Band 4 Cancer Navigator & Clinical Support Worker (Lung Team)

Job summary
The Lung Cancer Clinical Support Worker (LCCSW) will form an integral part of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach in providing personalised care interventions to patients diagnosed with lung cancer and their carers throughout the Lung Cancer Treatment pathway. The LCCSW will work independently within the remit of the role but under the guidance and supervision of the Lung Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialists (LCNS) to coordinate and manage patients referred to the service.

The LCCSW will ensure patients are:

• Supported with living as normal a life as possible during and after diagnosis.
• Support with giving advice regarding both the short term and long-term effects of living with a Lung Cancer Diagnosis.
• Given advice about possible future signs of cancer recurrence or long-term effects of treatment
• Enabled to re- access specialist services without delay should they need to do so (Improvising Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, 2011)

As part of a team, the cancer support worker will speak to patients to discuss what matters most to them through a holistic conversation and assessment. The cancer support worker will provide cancer information and/or signpost them to support services and resources and will develop a personalised care plan which is shared with the patient and specialist team and that this and other communications are documented on the Somerset Cancer Registry.

Main duties of the job
You will be an integral member of the Lung Cancer MDT, providing personalised care, support and coordination to patients throughout their cancer pathway. Under the supervision of the CNS, you will act as a key point of contact for patients, carers & families, helping to ensure a seamless, patient-centred experience from diagnosis through treatment, surveillance & follow-up. You will undertake holistic needs assessments, developing & reviewing personalised care plans, providing information & guidance, supporting shared decision-making and signposting to appropriate health, social care, financial & wellbeing services. You will support patients to understand their diagnosis, treatment options & self-management strategies while recognising & escalating concerns/changing needs.

You will coordinate & monitor patient progress through the lung cancer pathway ensuring timely access to appointments, investigations, treatments & follow-up. You will track patients throughout the pathway, support Cancer Waiting Times standards, maintain accurate records and facilitate communication between patients, carers, the Lung CNS team, MDT members, primary care & external agencies. This includes administrative & data management responsibilities, supporting performance monitoring, audit, reporting & service improvement. You will promote personalised care & wellbeing and following training & assessment, undertake delegated clinical activities, including phlebotomy, while contributing to education & development.

About us
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Job responsibilities
Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description

Qualifications
Essential

• Educated to A-level, and or NVQ Level 3 or 4 in Health and or Social Care
• Evidence of completion of a competency-based workbook for Health care Assistant and relevant experience working as Healthcare Assistant
• Care Certificate or can demonstrate prior skills, knowledge and experience that meet the 15 minimum standards described by Health Education England (HEE) Skills for Health.
• Experience of using full range of IT systems and patient data systems including Somerset and National Cancer Databases

Desirable

• Computer Literacy Course e.g. ECDL (D)

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team
• Experience of working in a healthcare setting
• Customer Care experience
• Knowledge of patients' needs when being treated / care for in a healthcare setting
• Accurate data entry, typing and checking skills
• Ability to produce letters / reports using Word and Excel
• Understand own limitations and know where to seek advice and support.
• Understand the physical and psychological needs of a patient
• Knowledge of the elements of personalised care initiatives in cancer
• Experience of using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience of working with patients with cancer

Desirable

• Experience of handling patient complaints
• Experience of using Somerset Cancer Register
• Understanding of Primary Care, GP and community services Experience of working in the NHS
• Experience of using digital dictation systems
• Ability to triage to the appropriate services

Additional Criteria
Essential

• Ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels, communicating contentious and or sensitive information to service users and internal colleagues
• Ability to plan, prioritise and delegate workload and to quickly re-prioritise own work in light of unexpected events; to plan own work for the day/week
• Pay attention to detail
• Good knowledge of speciality patient pathways
• Understanding of patient priorities and performance targets related to appointments and waiting times
• Conflict resolution skills
• Appropriate assertiveness skills
• Ability to cope with distressed patients and carers
• Ability to use persuasive and tactful skills to ensure best practice for patient
• Reliable and adaptable
• Good listener
• Ability to demonstrate empathy
• Working across UHB hospitals as per job requirements

Desirable

• Ability to use own judgment to resolve problems and queries competently, including those of a sensitive and confidential nature
• Manage and interpret data correctly to inform decision making
• Ability to initiate & co-ordinate change to own working practices
• Evidence of ability to deliver training sessions
• In depth understanding of medical technology appropriate to specialism
• Thorough knowledge of healthcare administrative systems

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.

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. 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.