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Job summary

Main area
Headache
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
196-NM13115
Employer
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Guys and St Thomas's Hospitals
Town
London
Salary
£56,276 - £63,176 P.A including HCAs
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
12/08/2025 23:59
Interview date
20/08/2025

Employer heading

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust logo

Headache Clinical Nurse Specialist

NHS AfC: Band 7

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions. 

Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.

In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’.

The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.

We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.



Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated registered nurse to join our Headache Service as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), working across the Pain Management and Neurology departments.

The Headache Service provides specialist care to patients with complex and chronic headache disorders, including migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, cluster headache, and other facial pain conditions. This role will involve delivering nurse-led clinics, administering  injectable treatments such as nerve blocks and Botox, and contributing to the ongoing development of care pathways and protocols.

As a Band 7 CNS, you will work with a high degree of autonomy within a multidisciplinary team, supporting patients with long-term conditions through assessment, education, and evidence-based treatment planning. You will act as a clinical resource, supporting Band 6 nurses and the wider team, and will work closely with medical and AHP colleagues to ensure safe, effective, and patient-centred care.

This post will also contribute to a wider transformation programme aimed at aligning and integrating the headache services across Neurology and Pain Management. You will play an important role in shaping the evolving service model and in driving improvements in access, quality, and patient experience.

Closing date: Midnight 12/08/2025

Interview date: 20/08/2025

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as a  member of our multi-disciplinary team co-coordinating care and treatment of this interesting and complex patient group.  Essential to this post is the maintenance of clinical excellence underpinned by evidence-based practice.

You will be expected to provide professional advice and support to other health care professionals caring for patients experiencing headache and work across departmental, divisional and Trust boundaries to provide a patient-centred seamless service.

You will have experience in some of the specialised skills within this  multi-disciplinary setting ; and you will receive the necessary additional training, development and support.  

Excellent communication and team working skills are essential as this post requires an appreciation of the complex issues that patients with headache; being able to advise patient’s pharmacology and an ability to show initiative and understanding in providing support and care for these patients.

The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to assist in the development of nursing education and research at a local, national and international level.

This is a full time position 

Working for our organisation

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.

Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • Please see attached job description and Person Specification  
  • To work autonomously, managing a caseload of patients within the specialty whilst working as part of the multidisciplinary team, delivering individualised and personalised direct patient care including injectable treatments for headache and migraine

§  Be responsible for assessing and recognising emergencies in the speciality. To interpret information and take appropriate action and to lead others to do the same.

§  Act as an advocate for patients within the department, to ensure a patient orientated approach to the delivery of care and to meet standards within the NHS Plan and other relevant guidelines.

§  Ensure that patients’ receive high quality clinical care and a good patient experience, having regard for their customs, religious beliefs and doctrines.

§  Recognise and avoid situations that may be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the individuals.

§  Actively engage service users through the facilitation of user groups and open days.                                            

§  Co-ordinate the provision of specialist services to patients, both within hospital and/or in the community setting, effectively liaising with multidisciplinary colleagues

§  Develop and run nurse led clinics where the post holder will co-ordinate the treatment in conjunction with medical staff, and provide treatment which includes injectable treatments for headache and migraine

§  Direct, support, encourage and advise clinical teams, by the provision of specialist knowledge and advice in the care of patients within the area.

  • Participate in the promotion of patient centred care, and establish and maintain a supportive relationship with the patient and their family during the period of assessment, treatment and after care

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Post registration qualification in appropriate area of speciality or equivalent post qualification experience
Desirable criteria
  • To have or working towards a non medical physical assessment course
  • To have or working towards a masters degree

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of working autonomously at an advanced level within the specialist area delivering effective patient focused care
  • Experience of audit, research & evidence based care
  • Proven evidence of management / leadership skills and autonomous practice

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Advanced clinical, managerial and leadership skills in specialty
  • Evidence of teaching skills in particular teaching patients in how to manage their conditions and raise their awareness of their condition
  • Able to use skills of history taking and physical assessment to direct patient care
Desirable criteria
  • Ability to interpret and analyse complex data and findings

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Timewise helps businesses to attract and develop the best talent through flexible working.Care quality commission - GoodDisability confident employer

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
Hazel Steele
Job title
Matron
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

Headache Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Beth Hill, 

[email protected]

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