Clinical Nurse Specialist Non-Specific Symptom Pathway

The Non-Specific Symptom Pathway (NSSP) offers a single point of access to a diagnostic pathway for patients with non-specific symptoms. The post holder will need to work in close collaboration with care of the elderly Consultant at North Bristol NHST Trust and, Primary and secondary care to support a tailored pathway of clinically relevant diagnostic tests towards a timely diagnosis. The post holder will utilise skills of clinical expertise, education and management to ensure a high quality service for patients, carers and staff.

The NSSP CNS will undertake a pivotal role alongside the Pathway Navigator, liaising with patients who are referred, acting as the main point of contact, offering support and keeping patients informed at each stage. Once diagnosis is known, to refer to the appropriate team or back to the GP's for ongoing management ensuring a seamless transition of care. The post holder will work closely with the NSSP GP to support triage of referrals, liaising with colleagues within diagnostic services across Trusts to ensure that investigations and tests are timely and co-ordinated.

This post would be open to nurses with primary or secondary care experience as much of the role focuses on timely telephone triage and detailed record keeping. Whilst office based initially, WFH days could be considered for the right candidate and this role is a great step-up into a career within Oncology.

The NSSP Clinical Nurse Specialist role is varied and constantly developing to meet the speciality needs and evolving site specific referral pathways within Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. You will be required to work autonomously at times and will need to utilise exceptional organisational and communication skills to guide patients, their families and carers through the pathway.

The role involves working with a small proportion of patients who will be diagnosed with cancer or other urgent diagnoses requiring quick and decisive treatment plans including possible urgent hospital admission. The nature of communication required is sensitive and therefore a high degree of empathy and understanding is required. Advance communication skills need to be used to deliver potentially distressing information to patients and carers, and provide them with advice and emotional support within in the community, utilising appropriate primary and secondary care services when required.

As a NSSP Clinical Nurse Specialist you will be using your expertise on cancer diagnostic pathways along with general medical knowledge to support patients, their carers and other health care professionals within an outpatient setting., The post holder will collect and present data to evaluate and demonstrate effectiveness and value of this new service. They will also assist with the collation and review of the pre-existing patient feedback survey for NSSP. There are opportunities to assist with service development including the setting up of weekly clinics. The NSSPservice intends to align the NSSP pathway alongside other cancer pathways such as the Neuro Endocrine Tumour diagnostic pathway.

The NSSP CNS will work alongside the NSSP team working closely with the NSSP Patient Navigator and two part time GPs.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge.