Nursing

One thousand nurses, one shared purpose.

Every one of our nurses works in a unique area of specialism, but they are joined by one common goal – saving and improving lives.

We have unique and diverse roles in our organisation for specialist nurses.

You don’t need specific experience to become one of our specialists and be a part of the life saving work we do. We invite nurses with all backgrounds and clinical experiences into our community.

Video: Nursing careers in NHS Blood and Transplant

Find out about the rewarding work our nurses do.

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Video transcript

Video transcript

Aimee Hilton, Corporate Lead Nurse, NHS Blood and Transplant: At NHSBT, we are committed to ensuring that our nursing workforce represents the donors, donor families and patients that we serve.

We have a really varied, unique workforce – from OTDT, which is organ, donation transplantation tissue services, so we have nurses working with families and donor families and recipients, we have nurses working in blood donation mobile teams and donor centres, we also have nurses working in therapeutic apheresis as nurse practitioners.

We have nurses that work with hospitals, so in blood management, educating our NHS partners.

Amy Workman, Session Sister, Blood Donation: I decided to make the change from my previous job role in intensive care. I'd heard that it was just a great team to work for, you're surrounded by colleagues with abundance of knowledge and skills and also such an inclusive and diverse organisation to work for.

Our main values are expertise, quality and care, and these are the values that we deliver every day to our donors and also within our team.

The main aspects to my role are managing the centre essentially, managing the donor carers, making sure that the donors are having a positive experience.

Sharon Keightley, Specialist Nurse Organ Donation (SNOD): The most important part of our role is supporting the families at their time of intense tragedy, bereavement, loss.

Their world turns upside down and we're there to be a guiding light through the whole donation process.

We don't just stay there with the family for just the donation process, we also look after the families afterwards.

Within a year, we keep in touch with our families and that's really important to them because they feel like they've been cared for.

Letty Horsman, Nurse Practitioner, Therapeutic Apheresis Services:

As a nurse practitioner, I carry out haematological procedures.

Sam Nkatikirutimana, Nurse Practitioner, Therapeutic Apheresis Services: We do red cell exchange, plasma exchange, ECP photopheresis, and we do lipid removal as well.

Letty: They're very specialised – for example, stem cell harvests, plasma exchanges, red cell exchanges.

Sam: Then you look after adults and the children. It gives you a big variety of things to do.

Letty: I started in NHS Blood and Transplant as a unit assistant, doing more of the admin, organising the diary and stuff, so I went away and did my nurse training, and then I liked the unit and the team so much that I came back.

Our professional development

Aimee: We have a really stringent induction programme here in the organisation for all of our roles.

Because they require such specialist skills, we ensure that all of the induction programmes include a good amount of supernumerary time.

Further to this, we offer a multitude of secondments within the organisation for nurses to go and have different varying experiences.

Amy: When I began here I had eight weeks intensive but fun training and which involved a lot of online lectures, also a lot of practical teaching and learning which was supported amazingly by my managers, who allowed me to do a lot of self-directed learning and also allowed me to shadow a lot of my colleagues here to see how the donation process works.

Letty: So far I've advanced to a band 6 level from a band 5 and so I've taken on more of a leadership role and I'm independent working, so those are transferable skills, I guess.

But also there's more professional development in terms of things such as ACP roles, so I can go and do more training to fulfil that kind of thing if I wanted to in the future.

Victoria Price, Specialist Nurse Organ Donation (SNOD): You’re extremely supported throughout the process of your training.

You actually get a six-month period whereby you are mentored.

You get to spend time with them on call in your embedded hospital and they really want to make sure that you're supported and that your development progresses within that six-month period, so that you're comfortable enough to be able to do the job out on your own.

The difference at NHS Blood and Transplant

Aimee: We have a Nursing Council and we are representative of the nursing workforce across the organisation.

We listen, we empower, we represent our nursing workforce here.

We are an organisation ready to listen to nurses and form a professional community.

I professionally and personally have never come across an organisation that is so committed to the health and wellbeing of their staff.

