Psychological Nurse Specialist | The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

Posting date:	15 May 2025
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	£46,148 - £52,809 pro rota, per annum
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	14 June 2025
Location:	Manchester, M20 4BX
Company:	The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	7214117/413-94728-CSSS-AK

Summary

We are excited to offer an opportunity for a Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) to join our Psycho-oncology Team at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Our team includes psychiatrists, mental health nurses, a clinical psychologist, counsellors, and dedicated administrative staff—all working together to support oncology patients facing psychological challenges.

This is a permanent, full-time role (37.5 hours per week), with working hours from Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (excluding bank holidays). The successful candidate will provide psychological support to both inpatients and outpatients and will play an integral role in the continued development of our service.

We are looking for a nurse who is passionate about patient care, has excellent interpersonal skills, and can work effectively within a multidisciplinary team. Emotional resilience and the ability to manage complex and distressing situations in an oncology setting are essential.

While we are seeking candidates who meet the essential criteria, we also recognise that potential can take many forms. If you have a strong foundation in mental health nursing, excellent interpersonal skills, and emotional resilience, we are open to discussing a developmental opportunity to support your growth into the role.

We welcome applications from RMNs working at Band 6 and above who are eager to develop their skills and contribute to this rewarding and specialist area of mental health care.



In this role, you will manage your own caseload of patients, providing specialist psychological and mental health care within an oncology setting, supported by the psycho-oncology team, which includes psychiatrists, psychological specialist nurses, a psychologist, and counsellors. You will also oversee team operations and service coordination, contribute to service development, education, and mental health promotion, and participate in regular supervision and professional development opportunities. This role requires working effectively within a multidisciplinary team, demonstrating excellent communication skills and emotional resilience to support patients facing significant psychological challenges related to cancer.

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.

We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical

1. Performcomprehensiveassessmentsofpatients'mental health and psychologicalneeds andplan,implement,andevaluatecaredeliveryaccordingtochanginghealthcareneedstoensurecontinuityof effectivepatientcare.

2. Perform advanced clinical skills in psychological and mental healthassessment, diagnosis, andinteractionstoenhancethepatientexperience.

3. Provideguidancetonursingcolleaguesregardingthemanagement ofpatientswithspecificmentalhealthneeds.

4. Collect,collate,evaluate,andreportinformation,maintainingaccuratepatientrecordsinlinewithclinicalgovernanceandrisk-management.

5. Involvepatientsandcares/relatives intheplanning and delivery of care anddevelopmentofservicestoenhancethepatient/carerexperience.

6. Work collaborativelywithotherprofessionalsandagenciestoensurepatientneedsaremet.

7. Useadvancedcommunicationskillsinavarietyofsettings.

8. Monitor health, safety and security of self and others and promote best practice in the clinical area.

9. Promote patient and public involvement activities in the specialist area, leading to service improvement.



Managerial

1. Ensure theeffectiveandefficientuseofphysicalandfinancialresourcesin conjunction with finance and the service manager.

2. LeadonthewritingofprotocolsrelevanttothePsychologicalNurseSpecialistrole.

3. Contribute to and coordinatethedevelopmentandimplementationofpolicies,procedures,andguidelineswithintheTrust in line with national guidance;andcontributetotheseactivitiesatnetworkandnationallevel.

4. Organize daily work schedule and off duty rotas ensuring appropriate and effective skill mix and deployment of staff appropriate to patient needs.

5. Be aware of Health and Safety issues and ensure relevant risk assessments for the department are undertaken.

6. Report and record all incidents and complaints according to the agreed policy, investigating promptly and compassionately.

7. Ensure all existing Trust policies and procedures are adhered to and new ones are implemented as necessary.

8. Report to Clinical Lead or DACN on clinical matters/activity and staff development.

Professional
1. Highlight areas of improvement/development within the department and undertake relevant projects.
2. Keep abreast of issues influencing the Trust both internally and externally and ensure senior colleagues and the team have a good understanding of the same.
3. Undertake clinical supervision of health care professional colleagues on an individual or group basis.
4. Be fully aware of the divisional objectives and the Trust’s corporate plan.
5. Demonstrate a pleasant and approachable manner and help create and promote good working relationships.
6. Show professional and courteous manner whilst practicing excellent communication skills at all levels.
7. Show respect for members of the team and endorse the philosophy of giving mutual support.
8. Being aware of one’s own limitations, maintain confidentiality and adherence to NMC Professional Code of Conduct
9. Cooperate in own performance review by indicating learning goals and support needs.
10. Actively seek mentorship / supervision to enable reflection and development within the role.
11. Exercise effective leadership using sound organization skills and judgement, upholding equality and diversity of colleagues and patients.



EducationandDevelopment
1. Provide specialist, expert clinical knowledge to clinical colleagues, patients, and carers/relatives both within and outside the Trust.
2. Identify learning needs, plan, implement and evaluate programs of education to meet identified needs.
3. Participate in the education of pre- and post-registration health care professionals/medical staff
4. Educate and support staff in the general hospital in how to manage medically ill inpatients with psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, delirium, dementia.
5. Sustain up to date skills and knowledge and maintain awareness of professional issues.
6. Ensure own compliance and compliance of others with regard to mandatory training.



Research & Audit
1. Identify need for, and undertake, research/clinical audit/benchmarking, to improve effectiveness of patient care.
2. Contribute to relevant research projects in Psycho-Oncology being conducted at Trust, Network, or national level.
3. Disseminate research and audit findings through presentation to professional groups and publication.
4. Evaluate service delivery- identify areas for improvement and initiate change.


This advert closes on Thursday 29 May 2025

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