Band 8a – Vascular Access Lead Nurse

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Job summary

Are you dynamic? Are you a competent individual and experienced in the insertion and management of vascular devices (including PICC lines)? Are you looking for an opportunity to take on a key leadership role for a growing service?

We are looking for an experienced Vascular Access Practitioner to cover the role as lead for the service for a fixed period.

The role involves teaching healthcare professionals and patients. While not based on the ward, this is a very clinical post consisting of patient review pre and post PICC line insertion and supporting patients and staff with all aspects of vascular access.

If you are interested in the role but do not meet the criteria for the Lead Vascular Access position (8a) we would welcome interest for the band 7 post (please see separate job description attached – salary for a Band 7 ranges from £51,657 – £58,785 per annum inc. HCA)

Main duties of the job

You will be the Lead Nurse for Vascular access based at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals, Watford site. This role is a part of the Infection Prevention and Control multidisciplinary team.

The post-holder will work autonomously as a consulting clinical specialist to provide patient-centred care. This will include advanced clinical assessments of patients requiring advanced vascular access care, selection of most appropriate device, device insertion, and support with on-going management.

As the lead of the service, you will advocate for innovative ways of working, develop, implement, and maintain a wide range of policies/ guidelines/ protocols, educational initiatives.

The job also has managerial duties of the vascular access service members, as per human resources protocols.

The main objective of the Vascular Access service is to prevent vascular access related – hospital acquired infections. You will manage a hospital database and a programme of surveillance to ensure these high standards are maintained and implement strategies or complication reductions.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

  • Bachelor’s degree in nursing (preferably adult)
  • Master’s degree relevant to healthcare
  • Certificate in education, teaching and assessing
  • Evidence of advance vascular access clinical skills

Desirable

  • Nurse Prescribing Course or will work towards

Knowledge

Essential

  • Extensive experience of working within vascular access speciality.
  • Understanding of anatomy and physiology in relation to vascular access and its devices.
  • To be familiar and have competence in the use of various vascular access devices.
  • Able to assess competency with regards to vascular access.
  • Previous involvement in change management.
  • Up to date knowledge and expertise in infection prevention and control and vascular access devices.
  • Requires knowledge and experience in audit.

Experience

Essential

  • Evidence of highly specialised expert knowledge of invasive devices and related clinical safety, clinical effectiveness and infection control issues.
  • Experience in the management of all CVADs.
  • Experience of developing and delivering educational programmes.
  • Experience in teaching.

Skills and Ability

Essential

  • Able to manage team members.
  • Leadership skills
  • Ability to work autonomously and part of a team.
  • Computer literate to a level consistent with everyday use of software programmes, processing, spreadsheets, presentations, email and internet.
  • Ability to demonstrate good written and oral communication skills for effective communication with all disciplines.

Desirable

  • Prescriber

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Closing Date: 27 August 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.