Job overview

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare or working on the Staff Bank within these organisations. Nursing and AHP vacancies are also open to Student Nurses and Newly Qualified Nurses/AHPs.

 Are you a Respiratory Nurse Specialist or a Respiratory Nurse with at least four years of experience, and wanting to take the next step into a specialist role? Respiratory nursing is important now, more than ever before as illustrated in the NHS 10-year plan and the move towards neighbourhood working.

The team has developed over recent years into a multi-disciplinary team helping to keep more patients with respiratory disease at home and out of hospital. That’s where you come in.  This Band 7 leadership role will be based in a Thanet locality supporting patients living with respiratory disease, with an emphasis on self-management and support in the community as part of their care pathway. We aim to enhance the quality of life for people living with respiratory disease, whatever stage they are at. We believe in innovation and working together to achieve the best results. 

Whilst this is a full-time role, we would consider 0.8 WTE (30 hrs) or above.  If you're able to demonstrate a passion and commitment to this role but don't  fully meet all desirable criteria, we would consider a one-year development pathway from Band 6 to Band 7.  

Main duties of the job

To undertake the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of care required for patients with complex, long term, high risk respiratory conditions. Provide the necessary health education and advice resulting in fewer hospital admissions.

Undertake continuous professional development to enable the provision of pioneering specialist respiratory services to meet the population of the locality in line with multiple national and local targets. Establish an effective workplace culture across the respiratory service that sustains person-centred, safe and effective care through self-awareness, leadership, active learning, development, improvement and innovation. 

To contribute and lead on the development of performance indicators relevant to the provision of safe health care within the respiratory service.  To assist in strategic work with tertiary, secondary and primary care services, the respiratory network and local authorities to link and plan respiratory services for the future. To act as a source of specialist knowledge on respiratory conditions to primary and secondary care. To autonomously manage a caseload of respiratory patients requiring specialist services.

It is also essential you are a car driver.  So, if you can bring fresh ideas and a genuine interest in helping people with respiratory disease to live well for longer, we’d love to hear from you. 

Working for our organisation

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is due to integrate with Medway Community Healthcare on 1 October 2026. Following integration and to align our community services to the new Neighbourhood Model of care delivery, there will be a period of consultation which may result in changes affecting some services, teams or roles. Depending on the area you are applying to work in, this could include potential changes to your role, work base, reporting arrangements, or terms and conditions of employment. Any changes would be subject to consultation and managed sensitively and in line with relevant employment processes. Please do contact the recruiting manager if you have any concerns about this so they can answer any questions you might have.

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC, we deliver high-quality care that improves the health of our communities. We are looking for people who share our values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive and Excellent.

We are proud to be an inclusive, welcoming organisation and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We use protected characteristic information for monitoring only and it is not seen by recruiting managers, except where applicants choose to be considered under our disability guaranteed interview scheme.

We know life outside work matters. As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we welcome conversations about arrangements that help you thrive while supporting excellent care for our patients.

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