Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As the Children’s Clinical Nurse Specialist for Asthma, you will take the lead in managing your own caseload of children and young people, providing expert assessment, care planning and ongoing review. You will work autonomously while collaborating closely with the Lead Paediatric Asthma Consultant and the wider multidisciplinary team to ensure that every child receives safe, timely and evidencebased asthma care. A key part of your role will involve running nurseled clinics that complement and bridge consultantled services, enabling smooth continuity of care for families.
You will be responsible for carrying out a range of specialist diagnostic assessments, including FeNO testing, spirometry, peak flow measurement and other lung function investigations. Preparing children and their families for these proceduresusing clear, ageappropriate communicationwill be essential in ensuring accurate results and building trust.
A central responsibility of the post is supporting the development and implementation of robust asthma pathways, particularly for children with complex or highrisk needs. You will work to ensure these children are managed in the most appropriate setting and will take a proactive role in auditing, reviewing and continuously improving the service. Your involvement in local and national audits, data collection and research activity will help drive innovation and raise standards of care across the organisation and wider network.
Education and training will feature heavily in your daytoday practice. You will provide specialist guidance to children, families and carers to improve understanding of asthma management and to support selfmanagement at home. Alongside this, you will offer education and advice to colleagues across the Trust, primary care, community services and schools, helping to spread best practice and raise asthma expertise across the whole system. As an expert resource, you will also contribute to the development of clinical protocols, care pathways and multidisciplinary documentation.
Collaboration across sectors will be vital. You will liaise regularly with paediatricians, community asthma nurses, GPs, health visitors, schools and tertiary providers to ensure seamless care and effective communication throughout the child’s journey. Participation in MDT meetings, ward rounds and case discussions will ensure that the nursing perspective remains central to patient management.
Strong communication skills will be essential as you provide clear, accurate documentation aligned with NMC standards and communicate effectively with families and partners across healthcare and education. You will also uphold safeguarding responsibilities, ensuring that any concerns are promptly escalated and managed in line with Trust policy.
Finally, you will maintain high professional standards, acting as a role model within paediatrics and supporting the development of colleagues. You will engage in reflective practice, maintain uptodate clinical knowledge and participate actively in your own professional developmentpotentially including NonMedical Prescribing where appropriate to the role’s future development.