You can see this in the way they promote employee assistance programmes, clinical supervision, peer support and going the extra mile to try and engage as many people as possible on the intranet, social media sites, et cetera, really creating a positive culture in trying to support their staff's health and wellbeing.

Sharon: I think the benefits of moving from intensive care into a SNOD role is that the work-life balance is so much better and it makes you feel so much better.

Sam: Working for NHSBT as a TAS nurse offers you a good work-life balance.

Letty: The hours are much better, I get a regular break, we don't have to work bank holidays, which is nice.

Amy: I don't personally have to do night shifts anymore. So I'm working in the daylight hours, there's flexible working, hardly any bank holidays or weekends, and I found in the short time that I've been here, my work-life balance has been greatly improved.

Sam: It gives you a chance to be able to work independently because the unit is nurse-led.

In my old job where I used to do dialysis, I was just doing dialysis only, but now I can move from one specialist area to another area without any problems, because I can do what I can do, I've been taught, and I'm confident with what I'm doing.

Sharon: It's knowing that you've got you've got a lovely supportive team behind you that makes coming to work extremely enjoyable.

Amy: Compared to my previous role in intensive care, here I'm working a lot more autonomously, so I'm using a lot more of my skills. Providing a positive atmosphere will ultimately give the donor a better experience when donating.

Victoria: Working as a specialist nurse in organ donation really is the best job in the world and it can only be the best job in the world if you are supported thoroughly by a team and by an organisation that is as wonderful as NHSBT is.

Aimee: Here at NHS blood and Transplant we have a range of specialist roles that are unique to the nursing profession. Visit NHSBT careers to find out more.

Nursing specialisms

Whatever your specialism, you'll make a difference

No two days are the same as a nurse here. Every day will be full of moments that really give life meaning – and make a difference to those who need it.

Our nursing roles are different but they all involve leadership, autonomy, support to improve our services, ownership and belonging. We have professional nurse advocates who can offer supervision and support you in your professional, academic and career development.

Not all nurses are the same, and not all nursing jobs are the same. Whatever your experience and whatever you want to do, there’s room to do it here.

All the while, you’ll be helping us do something special — and unique. As the only organisation providing blood, tissue and organs in the UK, our work is incredibly important. Right at the heart of this work are skilled nurses like you. And you’re the reason we’re able to help thousands and thousands of people improve their wellbeing, and their lives.

Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation

As a Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation, you’ll be the central point for medical teams, helping to deliver a successful organ and tissue donation process.

Providing an exceptional level of end-of-life care to our patients, you will support their families as they make decisions about organ donation and honour the wishes of those who chose to donate in their lifetime.

It’s a moving, motivating, fascinating and endlessly changing environment – and our specialist nurses in organ donation are a fundamental driving force in saving lives through transplantation.

Video: Nursing within organ donation

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As a specialist nurse in organ donation, or SNOD, you will have one of the most challenging and rewarding positions in NHSBT. As you look after our donors and their families and help save and improve the lives of others.

You'll provide an exceptional level of end-of-life care to dying patients. You will support their families and facilitate conversations about organ donation.

When you start you'll have around six months of training and when you complete your training, you'll be responsible for representing NHSBT in your embedded trust, providing teaching to hospital staff, performing audits and report writing as well as assessing potential donors on our 24/7 on call rotor.

This will include attending the hospital and planning with the medical teams. You will have the support of medical teams and discussions will only start when the family are fully accepting of their loved one’s death or futility.

This is when the relationship between you and a family will grow. Once consent or authorisation for organ donation is in place, you'll then start to work with the family, medical teams and sometimes the Coroner or Procurator Fiscal to complete a full medical and social history of their loved one.

Families may also agree to donating their loved one’s tissues, and this will be coordinated by our Specialist Nurses in Tissue Donation.

When all the information is collected and approved, details will be transferred to all Transplanting Centres around the UK. You can use this time with families to collect keepsakes and carry out any other end-of-life requests that they may have.

You will then coordinate and plan with the family, the hospital and the Transplant Centre until you accompany the donor to Theatre and arrange the final transportation of the organs.

You will gain so many transferable skills from this role whilst also using your clinical skills. We are expert coordinators and communicators, and all whilst managing patients at the end of life. This role is extremely fulfilling.

