MND Care Coordinator

Job summary
We are looking for a Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional to join us in this new, advanced clinical role. This is an exciting opportunity to play a crucial role in providing equitable care for Motor Neurone Disease across the Coventry and Warwickshire region.

This post has been made possible by the MND Association for the next four years, to establish this service and work with patients, carers & other services to enhance MND care and support.

You'll be working collaboratively with the Care Coordinator at Mary Ann Evans Hospice, where there is already an MND service, as well as other regional partners, multidisciplinary teams, neurology, respiratory, speech therapy, & palliative care services.

We would love to hear from you if you have:

• Valid registration with a relevant professional body (e.g. NMC or HCPC)
• Relevant post-registration clinical experience (e.g. neurology, palliative care or community nursing)
• Experience of collaborating across healthcare, social care & voluntary sectors
• Knowledge & understanding of disease management & MND treatment
• Leadership, interpersonal, & communication skills
• Organisation and problem-solving skills, to be able to manage complex caseloads
• UK driving licence & use of a suitable vehicle for work

This role will support our work by enhancing care & support for MND & improving patient & carer experience.

An enhanced DBS check will be required, including the adults barred list, because you will be providing an healthcare service for adults.

Main duties of the job
This role will involve:

• Supporting people with MND & their families to manage symptoms
• Holistic needs assessment & management planning, from diagnosis to end of life
• Receiving, making & coordinating referrals
• Developing & coordinating seamless specialist care pathways between all external & internal stakeholders
• Establishing & providing an advisory service & a single point of contact for patients
• Monitoring outcomes & reporting
• Leading service development & improvement

You will be based on site at our Coventry Hospice, but with regular travel across the region, including home visits.

It is a full-time role at 37.5 hours, over 5 days, per week. Job share will also be considered.

Benefits of working at Myton
Myton is an amazing place to work, where the role every person plays has a positive impact for our patients, living with terminal illnesses, & their families. In recognition of this, we offer a wide range of benefits:

• NHS pension
• 28 days annual leave + bank holidays, increasing with long service
• Additional leave purchasing
• Free parking & discounted EV parking at our hospice sites
• Winter savings club
• Discount schemes including Blue Light Card
• Dedicated staff wellbeing team & mental health first aiders
• Colleague Support Service: confidential financial, legal & mental health support
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric car scheme
• Free on-site flu jabs
• Free feminine hygiene products
• 24/7 GP access
• Free eye tests
• #DoingOurBit online fitness and wellbeing platform
• Menopause support

About us
At The Myton Hospices, we provide specialist care and support for people with life-limiting illnesses, and their loved ones, from the point of diagnosis to end of life. We are a much-loved and well supported charity, at the heart of our community. We have three hospices, a range of community services, and 25 charity shops in Coventry and Warwickshire.

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and encourage everyone to bring their true selves to work. However you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, we welcome you to apply. If there are any adjustments that would help improve your experience with Myton, we encourage you to share this with us.

We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and from ethnic minorities, who are currently under-represented in our hospices. We also believe our interview process should be inclusive and transparent. If there is anything missing, or a way we can improve, please do let us know.

If you would prefer a paper application form, or if you have any questions including about support or adjustments, please contact HR on View phone number on meeveem.com, View email address on meeveem.com or by post: HR, Warwick Myton Hospice, Myton Lane, Warwick, CV34 6PX.

We now share interview questions with all candidates in advance, to help reduce nerves and enable you to truly show your best abilities. You are also welcome to bring any notes with you to your interview, if you would find this helpful.

Job responsibilities
Key areas of responsibility and accountability:

• Co-ordinate care and provide a single point of access from diagnosis for patient, their families and health and social care professionals.
• Establish a relationship with patients and their families helping to enable them to make informed decisions about treatment/care and advance care planning.
• Provide information to patients and carers to enable them to make informed choices regarding care.
• Co-ordinate MND clinics and the Multidisciplinary teams which promotes a proactive, timely, and holistic approach to the care and management of people living with MND and their families.
• Improve education and awareness amongst health and social care professionals and care staff in the Hospices, hospital, community and relevant care homes of the impact of a diagnosis of MND on the patients, families and carers.
• Lead the coordination of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings pre and post the combined clinic and then to disseminate care plans to community allied health care professionals.
• Co-ordinate care between the specialist practitioners within the hospital, the Community Health and Social Care teams, hospices services and tertiary centres.
• To undertake appropriate coordination of onward referrals.
• Maintain close collaboration and communication with MND Association regional staff and with a view to promoting the MND Association and the services it provides for people affected by MND.
• To attend as appropriate local MND Association Support Group meetings
• To vary the style and level of communication with individuals in order to meet the differing levels of understanding. Including those with cognitive impairment and those with additional communication needs.
• Maintain and update electronic patient records (EPR) where appropriate
• To process patient referrals as the single point of access and liaise closely and align with already established MND Co-ordination in the North of the County.
• To receive and make referrals to the MND Association as appropriate.
• To support the process of audit and service evaluation in collaboration with the MND Association.
• To support the family bereavement process including follow up support and notifying other agencies involved in the patients care about their death.

Care Coordination:

• Undertake complex holistic needs assessments and complete management plans across the disease trajectory from diagnosis to end of life.
• To co-ordinate with key workers within the community to prevent delays in supportive treatment and to avoid hospital admissions.
• To support, within the relevant care setting, those newly diagnosed with MND.
• To work collaboratively with regional partners such as Birmingham MND Care Centre, University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire, Mary Ann Evans Hospice, The Shakespeare Hospice, to ensure timely, high quality, equitable care for all people with MND in the Coventry and Warwickshire ICB footprint.
• To support early identification and review of inpatients and co-ordinate with community teams to reduce length of stay.
• Use highly specialised knowledge to work with people with MND, and their families in outpatient clinics, in-patient settings, their own homes and other settings to manage symptoms and provide support.
• Demonstrate the use of advanced communication skills where appropriate to support patients and families through life changing events.
• Initiate and make referrals to Consultants, Physiotherapists, Nutritional, Respiratory and other Specialist services where required.
• Have an understanding and awareness of the range of MDT professionals care input that will promote quality of life for people with MND, for example orthotics, OT equipment, warning signs of dysphagia, voice banking, weight loss and nutrition.

Management:

• Co-ordinate specialist care following the diagnosis of MND.
• Provide an advisory service across the whole of Coventry and Warwickshire as and when required acting as a point of reference and specialist advice for patients, families and health and social care professionals.
• Be responsible for planning and development of services within the local area: identifying gaps in service, areas of good practice and ways to address service improvement.
• Be responsible for the development and running of MND MDT clinics.
• Facilitate a seamless service in partnership and collaboration with all multi and interdisciplinary agencies and persons involved.

Professional Development:

• Maintain professional registration at all times.
• Maintain excellent standards of documentation and be able to provide information regarding the present needs of people with MND.
• Maintain evidenced continued professional development.
• Attend annual MND Association Care Centre and Network Day, Regional Special interest groups and become an active member of the Associations Community of Practice.

Leadership:

• Act as a positive role model and provide clinical leadership.
• Demonstrate the highest professional standards and support the development of clinical expertise.
• Lead the development of practice within post holders specific area of professional practice.
• Establish and lead Multidisciplinary teams in order to provide a systematic and holistic approach to care and management of people with MND.
• Provide effective local leadership and support of staff, planning and directing activities to provide optimal standards of care.
• Support MDT staff to feel confident and competent in delivering care to people with MND.
• Explore and develop local pathways to recognise unmet need.
• Advise, initiate, facilitate and implement changes in clinical practice to meet policy or service development for specialist area, which may impact on other disciplines.

