Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our Oncology Team at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust as a Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) and Rare Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for a 6-month temporary post/secondment.
The CUP and Rare Cancer CNS will provide specialist, high-quality expert nursing care and support for patients (and their carers) with CUP and Rare Cancers, delivering holistic, patient-centred care according to their changing health care needs. They will work closely with the Multidisciplinary teams, acting as the patients' advocate to help ensure the best outcomes as the patients' key worker throughout their diagnostic and treatment pathway.
The applicant should have specialist skills, knowledge, and experience in oncology and possess excellent communication skills.
For further details/informal visits please contact Sam Toland, Nurse Consultant in Cancer Care and Lead SACT Nurse: S.Toland@nhs.net Tel 01905 763333 ext 33855 or Mob: 07729108364
Main duties of the job
The post holder will act as the key worker for patients with Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) and rare cancer using excellent communication skills, providing holistic needs assessment and care.
1. To provide psychological support and care, advice, and information for patients, carers, and families.
2. The post holder must have the ability to work autonomously and independently.
3. To act as a resource and to advise health and social care personnel on any aspects of patients' therapeutic programmes of care.
4. To be an active member of the CUP and NET (Neuroendocrine Tumour) MDTs and where appropriate feedback any outcomes to the patient, carers, and relatives.
About us
Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.
The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch, and Worcester.
Our workforce is over 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.
Our objectives are simple:
* Best services for local people
* Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients
* Best use of resources
* Best people
Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services, and our role in the wider health and care system.
We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.
Job responsibilities
General Duties:
1. To be a point of contact/key worker for patients with CUP/Rare Cancers throughout their disease trajectory.
2. Working autonomously, maintain a caseload of patients and demonstrate practice in holistic needs assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of care promoting the philosophy of person-centred care for patients with CUP/Rare cancers.
3. Utilising advanced communication skills when discussing diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options for this group of patients with sensitivity and expertise.
4. Assess educational and information needs for patients and families, and devise plans to ensure their needs are met.
5. Visit the ward areas including ED and review patients where appropriate, providing leadership, support, and guidance to staff in monitoring the planning, delivery, and evaluation of individualised specialist care.
6. Act as an advocate for patients within the department, to ensure a patient-oriented approach to the delivery of care and to meet standards within the NHS plan and relevant guidelines.
7. Ensure all patients receive high-quality clinical care and good patient experience, having regard and sensitivity for their customs, culture, religious beliefs, and lifestyle.
8. To be responsible for maintaining a safe environment for patients, visitors, and other staff within the clinical environment.
9. Recognise and avoid situations that may be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the individual.
10. Participate in case conferences in relation to the management of patients, ensuring the coordination of ongoing care.
11. Support and enable patients and carers to make informed decisions relating to their treatment and management.
12. Uses advanced communication, listening, and negotiation skills to facilitate discussion of complex, sensitive, and emotive issues around cancer diagnosis, disease management, recurrence/progressive disease, and prognosis.
13. Promote collaborative working relationships and effective communication between all members of the trust, community, and tertiary services/MDT to improve the management and outcomes of the patient group.
14. Promote high-quality care and assist in the development of the specialist service, through the use of evidence-based practice and clinical standards.
Person Specification
Experience
* Relevant experience at Band 6 or above
* Oncology/Palliative care/clinical nurse specialist experience
* Experience of delivering SACT and managing the side effects
Personal Qualities
* Ability to work autonomously and as a team member
* Good interpersonal and communication skills
* Highly motivated
* Able to deal with the emotional aspects of the post e.g. Breaking of bad news
* Articulate and assertive
* Good mediator
* Committed to quality care
Qualifications
* First level degree or working towards
* Evidence of significant continued professional development
* Recognised teaching/assessing qualification
* MSc Degree
* Advanced health assessment
* Non-medical Prescribing
* Advanced communication skills course
Knowledge and Skills
* Leading, developing and monitoring service change
* Good understanding of issues that relate to cancer patients and their individual needs
* Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team and with MDT process
* Able to work under own initiative within boundaries of role
* Able to prioritise
* Organisational skills e.g. Managing patient case-load
* Knowledge of current issues and the impact of national cancer targets
* Knowledge of CUP and rare cancers and the current diagnostic pathways/treatment options.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Nurse consultant in cancer and lead SACT Nurse
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