Transplant and donation is a very humbling and fulfilling area to work in. And amongst the sadness there are good news stories every day.

Patient Blood Management

The Patient Blood Management team supports hospitals to make sure that patients who might require a transfusion get the best possible treatment, and that inappropriate transfusion is reduced.

As part of this team, you’ll provide an ongoing programme of support, education, audit, research and specialist transfusion advice at a local, regional and national level.

Video: Nursing within Patient Blood Management

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The Patient Blood Management team work with hospitals across the NHS to promote and support the implementation of alternatives to blood component use, and support safe and appropriate transfusion processes.

Your training will be tailored to your needs and you will have a personal mentor for the first six months and regular contact with managers and team members. As a PBM practitioner, you'll need to develop an in depth, rich understanding of safe transfusion processes from both a practical clinical and laboratory perspective.

The ability to communicate with hospitals and influence their patient blood management activities is key. You'll have a supportive, multi disciplinary team to help you develop and progress.

As a newly appointed expert in everything Patient Blood Management, you'll want to enthusiastically share your knowledge of best practice by supporting the development and update of patient information leaflets, clinical toolkits, educational events, teaching and training, audits and benchmarking, and professional publications.

NHSBT provides so many opportunities to develop and expand your skills and knowledge, including the potential to attend external courses, undertake apprenticeships and participate in professional conferences.

Self-directed development is strongly encouraged, and keeping yourself up to date is vital for the role of a PBM practitioner. Managing your own diary allows you to schedule time for learning and development.

All of this will provide you with significant specialist clinical knowledge and a wide range of management and Leadership skills that are highly transferable. You'll be equipped to continue your professional development and progress in a variety of senior, strategic, educational or clinical roles.

Blood and blood product donation

Taking responsibility for over a million registered donors, you’ll ensure these incredible people always receive a high standard of nursing care – whether they’re donating blood or other blood products such as plasma and platelets. At the same time, you’ll develop your leadership and management skills.

Video: Nursing within blood donation services

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As a Blood Donation Nurse, you'll be joining a huge team responsible for looking after our 1.3 million registered donors. You will ensure that these incredible people receive the highest standard of nursing care at all times. You'll love this role.

When you join us, you will have a six-week induction where you'll become an expert in blood donation. There is a Nurse Academy and you'll learn in both a classroom and clinical setting.

You'll be the clinical lead on a blood donation session. And this requires strong leadership skills to support and supervise a team of highly trained donor carers. You'll also use your clinical decision-making skills to establish that donors are actually eligible to donate. Some people have an adverse reaction after donating blood, so you'll need to be there for them too.

At some of our donor sessions, you'll be required to work alone as the only clinician on session, but you'll always have the backup of the Clinical Support Team.

If you like being responsible and taking charge, then you will thrive in this environment. This role within blood donation will give you lots of transferable skills, particularly in leadership and management.

You could become a Clinical Donor Centre Lead or Team Manager, or move into education, or work as a Regional Lead Nurse within the Nursing Care Quality Team. There are so many options and so many training opportunities available too.

And finally, a huge plus for most of our Blood Donation Nurses is that there are no night shifts. Your work-life balance will never have felt so good!

Therapeutic Apheresis

The Therapeutic Apheresis Services team carry out apheresis procedures, which involves removing or collecting components of blood from patients and donors using cell separator technology.

This incredible service supports people who need bone marrow transplants and those with conditions such as sickle cell disease.

Video: Nursing within the Therapeutic Apheresis Team

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The Therapeutic Apheresis Services team, or TAS team, carry out apheresis procedures, which involve removing or collecting components of blood from patients and donors using cell separator technology. This incredible service supports those needing bone marrow and stem cell transplants, and conditions such as sickle cell disease.

Our TAS team is highly specialised and you'll start your journey in a cohort of others learning through modules based in the classroom and in clinical settings. There is also an Education Team who will give you one-to-one training, so you'll be in great hands and have time to learn.

Some of our teams are based in acute trusts and others from NHSBT centres. Flexible working and being on call are a requirement of this role. You’ll be an autonomous and competent practitioner in apheresis, supporting our colleagues in the wider NHS.

