The Paediatric Team at Dorset County Hospital is seeking an experienced, motivated and compassionate nurse to become our Roald Dahl Paediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for Complex Medical Conditions Transition. This is a unique and rewarding Band 7 role, created in partnership with Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, supporting children and young people with complex medical needs as they move from paediatric to adult services.
As a Roald Dahl CNS, you will join a national network of specialist nurses funded by the charity, known for delivering exceptional, holistic, child‑centred care. You will be based within the Paediatric Department at Dorset County Hospital, working closely with multidisciplinary teams, community services, and regional partners to ensure young people and their families experience a safe, supported and empowering transition.
What We Offer
The opportunity to become part of the Roald Dahl Nurse network, with access to specialist training, peer support, and professional development.
A supportive paediatric team within Dorset County Hospital.
Opportunities to shape and lead transition services across the Trust.
A role that makes a profound difference to children, young people, and families living with complex medical needs
We are looking for a nurse who is:
A Registered Children’s Nurse (RSCN/RN Child) with substantial post‑registration experience.
Skilled in managing complex medical conditions and confident in autonomous practice.
Passionate about improving transition experiences for young people.
An excellent communicator, advocate, and collaborator.
Motivated to contribute to service innovation and evidence‑based practice.
Committed to the values of Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, including kindness, bravery, and making the extraordinary possible.
Key Responsibilities
Specialist clinical leadership in the management of children and young people with complex medical conditions.
Coordinating transition pathways between paediatric and adult services, ensuring continuity of care.
Holistic family support, including emotional, social and practical guidance.
Advanced clinical assessment and care planning tailored to individual needs.
Education and training for families, carers, and healthcare professionals.
Service development, audit, and quality improvement to enhance transition care across the Trust.
Acting as a key link between hospital, community, and voluntary sector partners.
At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff. Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.
We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.
We understand that some applicants may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in preparing their application materials. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind candidates that all submissions must be truthful and accurately reflect your own experiences and suitability for this role.
Personal integrity and authenticity are central to our recruitment process. We value honesty and appreciate applications that are genuine and representative of the individual behind them.
UKVI Sponsorship: This role is eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). We welcome applications from individuals who require sponsorship to work in the UK. Sponsorship will be offered subject to meeting UKVI eligibility criteria.
The post holder will work in conjunction with Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity (RDMCC). The role will be to provide expert holistic nursing care and support to young people living with a complex medical condition. You will be a highly motivated, dynamic, innovative, and enthusiastic Children’s nurse.
You will support the Transition Service and assist in developing Transition pathways across the organisation and providing suitable and sufficient support to ensure young people with complex conditions transition positively to adult services.
You will actively support staff in both paediatric and adult services, enabling continuous service development, and improved health outcomes for young people accessing healthcare at DCH. Quality improvement methodology may be used to develop creative solutions to improve services.
The RDMCC Nurse will:
- Provide clear and effective leadership and co-ordination of the patient pathway for young people with medical complexity (CMC).
- Work with minimal supervision to develop and deliver the specialist service based on principles that are evidence based, and which enhance the quality of patient care.
- Ensure a high-quality service meeting the individual needs of the young person and their family.
- Lead the co-ordination of holistic and seamless clinical care for Complex Medical Conditions, who are often known to several specialty teams.
- Promote efficient patient pathways.
- Being identifiable by uniform, visible and accessible in the clinical area to the clinical team, patients and service users . Changes to the working pattern must be agreed with the immediate line manager and reviewed at regular intervals.
- To be a champion for young people ensuring their voice is heard and that young person-friendly care (Developmentally Appropriate Healthcare) is supported. This includes ensuring appropriate clear care plans are in place, recognition and management of vulnerabilities and ensuring the patient experience/environment is young person friendly both in the atmosphere and approach of staff/clinical teams and in the presentation of the clinical area in compliance with the ‘You’re Welcome’ Document (DoH, 2017).
To work closely with the Children’s Community Nursing Team and Specialist Nursing Teams, engaging staff members in the development of transition pathways and documentation within their services.
About Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity
Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity funds over 90 specialist nurses across the UK, supporting seriously ill children and young people to lead marvellous lives. Their partnership with Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust enables this post to deliver exceptional, compassionate, and life changing care.
