Job summary
- Main area
- Palliative Care
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent: Will be required to work weekends and Bank Holidays
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Will be required to work weekends and Bank Holidays)
- Job ref
- 193-8363724NCG
- Employer
- Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Berkshire Hospital
- Town
- Reading
- Salary
- £57,528 - £64,750 Per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 17/11/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Palliative Care Team Lead
NHS AfC: Band 8a
At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”
Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements. The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.
We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions
We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate
We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live
We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice
At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.
Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us. We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.
Please note: all vacancies automatically close when 50 applications have been received.
Job overview
We are looking for a senior leader who will be responsible for leading the Palliative Care Team, driving service development, education, governance, quality improvement and research, while ensuring the delivery of compassionate, evidence-based palliative and end of life care across the organisation.
The role if fulltime over 5 days a week, and the successful candidate will be working weekends and Bank Holidays.
Main duties of the job
· To improve standards of palliative and end of life care by facilitating the development of practice to ensure that patients with palliative care needs and their families/carers have a quality experience including a thorough holistic assessment and a plan of care to address their individual needs.
· To operationally manage the development and implementation of a consistent and effective service and to improve outcomes in palliative care across the Trust.
· To act as clinically proficient in palliative care providing specialist advice at clinical and operational level.
· In liaison with the Consultant Nurse and other members of the multidisciplinary team to facilitate the development of palliative care at clinical and Trust level.
· In liaison with the Consultant Nurse to support the development of staff caring for patients with palliative care needs.
· With the oversight of the Consultant Nurse and Consultants in Palliative Medicine, operationally lead on the palliative and end of life education within the Trust.
· To work collaboratively with the Consultant Nurse in developing and implementing palliative care strategies.
Working for our organisation
Diversity makes us interesting… Inclusion is what will make us outstanding.
Inequality exists and the journey to eliminate it is not easy. Every step we take will be a purposeful step forward to deliver a truly inclusive culture where all our people are enabled to deliver outstanding care, where background is no barrier, and where everyone can be their authentic self and we truly represent our patient community.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where possible. All applicants who have a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the post can opt for a guaranteed interview.
We support flexible working wherever possible, with requests considered on an individual basis taking into account service requirements, operational needs and the requirements of the role.
Our primary method of communication will be via email. However, if you would prefer to be contacted through a different method, please inform the recruitment team.
If you need additional help with your application please get in touch by calling the recruitment team on 0118 322 6997 or 0118 322 5342.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For more information on the Job role, please refer to the Job Desription and Person Specification attached.
Person specification
Eduication/Qualification
Essential criteria
- Registered Nurse
- Degree in Nursing
- Post graduate course in relevant field
- Advanced Communication Skills course
Desirable criteria
- Independent Prescriber
- Masters degree in related subject
- Post Graduate Certificate in Education
Skills and Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Evidence of strong and effective management skills
- Demonstrate change management
- Effective and supportive cross organisational working
- Able to communicate difficult, complex and contentious information to a variety of audiences
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant post registration clinical experience that includes caring for patients with a palliative diagnosis
- Experience of managing a team
- Experience in teaching and coaching
Desirable criteria
- Research experience
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Jacqueline Batchford
- Job title
- Nurse Consultant in Palliative Care
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0118 322 7826
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