Apheresis treatments are provided to children and adult patients referred to us from NHS clinical teams across England and Wales, and from a variety of specialties, including Haematology, Neurology, Renal, Dermatology, Hepatology, Oncology and Rheumatology.

We treat approximately 2000 adults and children every year, from eight dedicated therapeutic units across the country. You'll have a unique role where you'll work with both patients and healthy donors.

It can be exhilarating working as part of a 24/7 on-call service for acute patient referrals. You'll see first hand how providing life-saving and life-enhancing therapeutic apheresis treatments really impacts both adults and children.

We are the only organisation outside of London that works with all three UK donor registries. You'll be joining a highly specialised team and the ethos of continued learning is evident as we support you with everything from CPD to Master’s programs. You'll become an expert in apheresis and the doors to more senior roles will quickly open for you.

Plasma for Medicine

As a Plasma for Medicine nurse, you will deliver a world-class service to support UK patients.

Plasma can be used to make life-saving immunoglobulin medicines, which strengthen or stabilise the immune systems of people with rare, life-threatening diseases.

Video: Nursing within the Plasma for Medicine team

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Plasma for Medicine is a new directorate at NHSBT and as a PfM nurse you'll inspire your team to provide exceptional and safe care for our donors and their donated plasma.

Our Plasma Collection Team is playing a pivotal role in the delivery of plasma through cell separation, making life-saving treatment for patients in the UK. When you join us, you'll undertake an extensive induction and training program and receive continuous development, including academic opportunities to support you in your current role and to achieve your career ambitions.

When your training finishes, you'll be leading the day-to-day management of our Plasma Collection Team, safely delivering sufficient supply to meet our patients’ needs. You'll be responsible for ensuring that the plasma product safely meets the requirements of manufacturing practice, and use your expertise to check donor eligibility and make clinical decisions, to ensure the safety of our donors.

You'll need a great team around you, and that starts with you. You will be a mentor to your team, to provide support, training and leadership to further their development and performance.

By being a role model, you'll drive change and improve services and safety. You'll be involved in really exciting innovative practices and have an everyday opportunity to help us to shape the future of plasma for medicine.

Tissue donation

Working with newly bereaved families and hospital trusts, you will make sure that patients’ end of life wishes are respected, including those who make the generous decision to donate their tissues.

Tissues such as eyes, skin, bones, heart valves, arteries and tendons are used to save and enhance the lives of people who are ill or have been injured.

Research and clinical

As a nurse in a research and clinical role, you’ll make sure that treatments, policies and products across all our services continue to be developed for the benefit of future generations. You will work with multi-disciplinary teams to enhance and further our practices.

"It’s a very unique job, nothing like any other job I’ve ever had, but every day I’m so proud to do it. The families and donors that we support show amazing strength, choosing to help others at the hardest time."
Shalom, Specialist Nurse in Tissue Donation

How could your nursing career develop at NHSBT?

Whatever your clinical experience, you’re welcome in our community. Our development will take you where you want to go.

Part of your professional development will happen through your work every day as you save and improve hundreds of lives.

The rest will come with our training and support, which is designed to help you develop your expertise, learn and grow to achieve your career ambitions.

You’ll start with a six-week induction programme, learning in both classroom and clinical settings to help you become an expert in your field.

Your induction will be unique to whichever specialism you join.

From there, we have a wide range of internal development opportunities that can support you clinically and nurture your leadership capabilities, whatever the role you are in.

We’ve put a comprehensive nursing strategy in place to make sure you get the most out of your role, so all you need to decide is which team you’d be most interested in joining.

Take a look at the figures

  • Our nurses oversee sessions where more than 800,000 people donate blood, plasma and platelets each year in England
  • We need at least 5,000 blood donations every day to meet patient need
  • Plasma donations will contribute at least 20% of immunoglobulin medicines used to treat patients
  • 30 million people have recorded a donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register
  • Every year, 1,500 people donate their organs after death and over 950 people become living organ donors

Source: NHSBT Strategy (this link will open in a new window)

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