Job summary An exciting opportunity has arisen for a confident, enthusiastic, and motivated individual to work within the Cancer Services Department in close collaboration with primary care and third sector organisations. Your primary responsibilities will be to act as patient advocate to overcome barriers to timely access to any part of the patients cancer journey, minimising any delays to diagnostics and treatment. You will directly communicate with patients and their families to organise appointments, advise on any concerns or queries and signpost the patient to relevant support. The role plays a vital part in streamlining the patient journey and contributes to the improvement of both quality and experience. The post holder will be based at either Darlington Memorial Hospital or University Hospital of North Durham but may be required to be based in the office on the alternative site on a regular basis. Our team is currently working under Agile working agreements, working a mix of on-site and remotely from their home base and once fully trained the post holder will also adopt this working pattern. Main duties of the job The post holder will work collaboratively across primary and secondary care and third sector organisations with responsibility to provide an effective, caring and compassionate service to patients to optimise their access to cancer services, through close working with multidisciplinary teams in primary and secondary care. They will be point of access to receive and act upon notification of any new, suspicious or recurrent cancers identified at the diagnostic stage. They will liaise with patients and their relatives and ensure appropriate and timely appointments are secured and any additional tests are organised prior to their imaging via their GP or within the Trust. They will ensure close collaboration with Radiology to ensure imaging is booked, reports are available and staging is complete. The post holder will actively participate in Cancer Waiting Times validation and ensure patient tracking procedures are followed and kept up to date within the department. They will be part of a team who have delegated supervisory responsibility for the Cancer Services team which will include delivery of 1-1s, appraisals and annual leave management so cover may be required for this. About us If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes. We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented From April 1 2024 we are unable to offer sponsorship for healthcare roles that do not meet the minimum salary, If you are in the UK on a VISA please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post. Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents Date posted 15 January 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 5 Salary £29,970 to £36,483 a year Contract Fixed term Duration 12 months Working pattern Full-time Reference number C9439-25-0060 Job locations Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust Hollyhurst Road Darlington County Durham DL3 6HX University Hospital Of North Durham North Road Durham DH1 5TW Job description Job responsibilities Our team ensures that patients are tracked through their pathway, we monitor and escalate with core services such as Radiology, Pathology, Chemotherapy, Booking and Waiting List staff so excellent interpersonal and communication skills will be vital. The Cancer Pathway Navigator will work across Durham and Darlington with Radiology, Endoscopy, Cancer Pathway Coordinators and members of multi-disciplinary teams in primary and secondary care and third sector organisations, including working closely with the Cancer Services Improvement Manager. It will be an essential component of the job to form close working relationships with the medical, nursing and allied health professionals from all of the Trust cancer multidisciplinary teams across sites and within Primary Care. The Cancer Pathway Navigator will provide a point of contact to GPs and patients/carers advising and updating on patient pathway status with the specific aim of minimising any delays throughout each patient journey. Within the Trust, they are also point of access to receive notification of new, suspicious or recurrent cancers which are identified following diagnostics and an essential element of the role is to ensure the Cancer Pathway Coordinators and the relevant MDT are alerted and relevant appointments are secured. A key aspect of the role is to liaise with the patient or their carer to provide detail of next appointments and arrange any necessary tests prior to imaging. They will act as patient advocate to enable timely access to cancer services, and will also follow up with the patient should they fail to attend. In addition they will signpost patients to relevant support within primary and secondary care. The Cancer Pathway Navigator will also have delegated line management responsibility for the Cancer Pathway Coordinators, delivering 1-1s, Appraisals and management of annual leave. They will work closely with them to ensure the Cancer Wait Times targets are maintained and tracking procedures are followed and delays are escalated. They will have delegated responsibility for Cancer Wait Time validation in readiness for monthly deadlines and uploads. Job description Job responsibilities Our team ensures that patients are tracked through their pathway, we monitor and escalate with core services such as Radiology, Pathology, Chemotherapy, Booking and Waiting List staff so excellent interpersonal and communication skills will be vital. The Cancer Pathway Navigator will work across Durham and Darlington with Radiology, Endoscopy, Cancer Pathway Coordinators and members of multi-disciplinary teams in primary and secondary care and third sector organisations, including working closely with the Cancer Services Improvement Manager. It will be an essential component of the job to form close working relationships with the medical, nursing and allied health professionals from all of the Trust cancer multidisciplinary teams across sites and within Primary Care. The Cancer Pathway Navigator will provide a point of contact to GPs and patients/carers advising and updating on patient pathway status with the specific