals, including when views may differ or conflict. This includes the formulation of accurate prognoses and recommendation of best course of intervention.

To use expert theoretical and practical knowledge to refer to other departments/ colleagues within or outside the Trust as necessary relying on own interpretation of investigation results and expert clinical decision-making.

To work in collaboration with clinical teams/general management, to ensure there is a defined pathway of care for a patient including timely transfer/discharge and reduced length of stay where appropriate.

To utilise expert re-assessment to ensure that the management of planned intervention with other MDT members is maintained via the development of a systematic process of follow-up of patients across the trust and wider health spectrum.

To demonstrate highly developed sensory skills, dexterity, co-ordination and precision, essential for the immediate assessment and management of patients, including advanced patient assessment/examination, therapeutic handling, and the use of complex, specialised equipment.

To ensure that appropriate, consistent and realistic information is provided to patients and relatives.

To work within patient group directions for the supply and administration of medicines.

Where applicable, following completion of the non-medical prescribing course and registration with the NMC, undertake non-medical prescribing in accordance with the Trust non medical prescribing policy.

Human Resources

To support in the clinical and professional leadership and career development for tissue viability across acute and community and other clinical teams.

To give input into performance management/appraisal review of tissue viability team.

To have a key responsibility for clinical teaching and staff development of peers, other health professionals within the clinical area, across the trust and outside the organisation.

To inform the clinical risk management agenda related to patients and their management within the Trust.

To ensure that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually monitored and improved in conjunction with local managers.

Involved in workforce planning to meet service development and policy change.

To provide clinical supervision to other tissue viability staff and engage in own supervision.

Financial and physical resources

To manage the day to day running of the tissue viability service.

To provide expert advice and teaching on the safe use, indications and contraindications of pressure relieving equipment, wound management appliances across the trust.

Contribute to business planning process in service, initiating bids for resources where appropriate.

Research and Development

To support in the training and education needs of staff, at individual, team and organisation levels.

Include patient and carer training and support networks for specific groups of patients.

To initiate new programmes of education and training, to facilitate changes in practice.

To provide learning opportunities for nurses and other health care professionals via mentorship and supervision. This includes providing inter-professional support for staff of all disciplines.

To contribute to the development of the undergraduate and postgraduate training programmes locally and nationally in order to facilitate the advancement of structured, evidence-based career progression.

To develop a culture of empowerment for staff to become accountable for their practice through professional education.

To contribute to the development of clinical competencies.

To initiate, develop and evaluate systematic approach for data collection.

To develop appropriate clinical audit tools to evaluate clinical effectiveness within area.

To link service outcomes with post holders performance review.

To lead the development of benchmarking initiatives relating to service care and contribute to the Trusts Clinical Governance Agenda.

Information Resources

To be responsible for the maintenance of accurate written records.

To identify appropriate outcome measures and service impact measures, which evaluate accurately patient response and service development needs.

To maintain accurate statistical information on specialist area using databases as necessary to inform management team and drive audit programme.