Band 6 Head & Neck FDS (Faster Diagnostic Standard) Nurse

Job Advert Skip to main content Cookies on NHS Jobs We've put some small files called cookies on your device to help us make improvements to our site. To improve our site we'd also like to use cookies which will send information to Google Analytics. You can read more about our cookies before you choose. Accept analytics cookies Do not accept analytics cookies Jobs Menu Sign in Create an account English Cymraeg Menu Close menu Search Sign in Create an account Display in Welsh (Cymraeg) Search Sign in Create an account Display in Welsh (Cymraeg) BETA Your feedback will help us to improve this service. Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust Band 6 Head & Neck FDS (Faster Diagnostic Standard) Nurse The closing date is 01 November 2026 Apply for this job Job summary An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Head & Neck Cancer Team as a Band 6 Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) Nurse on a fixed-term maternity cover basis. This specialist role is central to supporting patients referred with suspected Head & Neck cancer, ensuring timely assessment, investigation and progression through their diagnostic pathway. Working closely with Consultants, Clinical Nurse Specialists and the wider multidisciplinary team, you will provide clinical triage of urgent suspected cancer referrals, coordinate diagnostic pathways and support delivery of national cancer waiting time standards. You will play a key role in improving patient experience by acting as a clinical point of contact, undertaking telephone assessments, identifying patients suitable for direct-to-test investigations and helping to ensure patients receive a diagnosis, or cancer is excluded, as quickly as possible. We are looking for an experienced and motivated registered nurse with excellent assessment, communication and organisational skills. You should be confident working autonomously, prioritising workload and making clinical decisions within a fast-paced environment. Experience within cancer services, surgery, diagnostics or pathway management would be advantageous. If you are passionate about improving cancer pathways and making a real difference to patients at an important stage of their journey, we would love to hear from you. Main duties of the job The Head & Neck Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) Clinical Nurse Specialist is a specialist cancer nursing role that forms a critical component of the Head & Neck Cancer Service diagnostic pathway. The post holder will be responsible for the autonomous clinical triage and assessment of patients referred via the Urgent Suspected Cancer (USC) Head & Neck pathway, ensuring patients are progressed promptly through diagnosticinvestigations in accordance with national cancer standards. The service manages approximately 350-400 urgent suspected cancer referrals each month. The post holder will undertake specialist review of referrals, conduct clinical telephone assessments, identify patients suitable for direct-to-test investigations, coordinate diagnostic pathways and escalate clinical concerns appropriately to consultants and members of the multidisciplinary team. The role is a key component of the transformed Head & Neck diagnostic model and directly supports delivery of the national 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) and wider Cancer Waiting Time standards. Through proactive clinical triage, pathway management and utilisation of direct-to-test pathways, the post holder will contribute to earlier diagnosis, improved patient experience and reduced delays across thecancer pathway. About us We're an organisation that is getting better and better and our improvements are driven by a determination to deliver care we're proud of and our patients are happy with. They are benefitting from a new electronic patient record (we were the last acute trust in London to introduce one) and our maternity services have been rated good by the Care Quality Commission. We operate from two main sites - KGH in Goodmayes and Queen's