Specialist Nurse in Tissue Donation: Sponsorship Available

NHS Blood and Transplant

Job summary

It takes all types to save and improve lives. As a Specialist Nurse in Tissue Donation, you will play a vital role in helping patients receive life-changing tissue donations while supporting families through some of their most difficult moments. Working within the National Referral Centre, you will assess donor suitability, obtain informed consent, provide expert clinical advice, and help increase tissue donation opportunities.

You will work closely with healthcare professionals across a range of organisations, lead and support colleagues, and contribute to service improvement and clinical excellence. This is a rewarding opportunity to use your nursing expertise in a highly specialised field where your knowledge, compassion and decision-making skills will directly contribute to saving and improving lives

Main duties of the job

  • Support tissue donation activity within the National Referral Centre and provide leadership support when senior managers are unavailable.
  • Communicate sensitively with bereaved families to obtain informed consent for tissue donation.
  • Assess the suitability of deceased and living tissue donors, making evidence-based clinical decisions.
  • Provide specialist advice and guidance to healthcare professionals on tissue donation programmes.
  • Manage and prioritise referrals, ensuring donation processes are coordinated effectively within critical timeframes.
  • Maintain accurate donor records and ensure compliance with mandatory donor selection requirements.
  • Support clinical audits, service improvements and the implementation of changes to practice and documentation.
  • Coach, mentor and support nursing colleagues, assistant practitioners and students.
  • Ensure compliance with NHSBT policies, quality standards, the Human Tissue Act and relevant legislation.
  • Contribute to achieving tissue donation and consent targets while promoting high-quality patient and family care.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Nurse with current NMC registration (RN1 or RNA) with post-registration experience.
  • Requirement for NMC professional registration required (which must be maintained in the role.
  • Demonstrate commitment to own Continued Professional Development (CPD).

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrates experience of planning, implementing and evaluating changes in clinical practice at a team level.
  • Possesses an awareness of performance objectives and organisational targets.
  • Demonstrates experience of clinical teaching.
  • Demonstrates an understanding of the principles of clinical audit and research.
  • Demonstrates involvement in personal and professional development for self.
  • Demonstrates an awareness of current issues in nursing.
  • Demonstrates experience of tissue donation and Human Tissue Act.

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: 13 September 2026

To apply for this job please visit jobs.nhsbt.nhs.uk.