Job overview
This post is currently full time but reduced / flexible hours may be considered.
The award winning head, neck and thyroid cancer clinical nurse specialist team have a vacancy for a band 4 cancer support worker. We are looking for a highly motivated individual with a passion for improving the care of patients living with cancer in Sussex.
The ideal candidate will have experience in supporting patients with care co-ordination. They will have excellent communication skills and be confident in offering emotional support. Excellent knowledge of computer systems and IT are a must and experience of working in a clinical environment would offer an advantage.
The CSW will work alongside and under the guidance of Macmillan Nurse Specialists to provide support, advice and assessment for patients who have been diagnosed with head, neck and thyroid cancers throughout the pathway. Often being the first point of contact the CSW will triage calls and offer advice and support as able signposting and referring on as required. The CSW will help to co-ordinate patient care to ensure a streamlined and efficient service.
They will take an active role in contributing towards the developing health and wellbeing interventions and support the nurse specialists in achieving Service Standards in line with national guidance.
The CSW will provide a link between nurse specialists and allied health professionals ensuring timely and accurate referrals are made to appropriate services.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will provide support to patients receiving their diagnoses, throughout their investigations and their treatment journey. The CSW will be the primary point of contact for our patients and will offer holistic needs assessments and on-going support; they will triage urgent calls and attend clinics. A large part of the role involves assisting the Clinical Nurse Specialist team in delivering complex care and support and developing pathways to improve the patient experience.
We are developing our pathways to ensure a smooth transition between partner departments and organisations - the post holder will be integral to taking this forward; experience of service development / improvement would be advantageous.
All posts include an amount of patient tracking / data collection and therefore requires competent use of Microsoft packages, including excel.
The post requires the post holder to collect and analyse data, as well as the creation of graphs and presentations.
There is more information on the role of a cancer support worker at Careers in Cancer | Macmillan Cancer Support or Support-Workers_tcm9-283189.pdf (macmillan.org.uk)
Please read the information above and job description carefully. Use this information to clearly reflect your knowledge experience in your application.
The role will be based at The Royal Sussex County Hospital, with travel expected to the Princess Royal hospital in Haywards Heath and Worthing Hospital.
Working for our organisation
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in.We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.
We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.
We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The CSW is often the first point of contact for patients and carers and will frequently be triaging their information needs. The cancer teams work together to provide a safe, high quality and effective service. This role is sometimes required to work across disease site teams to provide holistic care to our service users and foster a supportive working environment.
This post holder will require excellent communication skills and will work alongside the Clinical Nurse Specialists and other members of the MDT. Potential applicants should be dedicated to delivering patient care and proactive in identifying care needs as well as improving pathways. There will be a requirement to work across Trust sites.
Please see job description and person specification on advert for full details.
Person specification
Skills, knowledge
Essential criteria
1. Evidence of enhanced communication skills in relevant environment
2. Evidence of appropriate/ transferable skills in health/ social care
3. Team worker inc multi professional working
4. Service development and improvement experience
5. IT skills - microsoft packages including excel spreadsheets / data collection and analysis
Experience/Qualifications
Essential criteria
6. 5 GCSEs or equivalent including english and maths
7. Educated to at least NVQ Level 3 or equivalent level of competency.
8. Relevant experience in health or social care setting / demonstrable transferable skills
Desirable criteria
9. NVQ level 4 in relevant topic
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Essential criteria
10. Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
11. Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
Important information for applicants
Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.
DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check. We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.
Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for those that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker.
Closing adverts early: Please apply as early as you're able for this role. In the event of exceptional interest we may close adverts earlier than specified.
UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications