Clinical Nurse Specialist – Medical

Location: Wellington Regional Hospital 

Contract: Permanent, Full Time 1.0 FTE Monday-Friday

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we’re building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence. 

About the Role 

The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) – Medical provides specialist nursing advice, care and expertise, both in delivering direct patient care and in supporting other staff caring for patients with medical conditions. The role has two key areas of focus that strengthen a nurse led case management model for General Medicine patients. The first focuses are on the high-risk cohorts (including heart failure, pneumonia, COPD, dementia, delirium, and sepsis) and patients with frequent hospital admissions, with an emphasis on improving equity, self-management and health literacy therefore reducing avoidable readmissions. The second focuses on providing early, proactive case management for patients with highly complex clinical conditions and challenging discharge planning needs.

About the Team/Service Location 

General Medicine is the largest inpatient service and provides assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of patients who present acutely. This patient group is increasing in number and complexity in tandem with the ageing population and the increase in consumer expectations with regard to healthcare. The average age of the inpatient population is greater than 75 years. 

• Acute medical care and assessment
• Infectious diseases: general and HIV medicine 
• Diabetes and endocrine, dermatology, rheumatology, neurology and oncology (acute presenting)
• Respiratory (inpatients)
• Elderly services (older adult rehabilitation and allied health services)
• Alcohol and drug detoxification
• Consultation to surgical, orthopaedic and ICU patients
• Medical presentations (are the most common group of patients) in the Emergency Department (ED). 

About you 

The CNS – Medicine uses advanced nursing knowledge and skills to:

• Contribute to shorter lengths of stay and improved patient experience by working at an advanced level within the Registered Nurse scope of practice (NCNZ, 2025), enhancing the effectiveness and coordination of care for patients with acute and chronic medical conditions.
• Strengthen a nurse led case management model for General Medicine patients through two distinct streams:
• High risk and frequently admitted patient cohorts, including heart failure, pneumonia, COPD, dementia, delirium, and sepsis, with a focus on improving self-management, health literacy, continuity of care, and reducing avoidable readmissions.
• Early case management for highly complex patients, providing proactive coordination for those with complex clinical presentations and significant discharge planning needs.
• Establish and maintain nurse led services across a range of inpatient settings to improve timely access to assessment and clinical management, supporting patient flow, safety, and continuity of care.
• Practise with increased autonomy to ensure patients with acute and chronic medical conditions receive appropriate and timely management at key care intervals. This includes initiating investigations within scope, contributing to daily post-acute ward rounds, identifying discharge barriers early, and supporting Criteria Led Discharge and alternative community-based pathways.
• Contribute to service, district, and national datasets relevant to General Medicine (e.g. length of stay, readmissions, and acuity) to enable monitoring of outcomes, support national directives, and drive continuous quality improvement.
• Review caseloads quarterly for acuity, presentations, and care volumes, and provide quarterly reporting on patient flow, length of stay, readmissions, clinic activity, and role outcomes to support ongoing role optimisation and alignment with Health New Zealand targets.
• Participate in the planning and delivery of education for district health professionals to support and enhance the care and management of General Medicine patients.
• Note: External requests to present (e.g. tertiary education organisations, conferences, or other external forums) related to the Health New Zealand role require approval and support from service and nursing leadership.

Working at Health New Zealand 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness’. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. We embrace diversity and welcome application from all people, including all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disability. A workforce that is diverse and inclusive means that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We are pro-equity health organisation, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific Peoples, and the Disability Community. 

How to Apply 

To apply please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Deb.Brodie@tewhatuora.govt.nz

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advertisement.

Position description Apply now

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