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Job summary

Main area
Parkinson's Service
Grade
Band 6
Contract
6 months (6 months Fixed Term Contract)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Within the core hours of 0830-1630)
Job ref
249-7970338
Employer
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Great Western Hospital
Town
Swindon
Salary
£39,959 - £48,117 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
03/07/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Parkinson’s Disease Nurse Specialist

Band 6

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital. 

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used, then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Job overview

6-month fixed-term contract.

 

An exciting opportunity has arisen. The Swindon & North Wiltshire Parkinson’s Nursing Service is looking for a Band 6 Parkinson’s Disease Nurse Specialist to work as part of the team providing nursing care, support and advice to people affected by Parkinson’s. 

 

This is a varied role working in both the community and hospital environments undertaking home visits, seeing patients and their families within the clinic environment and working as part of the PDNS team supporting the patient during any hospital stays.

 

You will be a nurse with an interest in gaining further clinical knowledge of Parkinson’s disease. We will support you in your learning within our excellent multi-disciplinary team.

 

You will have excellent communication and written skills that will enable you to provide information to support, promote and encourage patient empowerment and support decision making relating to care and support needs.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide specialist nursing care, support and advice to patients affected by Parkinson’s  
Disease within the Swindon and North Wiltshire area.  

The post holder will have functional links with all stakeholders e.g., patients, their families, multidisciplinary  
teams, hospital departments, community services and voluntary organisations.   The focus of this post will be on the care of those with idiopathic Parkinson’s or related Parkinsonism’s. The working environment will entail working between primary and secondary care settings  following the patient pathway. 

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a heath and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. The post holder will be part of a team and line management will be via the Lead Parkinson’s Disease 
Nurse Specialist. 
2. Effective communication and working relationships will include with patients and carers, GP’s,  
Hospital Consultants, Community Teams, local Parkinson’s UK organisations, the Independent Sector  
and Care Home / Agencies. 
3. The post holder will provide effective support and advice to patients and carers in order to assist them  
with emotional issues. 
4. They will demonstrate effective educational strategies in order to assist patients and carers in relating  
to the management of the disease process and its symptoms. 
5. The post holder will provide verbal and written information in order to support, promote and encourage 
patient empowerment and support decision making relating to care and support needs. 
6. They will act as an advocate for the individual with Parkinson’s Disease. 
7. The post holder will be able to triage helpline phone calls in order to assess and prioritise the needs  
of the individual making the call. 
8. They will participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and other meetings as requested. 
9. They will professionally and sensitively deal with issues pertaining to service users and their carers. 
10. The post holder will be expected to organise their time effectively and manage their allocated work in an 
organised manner, communicating any issues to their line manager in a timely manner. 
11. The post holder will be able to work flexibly to meet service demands.

Please see JD for full responsibilities.

 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • RGN with reasonable length of post qualification experience.
  • Professional knowledge acquired through degree supplemented by training and/or combination of additional post registration/postgraduate specialist training, or equivalent experience
Desirable criteria
  • Parkinson’s Disease Module or willingness to undertake this.
  • Experience in the care of older people, palliative / end of life areas

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Related nursing experience to the Parkinson’s knowledge base
  • An awareness of interagency working / functions
  • Communication skills, which facilitate effective interaction with people from a wide range of social, economic, cultural, and ethnic/racial backgrounds
  • Able to communicate with a wide range of colleagues in different disciplines and agencies
  • The ability to respond to the demands of working in a complex and diverse environment
  • Able to work well in a team as well as the ability to work independently
  • Approachable & flexible
  • Able to produce accurate reports

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderInvestors in People: GoldCare Leaver CovenantStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthArmed Forces Covenant

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
Rachel Gardner
Job title
Lead Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07881281861
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