County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Specialist Liver Nurse
The closing date is 14 May 2026.
We are seeking to appoint an experienced and motivated Band 7 Liver Specialist Nurse to provide advanced clinical expertise and leadership within the liver pathway. This role is central to the management of patients with complex liver disease, including decompensated cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, HCC surveillance and alcohol‑related liver disease.
The post holder will deliver autonomous clinical assessment, coordinate care across the multidisciplinary team, and drive service improvement to ensure safe, effective and high‑quality patient care. In addition to direct patient management, the role provides senior clinical oversight, education and governance support within the speciality.
This is a key role in maintaining patient safety, performance standards and continued development of our hepatology service.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for an experienced and clinically confident nurse who will lead the specialist nursing provision for patients with liver disease. The successful candidate will work autonomously, managing a complex caseload while acting as a key point of contact for patients, carers and the wider multidisciplinary team.
The role involves coordinating care, supporting timely decision‑making, and ensuring patients receive safe, evidence‑based management from diagnosis through to long‑term follow‑up. The post holder will work closely with consultants and allied professionals to streamline pathways, improve patient experience and reduce avoidable admissions.
In addition to direct clinical care, the Band 7 Liver Specialist Nurse will provide professional leadership within the speciality, supporting service development, contributing to audit and governance processes, and promoting continuous quality improvement. The role also includes education and support for ward staff and junior colleagues to enhance liver disease knowledge and clinical confidence across the organisation. Strong clinical judgement and excellent communication skills are essential for this position.
About us
We provide hospital services from two acute sites – Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester‑Le‑Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community‑based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under‑represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Job responsibilities
- Degree in nursing studies or relevant clinical degree (UK equivalent)
- Masters level study or willingness to complete
- Mentorship certificate / Practice Assessor training or demonstrable equivalent experience
- Clinical skills accreditation
- Non‑medical prescribing or willingness to complete
- Extensive post‑registration experience, some of which will be at a senior level within the required specialist area of practice
- Experience of leading a team
- Experience of care delivery
- Evidence of innovation in practice
- Evidence of change management
- Evidence of practice development
- Experience of coordinating care for a caseload of patients
- IT skills including PowerPoint, Word and Outlook
- Thorough understanding of contemporary nursing issues
- Evidence of continuous professional development
- Knowledge of how to facilitate learning
- Knowledge of current professional and clinical governance issues
- Knowledge and participation of research and clinical audit
- Knowledge and experience of handling complex relationships and interpersonal dynamics
- Counselling and appraisal skills
- Evidence of competency in relation to nursing practices appropriate to the post
- Time management
- Ability to assess, deliver, evaluate and benchmark quality care
- RGN recognised by the NMC
- Disclosure and Barring Service Check
Person Specification
Special Skills and Knowledge
- Understands and acts in line with NMC professional standards for practice contained within The Code.
- Understand requirements for NMC professional revalidation
- Up to date understanding of the scope of and role of the Nurse in context of the nursing and interdisciplinary team and the organisation, and how the role may contribute to service development
- Knowledge of when to seek advice and expand to the appropriate professional help and advice
- Will provide leadership in the delivery of care for people in their care and act in best interests of people, putting them first and providing care that is person‑centred, safe and compassionate.
- Advanced knowledge of liver disease management and current evidence‑based practice.
- Ability to undertake comprehensive clinical assessment and make autonomous decisions within scope of practice.
- Strong understanding of risk management, safeguarding and clinical governance principles
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage sensitive and complex discussions.
- Ability to prioritise a complex workload and manage competing demands effectively
- Non‑medical prescribing qualification or willingness to work towards
- Knowledge of national hepatology guidance and surveillance standard
- Leadership or management training relevant to a senior specialist role.
Special Requirements
- Hold a valid UK driving licence to travel across hospital sites where required.
- Driving posts must have a valid Full UK driving licence
Qualifications
- Nursing Degree or equivalent qualification leading to NMC registration to part 1 of the NMC register
- Valid NMC PIN
- Clinical Skills accreditation
- Evidence of continual professional development.
Experience
- Significant post‑registration experience within hepatology, gastroenterology or a related acute medical specialty.
- Demonstrable experience managing patients with complex, chronic conditions, including those requiring high levels of clinical judgement and autonomous decision‑making.
- Experience of coordinating care across multidisciplinary teams and services.
- Experience supporting, teaching or mentoring junior staff and colleagues.
- Evidence of involvement in service development, audit or quality improvement initiatives.
- Able to communicate effectively (written, verbal and non‑verbal communication) with patients/relatives and carers and all members of the multi‑disciplinary team.
- Previous experience working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist or in an advanced practice role within hepatology.
- Experience managing patients with cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, HCC surveillance or alcohol‑related liver disease.
- Experience contributing to governance processes, incident review or clinical audit presentation.
Statutory Registration
- Registered Nurse (adult or Child) on part 1 of the NMC register
- Valid UK NMC PIN
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
£49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum, pro rata
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