Clinical Nurse Specialist - Palliative Care

Overview

Clinical Nurse Specialist - Palliative Care is a full-time, 12-month fixed-term post (with strong potential for extension) based in our residential and nursing homes. The CNS will provide clinical leadership, specialist advice, and coaching to multidisciplinary teams, working with GPs, hospices, and specialist palliative services to support advance care planning, complex symptom management, and compassionate communication for residents and families. This role supports values-led, culturally sensitive end-of-life care in line with CQC standards, NICE QS13, and national palliative care frameworks.

Occasional out-of-hours support is required with time off in lieu.

Requirements:
Registered Adult Nurse with significant specialist palliative care experience, strong leadership skills, and a passion for supporting older people and their families at the end of life.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide specialist clinical leadership and expert advice in palliative and end-of-life care across multiple settings. Act as a visible, trusted leader, role-modelling compassionate, dignified, person-centred practice.
• Support multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) with GPs, hospices, community teams, and colleagues.
• Lead education, mentoring, reflective practice, and clinical coaching to build confidence and capability.
• Support personalised care plans and advance care directives aligned with residents’ wishes.
• Drive improvement in line with CQC standards, NICE QS13, and the Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care Framework.
• Lead audits, support mortality reviews, and contribute to service development and best practice.

About You

Experienced Adult Registered Nurse with a specialist palliative care background, confident working autonomously and influencing teams. Passionate about supporting older people and families at the end of life.

Essential: Current NMC registration, 5+ years post-registration, 2+ years in Specialist Palliative Care, post-graduate qualification in Palliative Care or Advanced Symptom Management, experience in complex symptom control and end-of-life care, excellent communication, leadership, and coaching skills, commitment to compassionate, culturally sensitive care, and ability to work collaboratively within MDTs.

Desirable: Experience in care homes and/or hospice settings.

Jewish Care is the largest provider of health and social care services for the Jewish community in the UK. Every week, we touch the lives of 10,000 people. We provide services to a range of people including older people, people with mental health needs and people living with dementia. Our five values are Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Compassion, and Inclusivity.

We are seeking an experienced and compassionate Clinical Nurse Specialist - Palliative Care to join our organisation in this brand-new role
, supporting older people across our residential and nursing homes. This is a unique opportunity to shape, lead, and embed high-quality, person-centred palliative and end-of-life care across our services. You will provide expert clinical leadership, specialist guidance, and coaching to multidisciplinary teams, ensuring every resident’s final journey is managed with dignity, comfort, and respect.

Working closely with GPs, hospices, and specialist palliative care teams
, you will champion best practice in advance care planning, complex symptom management, and compassionate communication supporting residents, families, and colleagues at critical moments.

This role is initially fixed term due to funding, reflecting the introduction of this new post. Subject to its success and impact, there is a strong likelihood of extension.

At the heart of this role is our commitment to values-led care. We are looking for a CNS who understands how to weave cultural sensitivity into clinical excellence, ensuring end-of-life care respects individual beliefs, traditions, and wishes.

This post is full-time, working an average of 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Usual working hours are 8:00am-4:00pm or 9:00am-5:00pm, with flexibility by agreement. The role will require occasional out-of-hours working,…