Service Lead- Cancer SMART RMN

Job summary

• We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) to lead our Cancer SMART project.
• This innovative role focuses on improving outcomes for cancer patients with severe mental illness (SMI) through faster diagnosis, rapid treatment, and patient-centred care.

Project Overview:St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STG) has identified cancer as a priority clinical service in its current 5-year strategy.

As the largest trust in South West London, serving a local population of 1.3 million, STG treats cancer patients from the local area and acts as a tertiary centre for Surrey, Sussex, and Kent. The Trust diagnoses over 2000 new cancers and delivers over 4000 cancer treatments annually, including surgery, chemotherapy, and palliative care.

About the Cancer SMART Project: The Cancer SMART project aims to address the significant barriers faced by patients with severe mental illness (SMI) in accessing timely cancer diagnosis and treatment. With approximately 16,000 SMI coded patients in South West London, of which around 10% have cancer, this project targets a critical population.

The project will establish a multi-disciplinary team using linked data, peer support, and patient co-production to improve outcomes in cancer diagnosis, care engagement, and patient-centred outcomes.

Main duties of the job

• Project Management: Lead the Cancer SMART project, working with a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to develop clear pathways and patient-friendly resources.
• Quality Improvement: Implement strategies to reduce diagnosis time, improve appointment attendance, and create sustainable educational resources.
• Operational Delivery: Oversee the Cancer SMART project, ensuring effective collaboration with cancer management teams, liaison psychiatry, community mental health teams, and primary care clinicians.
• Leadership: Provide strong, visible leadership, ensuring high standards of nursing care and service delivery.
• User Involvement: Ensure patient and public involvement in service development, incorporating feedback to enhance care.
• Clinical Quality and Safety: Maintain clinical competence, provide specialist assessments, and make autonomous decisions for complex cases.
• Staff Management: Foster positive working relationships, motivate and develop the MDT, and manage personnel effectively.
• Financial Responsibility: Identify funding opportunities, prepare bids, and secure grants to support the project.
• Research Responsibility: Lead research projects, analyse data, and present findings to support continuous improvement.

About us

St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey.Our sites include St George's Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).

After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.