Communication:

• Demonstrate excellent communication and organisational skills in balancing the demands of this unpredictable and complex condition.
• Assess complex issues and facilitate decision-making relating to patient care, safety, treatment options and outcomes, and supervise others in doing this.
• Acknowledge and accommodate barriers to communication and understanding including speech, hearing, language and emotion.
• Use skills (visual and auditory) to interpret the spoken word and understand patient dialogue, i.e. being empathic, patient and able to concentrate on the spoken word when patients struggle to form words and sentences.
• Use advanced verbal and non-verbal communication skills to impart sensitive, complex and potentially distressing information to patients and carers regarding disease progression.
• Communicate highly complex, sensitive information with people with MND and carers on MND to ensure their active involvement in the medical care planning, treatment delivery and informed consent process.
• Assist people with MND, families and carers to develop understanding of MND promoting self-management.
• Communicate in ways that empower patients to make informed choices about their health and care.
• Provide specialist advice to a range of health care professionals within the scope of specialist practice.
• Liaise with other members of the multidisciplinary team to achieve optimum levels of care in relation to specialised area of practice.
• Access external networks with peers to share good practice.
• Present highly complex and sensitive information within a variety of both formal and informal settings.
• Build and maintain links with local professionals and voluntary services and develop expert knowledge of other local resources that can provide help and support with e.g. benefits and bereavement services.
• Develop and maintain an up-to-date database of local resources that can meet the needs of people with MND and their families.

Leading Service development:

• Work with partners and commissioners to review and streamline pathways for accessing appropriate care and interventions e.g. gastrostomy insertion, ensuring equity for patients across the region.
• Working with partners, develop and implement pathways to ensure that all people with MND have timely access to genetic testing and access to disease modifying medication such as Tofersen if appropriate.
• Deliver Training and education for patients/family and carers, and health care professionals (internally/externally) for complex case management, neuro-respiratory conditions and interventions.
• Service evaluation - Collates and records quantitative and qualitative data to provide evidence of productivity, outcomes and quality, through audit and research
• Work in liaison with the MND Association regarding grant, priorities, auditing.
• Work in partnership with the MND Association on initiatives to develop and improve services to support people with MND, their families and carers.
• Develops new skills in response to emerging knowledge and techniques.
• Instigates and manages change within a complex environment and advising other clinicians, social care professionals, and voluntary agencies on the development of services for people with MND.
• Develop, implement and evaluate policies relevant to own area of work and within the parameters of the MND Association objectives.
• Establish working links with the MND Association to ensure access for patients and families to the local support offered through volunteers, branches and support groups.

Education and Training:

• To proactively lead and develop knowledge and skills in others though formal and informal education.
• To act as a senior clinical role model to other clinical staff in supporting the development of others, sharing advanced level knowledge and skills.
• To lead the planning and delivery of high-quality education and training events including but not limited to topics like End-of-Life Care (EOLC), respiratory care for both internal and external provision.
• To provide training and supervision for other staff members on the use of specialised equipment and develop supporting documentation for this.
• Lead on submitting articles for publication to share improvement work.

Person Specification
Other
Essential

• Ability to travel across Coventry and Warwickshire
• Full clean driving licence and use of a car
• Ability to work flexibly where required
• The right to work in the UK

Skills and Attributes
Essential

• Highly organised with the ability to manage own workload and priorities
• Ability to manage complex information and caseloads
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships with a wide range of people
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbally
• Good IT skills with competency around using Microsoft packages and familiar with the use of databases
• High degree of motivation, commitment and the ability to use own initiative
• Ability to problem solve
• Leadership skills

Experience
Essential

• Significant post Registration experience in a relevant clinical area (Neurology, palliative care, or community Nursing)
• Knowledge and understanding of disease management and treatment of MND
• Experience of collaborating across healthcare, social care, and voluntary sectors
• Evidence of clinical leadership, service improvement, or quality assurance initiatives

Desirable

• Experience of service development and improvement

Qualifications
Essential

• Valid Registration with a professional body (e.g., NMC for Registered Nurses, HCPC for Allied Health professionals
• First Degree or equivalent

Desirable

• Post-Registration specialist training in neurology or palliative care
• Clinical Leadership Qualification
• Advanced Communication Skills certificate
• Masters degree

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