Job overview

The Infectious Diseases Assessment Room (IDAR) Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist 
(CNS) will provide expert nursing leadership and specialist clinical care for patients 
referred to the Infectious Diseases Assessment Room.  
The post holder will provide professional and clinical leadership for the IDAR service, 
supporting operational management, workforce development and service delivery. 
They will work autonomously, exercising advanced clinical judgement in the 
assessment and management of patients with complex infectious diseases and 
tropical medicine presentations. 
The post holder will lead quality improvement, governance, audit and education 
initiatives within the service and act as an expert clinical resource across the Trust. 
They will support strategic service development and deputise for the Lead Specialist 
Nurse when required. 
Working autonomously and as part of the multidisciplinary team, the CNS will facilitate 
timely access to specialist care, support admission avoidance where appropriate, 
improve patient flow, and ensure seamless transitions across acute, outpatient, and 
community services. The post holder will act as a clinical expert, educator, and 
resource for healthcare professionals, while contributing to service development, 
quality improvement, audit, and research activities.

Main duties of the job

Provide specialist assessment, triage and management of patients attending the Infectious Diseases Assessment Room (IDAR) with suspected or confirmed infectious and tropical diseases. Undertake clinical assessments, request investigations, interpret results within scope of practice, and escalate concerns where required.

Coordinate patient pathways from referral to discharge, ensuring timely access to specialist care and effective communication with primary, secondary, community and public health services. Work closely with Consultants, microbiology, pharmacy, infection prevention and control teams, and the wider multidisciplinary team.

Lead nurse-led clinics and ambulatory pathways, making autonomous decisions within agreed protocols. Support treatment plans, provide patient and carer education, and contribute to admission avoidance initiatives.

Act as a specialist resource for healthcare professionals, offering advice and guidance on infectious diseases and tropical medicine. Support the day-to-day operation of the IDAR service, promoting effective patient flow and resource utilisation.

Lead and participate in audit, quality improvement, service evaluation, education and training activities. Collect and analyse data to support governance, performance monitoring and service development.

Maintain NMC registration and comply with Trust policies relating to clinical governance, infection prevention and control, safeguarding, risk management and patient safety.

Working for our organisation

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) cares for the people of Brent, Ealing, Harrow and beyond.

Our team of more than 8,200 clinical and support staff serve a diverse population of almost one million people.

We run major acute services at:

• Northwick Park Hospital: home to one of the busiest emergency departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including the country’s top-rated hyper-acute stroke unit and one of only three hyper-acute rehabilitation units in the UK
• St Mark’s Hospital: an internationally renowned specialist centre for bowel disease
• Ealing Hospital: a busy district general hospital providing a range of clinical services, as well as 24/7 emergency department and urgent care centre, and specialist care at Meadow House Hospice
• Central Middlesex Hospital: our planned care site, hosting a range of surgical and outpatient services and collocated with an urgent care centre.  

We are a university teaching NHS trust, in recognition of the important role we play in training clinicians of the future and bringing the benefits of research to the public.

“We operate a joint recruitment hub across the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative Group. As part of this, your application and personal data may be shared with partner trusts within the group for recruitment and workforce purposes, in line with general data protection regulation (GDPR).”