aim of minimising any delays throughout each patient journey. Within the Trust, they are also point of access to receive notification of new, suspicious or recurrent cancers which are identified following diagnostics and an essential element of the role is to ensure the Cancer Pathway Coordinators and the relevant MDT are alerted and relevant appointments are secured. A key aspect of the role is to liaise with the patient or their carer to provide detail of next appointments and arrange any necessary tests prior to imaging. They will act as patient advocate to enable timely access to cancer services, and will also follow up with the patient should they fail to attend. In addition they will signpost patients to relevant support within primary and secondary care. The Cancer Pathway Navigator will also have delegated line management responsibility for the Cancer Pathway Coordinators, delivering 1-1s, Appraisals and management of annual leave. They will work closely with them to ensure the Cancer Wait Times targets are maintained and tracking procedures are followed and delays are escalated. They will have delegated responsibility for Cancer Wait Time validation in readiness for monthly deadlines and uploads. Person Specification Experience Essential Previous administrative experience within the NHS Previous experience of data collection, validation and reporting Experience of supervising/managing staff Experience of training / coaching Desirable Previous experience of working in the NHS in a role relating to cancer patient pathway Special Requirements Essential Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post Ability to input data for significant periods of time using a VDU Ability to concentrate on tasks whilst managing frequent interruptions and making appropriate adjustments to priorities Ability to cope with exposure to details regarding patients that may be distressing Professional appearance and demeanour Positive attitude towards change Flexible and adaptable Qualifications Essential Diploma level qualification / foundation degree or equivalent experience Evidence of Continuous Professional Development Special Skills and Knowledge Essential Ability to communicate and influence a broad range of staff at all levels in the organisation with particular regard to cancer waiting times and prevention of breaches. High level of communication skills when communicating with patients/relatives/carers Ability to take day to day responsibility for their own area of work, working autonomously for the majority of the time Ability to work effectively as a member of a team Knowledge of legislation surrounding patient and staff confidentiality and the sharing of information across organisations IT skills, e.g. Excel manipulate and analyse data using excel, Word, produce documents to a professional standard, Outlook, diary and email Knowledge of hospital based information systems Ability to solve problems and take appropriate action Ability to communicate and work with a wide range of professional and administrative staff Ability to identify trends in patient pathways that require improvement Ability to develop and implement policy and procedure guidance Understanding of service improvement and the application of this. Desirable Knowledge of service improvement methodology including simple tools, techniques and measurement for improvement Knowledge of cancer patients pathways Knowledge of Cancer Waiting times targets Demonstrate awareness of policies and process relating to the improvement of services and outcomes. Person Specification Experience Essential Previous administrative experience within the NHS Previous experience of data collection, validation and reporting Experience of supervising/managing staff Experience of training / coaching Desirable Previous experience of working in the NHS in a role relating to cancer patient pathway Special Requirements Essential Able to travel across Trust sites to meet the requirements of the post Ability to input data for significant periods of time using a VDU Ability to concentrate on tasks whilst managing frequent interruptions and making appropriate adjustments to priorities Ability to cope with exposure to details regarding patients that may be distressing Professional appearance and demeanour Positive attitude towards change Flexible and adaptable Qualifications Essential Diploma level qualification / foundation degree or equivalent experience Evidence of Continuous Professional Development Special Skills and Knowledge Essential Ability to communicate and influence a broad range of staff at all levels in the organisation with particular regard to cancer waiting times and prevention of breaches. High level of communication skills when communicating with patients/relatives/carers Ability to take day to day responsibility for their own area of work, working autonomously for the majority of the time Ability to work effectively as a member of a team Knowledge of legislation surrounding patient and staff confidentiality and the sharing of information across organisations IT skills, e.g. Excel manipulate and analyse data using excel, Word, produce documents to a professional standard, Outlook, diary and email Knowledge of hospital based information systems Ability to solve problems and take appropriate action Ability to communicate and work with a wide range of professional and administrative staff Ability to identify trends in patient pathways that require improvement Ability to develop and implement policy and procedure guidance Understanding of service improvement and the application of this. Desirable Knowledge of service improvement methodology including simple tools, techniques and measurement for improvement Knowledge of cancer patients pathways Knowledge of Cancer Waiting times targets Demonstrate awareness of policies and process relating to the improvement of services and outcomes. 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. Employer details Employer name County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Address Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust Hollyhurst Road Darlington County Durham DL3 6HX Employer's website https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)