We are seeking an experienced and motivated Band 7 Acute Pain Specialist Nurse to join our Acute Pain Service on a 6-month secondment. This role offers an exciting opportunity to support the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based pain management across the Trust during a period of maternity leave cover.
You will play a key role in enhancing patient safety, experience, and clinical outcomes through expert assessment, management, and evaluation of acute pain. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will contribute to quality improvement initiatives, optimise pain pathways, and support the delivery of safe, effective, and compassionate care.
This role aligns with the Trust's strategic priorities of clinical excellence, workforce sustainability, and continuous quality improvement, ensuring patients receive timely and effective pain management while maintaining service resilience within the current financial framework.
The post holder will provide specialist clinical expertise in the assessment and management of acute pain across inpatient areas, supporting patients with complex analgesic needs. You will work collaboratively with medical, nursing, and allied health professionals to ensure safe, effective, and individualised pain management.
Key responsibilities include:
Delivering pain assessments and developing evidence-based management plans
Supporting safe use of analgesia, including PCA, epidurals, and adjunct therapies
Leading and contributing to quality improvement, audit, and governance within the Acute Pain Service
Promoting best practice through education, training, and support of ward staff
Monitoring outcomes and contributing to service development aligned with Trust Quality Account priorities
You will demonstrate strong clinical leadership, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to improving patient safety, experience, and clinical effectiveness
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is the UK's leading heart and lung hospital, delivering care to more than 50,000 patients a year in its new state-of-the-art hospital in Cambridge. We perform the most heart and/or lung transplants in the UK and carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979. It also offers emergency heart attack treatment, sleep centre care and is one of just five centres nationally for those in severe respiratory failure.
Based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe the Trust is at the heart of treatments of the future. Royal Papworth became the first hospital trust in the country to be rated outstanding in all five areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission - a rating it still holds today. The Trust holds its values of compassion, excellence & collaboration at its core, and all colleagues joining the team are expected to uphold these in their day-to-day roles & interactions. Royal Papworth is proud of its diverse workforce and encourages people to embrace their individuality.
The Trust values difference and welcomes all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion & belief, sex and sexual orientation. Providing they meet the minimum post criteria, applicants with disabilities will be offered an interview.
For a street view tour: https://royalpapworth.nhs.uk/virtual-tour
On this page you will find a Role Profile which provides information about the hospital and full details about the role. We recommend that you review this and refer to it as you complete your application. Please include how you will meet the Trust Values Compassion, Excellence and Collaboration. If you would like more information about the role or working at Royal Papworth Hospital, please get in touch with the contact for this role.
Degree level or above level of qualification in Adult Nursing plus post graduate diploma specialist training, experience, short courses to master's equivalent level
OR equivalent highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of work procedures and practices, underpinned by theoretical knowledge or relevant practical experience.
Advanced clinical assessment
Leadership/management training and/or experience.
Registered with Nursing and Midwifery Council.
To be a clinical expert within own field of practice.
The ability to lead/manager/supervise a multi-disciplinary team as well as mentor and educate junior staff.
Knowledge and application of clinical governance frameworks including Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), policy and procedure, audit and quality assurance.
Knowledge and application of safeguarding policies and procedures, particularly those related to vulnerable patients.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to be able to problem solve, use own initiative and plan, organise and prioritise own and others' workload.
Evidence of continuous professional development and a willingness to participate in further training and education.
Competent IT skills.
As well as being able to demonstrate examples of how they work in a way that is consistent with our values of compassion, excellence and collaboration the successful candidate will be able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to driving culture change through equality, diversity and inclusion.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
