Overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Royal Free London as an autonomous heart failure specialist nurse, leading nurse‑led clinics and delivering expert assessment, diagnosis, and optimisation of evidence‑based therapy. As an independent prescriber, you will initiate and titrate guideline‑directed treatments and support safe community‑based management. A major part of the role involves delivering and enhancing admission‑avoidance pathways and managing patients through the virtual ward, including remote monitoring, timely intervention, and coordination. You will work within a supportive, friendly multidisciplinary team, collaborating with community and primary care services to ensure seamless, integrated care across the heart failure pathway. There are excellent opportunities for ongoing professional development, including advancing autonomous practice skills and contributing to research, education, and training. You will receive a comprehensive induction supported by senior nurses and follow the BSH competency framework to guide structured development. Leadership development is supported through Trust training programmes. You will also contribute to service improvement through audit, research, and pathway development, act as a role model, and support junior staff while working flexibly across the heart failure and virtual ward services.
Responsibilities
- Lead outpatient clinics, providing assessment, diagnosis, and optimisation of therapy for patients with newly diagnosed and established heart failure.
- Act as an independent prescriber: assess, initiate, and titrate guideline‑directed therapy, including prescribing diuretics and adjusting treatment plans for patients managed in the community and through the virtual ward.
- Identify new cases of heart failure, ensure timely diagnostics, and review patients not receiving optimal therapy to improve outcomes.
- Manage the complete heart failure pathway, liaising closely with cardiology, acute teams, community services, and primary care to ensure seamless care.
- Lead admission‑avoidance pathways, support remote monitoring, virtual ward‑based diuretic therapy, and timely escalation to prevent deterioration and unnecessary hospital attendance.
- Contribute to virtual ward development, pathway refinement, and digital monitoring processes.
- Participate in MDT meetings, support audit and research, and contribute to service improvement.
- Act as a senior team member, role model, mentor junior staff, and work flexibly across the heart failure and virtual ward services, including providing cross‑cover for the wider cardiology virtual ward.
Qualifications
- First level registration
- First level degree
- Evidence of post registration qualification in Coronary/Cardiac care
- Heart Failure Module
- Physical Examination course
- Non‑medical Independent Prescriber qualification
- Teaching/Mentorship/Assessment qualification
- End‑of‑life/Advanced communication qualification or willingness to work towards
- Minimum 5 years recent cardiology experience with minimum 2 years at band 6 in a cardiac environment
- Evidence of teaching and developing others
- Ability to analyse and interpret ECG, Echo and routine blood tests
- Extensive experience of nursing patients living with heart failure
- Experience of service planning/managing change (e.g., providing examples of projects/research undertaken under own initiative)
- Experience of running nurse‑led clinics
- Experience of managing own caseload of patients
- Expert specialist skills for the post
- Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team
- Understanding of recognised standards & policies related to heart failure
- Understanding of advanced practice nursing roles
- Understanding of audit and research process
- Excellent patient assessment skills
- Good computing skills
- Excellent communication skills and ability to negotiate and influence
- Ability to problem‑solve, prioritise and work to deadlines
- Ability to develop collaborative working relationships with multi‑professional teams
- Ability to manage stressful situations and challenge decisions to ensure that patient needs are met
- Commitment to ongoing lifelong learning and personal development
- Be a positive role model with a credible and professional approach
- Ability to work under pressure
- Ability to work as a team and form professional relationships with colleagues
- To be flexible and approachable
- Flexibility in shift and working patterns to meet the needs of the service
Benefits
The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s biggest and most innovative trusts. Across three main hospitals, our dedicated army of staff care for over 1.6million patients, treat more than 200000 in A&E, deliver over 8000 babies and carry out more than 17million tests. Our size, scale and influence offer you unrivalled career opportunities and a forward‑thinking approach to working that works around your lifestyle. From flexible hours and generous benefits, to next‑level training, we make it easier to take your career to the top.
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