District Nurse Specialist

Go back South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 19 November 2025

Are you an experienced District Nurse ready to lead, inspire, and shape the future of community nursing? South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting four Specialist District Nurses to join our Out of Hospital Care Collaborative (OOHCC). These exciting roles offer the opportunity to lead care in four distinct and rewarding localities.

As a Specialist District Nurse, you will be responsible for the assessment and management of complex health needs within your locality. You will lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of care programmes, working autonomously and collaboratively within a Place-Based Team. Your advanced clinical assessment and prescribing skills will be central to delivering high-quality, person-centred care. You will work in collaborative leadership with the Professional Lead, who oversees the operational running of the team, ensuring alignment with service goals and standards.

Rugby is a historic market town in eastern Warwickshire, famed as the birthplace of rugby football and home to the prestigious Rugby School. One of the fastest growing towns in the country and surrounded by villages like Dunchurch, Bilton, and Hillmorton which offer picturesque countryside with strong community ties. This new role will provide the opportunity to help lead and develop a large established nursing team whilst working with colleagues to build personalised, effective care.

Main duties of the job The post holder is required to be a Registered Nurse with substantial community experience of managing patients with complex needs and holding advanced clinical assessment skills.

The post requires the completion of the DNSPQ qualification and be an independent prescriber.

The Specialist District Nurse is responsible for the assessment and management of the complex health needs of an identified population and for the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care.

The post holder will be a registered nurse and hold the DNSPQ qualification. They will be providing clinical leadership for all patients within the community nursing caseload through proactive management.

They will focus on ways to achieve and demonstrate overall improvements in health care. They will work collaboratively with all members of the multidisciplinary team to establish a whole systems approach to the management of patients accessing healthcare in the area.

The Specialist District Nurse will support their peers and be an effective team member.

Whilst working on their own initiative, they will be responsible for ensuring that all members of the nursing team are providing the highest standard of evidenced based clinical care.

They will clinically supervise and be responsible for the development and competencies of all staff within their team. To include performance development reviews, clinical supervision and recruitment and selection.

About us Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further. In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4th in the country for recommended place to work.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.

Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are 'Trusted to provide safe, inclusive, effective and compassionate care'. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn't matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

Job responsibilities Clinical Practice

The post holder will be aligned to a Place Based Team and be clinically responsible for the diagnosing, prescribing, planning and evaluation of care, ensuring provision of high standards of care to patients and their families within the community. They will work as part of an Integrated Team, working within and across professional and organisational boundaries.

The post holder will be a practitioner who can demonstrate a broad range of competencies and is able to adapt to a wide variety of clinical circumstances. They will be part of a community team where their proven ability to make high level clinical decisions will aid patient outcomes

Providing highly developed clinical leadership for all patients on the Community Nursing caseload through advanced level autonomous practice including taking managed risks, for example where the patient is kept at home, rather than hospital or hospice admittance as would previously been the practice

Provide highly specialist clinical leadership for patients on the caseload and work collaboratively with all professionals, carers and relatives to gain a deep understanding of all aspects of the patients physical, emotional and social situation. This includes physical examination and detailed history taking, diagnosis, prescribing, planning and evaluation of care

Provide highly specialist clinical leadership for the development and maintenance of personalised care plans for patients on the community nursing caseload, based on the full assessment of medical, nursing and care needs. This includes preventative measures and anticipation of future needs.

Order investigations and tests and interpret and act on results, using clinical guidelines and policies to support clinical decision-making.

Maintain competence in prescribing according to level of prescribing qualification i.e. Independent Prescriber and participate in regular continuing professional development in relation to the role

Prescribe medication in accordance with the local Non-medical Prescribing Policy, and local and national prescribing guidance. It is expected that all prescribers will prescribe within the limits of their individual competence

Liaise with other agencies, including the voluntary sector, to mobilise resources to meet patient needs and to support them at home securing additional support as required

Act as a resource for the PBT and community teams, providing teaching and education to them as required

To promote new research, innovation and evidence to support quality improvements and evidence based practice within the team

Clinically lead by example showing a high level of motivation and a positive attitude

Carry out regular reviews of the caseload with the Caseload Holder to maintain oversite and identify patients who are not progressing towards expected health outcomes

Support teams, individual clinicians and patients with recommendations regarding individualised treatment plans

Provide care interventions and higher level assessments for patients with highly complex conditions to ensure that patients achieve their optimum level of wellness

Responsible for the safe use of clinical equipment for the team and individual practice

Autonomous Clinical Practice

The post holder will undertake highly specialised treatment which includes but not limited to leg ulcer treatment, end of life care, wound care, continence management, management of plural drains and manoeuvring patients.

To take a comprehensive history, perform a systematic physical examination and establish baseline data to inform the development of a comprehensive care plan

Utilise highly specialist assessment, planning, treatment and evaluation skills appropriate to routine pathway

Analyse signs and symptoms, laboratory tests, investigations and other measures of function in formulating a diagnosis

Use highly complex analytical and problem-solving skills in unpredictable situations especially when developing care plans for complex and sensitive cases.

Provide evidence-based treatment plans based on sound clinical decision making, including the unique presentation of illness and response to treatment of patients on the community nursing caseload

Collaborate with the multi-disciplinary team to plan and implement treatment for acute illness/injury/chronic illness as required, using skills in nurse prescribing and medicines management

Negotiate, collaborate and support individuals and families to make sometimes difficult decisions about plans of care by empowering them to decide on the most appropriate course of action

Ensure a robust process is in place to review care and treatment plans

Take a leading role in regularly auditing and monitoring all components of care delivery

Review and develop clinical competency as required to support clinical practice, participating in ongoing personal development of self and of others

Ensure all clinical records are kept in line with SWUF and NMC guidelines

Communication

Effectively communicate and manage the delivery and reception of complex, sensitive, or potentially contentious information, utilising advanced skills in persuasion, motivation, mediation, and assurance to support team members and provide excellent care. These are particularly necessary for safeguarding concerns, challenging behaviours against team members . click apply for full job details