Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Cancer Support Worker (CSW) to join the Lung Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist team at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Our Lung Cancer Specialist Nurses (CNS) provide leadership, innovation and expertise. This can be directly; when patients have highly complex care needs that require specialist assessment and care planning, or indirectly; by supporting and guiding others to provide care and support.
The Cancer Support Worker role has been developed with our patients at the heart of it. Their main purpose is to provide Holistic Needs Assessments and support/ co-ordinate pathways for cancer patients. The CSW will assist in the navigation of the complex health and social care systems during and following completion of Lung cancer treatment whilst working under the guidance of the clinical nurse specialists.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, self-motivated person with a pleasant manner and good inter-personal and organisational skills with a “can do” attitude would like to join our friendly team.
Main duties of the job
The Cancer Support Worker role is part of the Lung Cancer CNS Team. The coordinator will assist, support and co-ordinate the pathway for lung cancer patients under the supervision of the CNS Team. The coordinator will be responsible in providing administrative and clinical support, ensuring the smooth co-ordination of both pathways and effective communication between consultants, cancer nurse specialists, GP’s and others involved in the cancer pathway.
The CSW will also work with the CNS team to develop and provide a holistic needs assessment service for lung cancer patients.
We are a small, hardworking, and welcoming team with a passion for high quality and individualised care for our patients and their families. If you are an able and empathetic communicator who will thrive in a fast paced and dynamic environment where no 2 days are the same, then please apply to join our amazing team.
Working for our organisation
We have 10000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area & give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire & Cumbria.
Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients & staff, ensuring we keep thriving & delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with clinicians, managers and others within department and Trust wide service users.
2. Be the point of contact for all non-routine enquires facilitating communication and information flows, initiating and responding to correspondence and resolving enquires.
3. Investigate and respond to complaints/incident forms as required, taking action where necessary and reporting to Line Manager and appropriate clinician.
4. Develop and provide holistic needs assessments service for cancer patients
5. Coordinate access to information and education resources to support people in decision making
6. Liaise with CNS’s other health professionals and cancer services as appropriate.
7. Liaise with patients and other consultants’ secretaries.
8. Triage incoming calls, using a risk assessment framework and initiate appropriate response according to protocols and individual pathways, using good communication skills, and appropriate tools and procedures, liaising as appropriate with the CNS when non routine and refer complex decisions to the team for assessment and review.
9. Provide basic telephone advice and refer on or sign-post to other sources of support
10. Coordinate/act independently to make OPD appointments for those with abnormal results, fast track patients back into the system if required, and to respond appropriately when faced with a sudden deterioration or an emergency situation by alerting other members of the team.
11. Take an active part in Team Meetings and audits as required.
12. Coordinate patient questionnaires.
13. Prioritise own workload.
14. Obtain ctDNA blood samples and send these off with the support from the CNS team.
15. Provide clinical support to the Lung Cancer Specialist Nurses within a clinic environment. Duties to include, emotional support for patient’s and relatives, co-ordination of diagnostic tests and clinical follow-up.
16. Participate in the cancer MDT meetings to support the CNS and wider MDT.
17. Assist in the Peer review process
Person specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential criteria
18. Good General Education with GCSE English and Mathematics
19. ECDL or equivalent experience
20. NVQ level 3 or willing to work towards this qualification.
Desirable criteria
21. Willing to undertake Macmillan learning and development courses.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
22. Relevant Health or Social Care experience
23. Experience of working with lung cancer patients
24. Efficient in the use of Microsoft Word for Windows, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and internet.
25. Understanding of medical terminology
26. Understanding of person-centred care
27. Understanding of Macmillan Cancer Support and its role across the UK.
Desirable criteria
28. Experience co-ordinating a patient workload.
29. Awareness of Improving Outcomes; A Strategy for Cancer and other national cancer policies
30. Knowledge of relevant cancer treatments, interventions and terminology
31. Previous experience working within a cancer setting
32. Experience of coaching/teaching patients and carers.