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Job summary

Main area
Paediatrics
Grade
Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Part time
  • Flexible working
30 hours per week
Job ref
180-E-267201
Employer
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Addenbrookes Hospital-Division E
Town
Cambridge
Salary
£57,528 - £64,750 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
15/07/2026 23:59
Interview date
27/07/2026

Employer heading

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Paediatric Lead Respiratory Nurse

Band 8a

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, dynamic, and inspirational Paediatric Lead Nurse, Band 8a, to lead our specialist Respiratory Nursing Service within a leading tertiary and regional centre.

This is a pivotal leadership role, providing strategic, clinical, and operational leadership across a highly specialised respiratory service caring for children and young people with some of the most complex respiratory conditions. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will ensure the delivery of outstanding, evidence-based care while driving innovation, service development, and excellence in patient experience.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, dynamic, and inspirational Paediatric Lead Nurse to lead our specialist Respiratory Nursing Service within a leading tertiary and regional centre.

This is a pivotal leadership role, providing strategic, clinical, and operational leadership across a highly specialised respiratory service caring for children and young people with some of the most complex respiratory conditions. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will ensure the delivery of outstanding, evidence-based care while driving innovation, service development, and excellence in patient experience.

Main duties of the job

As the Paediatric Lead Nurse for Respiratory Services, you will provide professional leadership across our specialist respiratory pathways, supporting children and families throughout their healthcare journey. You will oversee services caring for children with: Complex and severe asthma; Cystic fibrosis; Long Term Ventilation (LTV) and Complex respiratory and chest conditions.

As a recognised regional centre, our service supports patients from across the wider region, providing highly specialised care alongside outreach, education, and collaborative working with local hospitals and community teams.

You will lead a highly skilled team of Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialists, fostering a culture of clinical excellence, continuous improvement, compassionate leadership, and professional development. You will work closely with consultants, allied health professionals, operational managers, community providers, and commissioners to ensure services continue to evolve to meet the needs of children and their families.

You will need to be an exceptional childrens nurse with expert clinical knowledge and outstanding leadership skills. You should have significant senior level experience within a paediatric respiratory nursing post. 
This is an exciting time to join Cambridge University Hospital with the completion of the East of England Children’s Hospital in the next few years.

Working for our organisation

Come Nurse with us…

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the country. It comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital. We provide accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge and regional and national specialist services. It’s a great place to nurse, work and live. 

You will work on a vibrant hospital campus with a friendly community feel; we have excellent facilities to practise your skills and abilities to support your career pathway and development. Our values of Together – Safe, Kind, Excellent support the delivery of outstanding care. We have a fully electronic patient record system that is improving health-care quality; this is transforming services, improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Why choose Cambridge University Hospitals?

• Our values and reputation for outstanding care
• Opportunities to experience a range of specialities
• Career and development opportunities
• Preceptorship and mentoring programmes delivered by a dedicated clinical education support team
• Research experience and opportunities
• Lovely location and quality of life
• Excellent schools/colleges and transport links (road, rail and air)

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.

Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:
-    applied for a Graduate visa
-    or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment

This vacancy will close at midnight on 15 July 2026

Interviews are due to be held on 27 July 2026

Benefits to you

At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff. 

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only café, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • 1. RN Child with a degree
  • 2. Post registration module in Specialist field of work
  • 3. Research Module
  • 4. Advanced clinical assessment skills (if nurse led services part of role)
  • 5. Teaching & mentoring qualification
  • 6. Evidence of professional continuous development and portfolio of learning
  • 7. Leadership or management module Willingness & ability to work toward Masters
Desirable criteria
  • 1. Non-medical prescriber
  • 2. Advanced communication skills or Counselling qualification.
  • 3. Masters degree

Experience

Essential criteria
  • 1. Significant clinical experience as nurse specialist in the speciality.
  • 2. Experience in project management
  • 3. Evidence of leading service change.
Desirable criteria
  • 1. Practical experience of policy development Audit or research experience

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • 1. Recognised as an expert in the field of practice with the ability to clinically assess and diagnose.
  • 2. Managing a budget
  • 3. Managing and or leading a team

Skills

Essential criteria
  • 1. Advanced communication skills
  • 2. Effective communicator with proven ability to influence all levels of staff
  • 3. Ability to work autonomously as an independent practitioner.
  • 4. Proven leadership and team leading skills
  • 5. Proven ability to manage and progress own professional development.
  • 6. Presentation skills Able to respond to change and apply themselves to development in practice.

Additional Requirements

Essential criteria
  • The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of Safe, Kind, Excellent
  • 1. Highly motivated committed to continuous service development and quality improvement
  • 2. Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and targets
  • 3. Reliable and supportive
  • 4. Ability to synthesise information, consider and evaluate risks and options when making difficult decisions

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Trust IDVeteran AwareNo smoking policyDisability confident leaderArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Age-Friendly Employer PledgeCare quality commission - GoodMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.We offer Wagestream - A financial wellbeing benefit which lets you access your pay as you earn it.NHS Rainbow badgeTime to changeStep into healthApprenticeships Top 100 Employers 2024

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Emma Lally
Job title
Paediatric Matron
Email address
[email protected]