Job summary
1x Permanent Care Navigator position available - Full time
Applications are invited for the post of Care Navigator within the Cancer Information Department at Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospital.
The Navigator posts are a very exciting development and an opportunity for us to be innovative in the way patients with a suspected cancer diagnosis are managed through their diagnostic journey.
The team will be working a hybrid model with some time working from home and some time spent at Knowsley Community College and will be an integral part of the Cancer Information team. However, they will also work in close collaboration with all clinical and support service teams which could require time spent on either Whiston or St Helens Hospital sites
Interview Date - To be Confirmed
Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide effective support to cancer multi-disciplinary team meetings and ensure all data requirements are collected and input onto the relevant database. The data collected will form the Trust's mandatory submissions to all national and statutory requirements, for example - Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset (COSD), and Cancer Wait Times database.
The role will involve liaising with patients, their relatives and clinical and administrative teams, both within the Trust and tertiary centres to coordinate appointments, investigations and treatments. The post holder will also provide input into the Trusts cancer PTL meeting to provide information about patient pathways to support the achievement of waiting times standards and ensure effective shared learning from any pathway breaches.
The post holder will be the main point of contact for patients referred to the Trust on a 2 week rule suspected cancer pathway. They will be central to effective communication between patients and the health care professional multi-disciplinary team.
The role requires the post holder to be self-driven, highly organised and have excellent communication skills. Through their knowledge of the clinical pathway requirements, they will improve the patients experience by ensuring that the patients pathway is proactively planned and organised, to ensure that cancer waiting times standards are achieved and, crucially, that patients receive their treatment in a timely and efficient way.
About us
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.
From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.
The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.
Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:
- CAREthat is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
- SAFETY that is of the highest standards
- COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
- SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
- PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients
Our achievements include:
- Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- To act as the key point of contact for patients, coordinating and providing first line support to the patient whilst they are moving through the diagnostic pathway; signposting on to other services as the need is identified e.g. psychological support
- Communicate with a range of clinical and non-clinical staff concerning progress of patients along the diagnostic pathway
- Provide and receive complex information and facilitate communication between different clinical services as part of managing the patients pathway
- Co-ordination of care to ensure seamless patient pathways
- Ensuring that test results, clinic letters and notes are available and communicated to the clinical team at the earliest opportunity to inform the next steps in the pathway.
- Work closely with the MDT Co-ordinators to ensure good preparation of cases for MDT discussion and that MDT outcomes are followed up in a timely manner.
- To foster good links and relationships between all members of the team who are involved in the patients pathway.
- Foster good links between patients and their key worker / Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Collection of patient information from test results, clinic notes and MDTs in order to complete data
- Ensure accurate cancer waiting times data is collected and recorded for each cancer site responsible for and adhere to relevant deadlines
- Ensure site specific data is collected on relevant databases, using identified data collection processes, in agreement with clinical teams
- To provide basic analysis of the data for Clinicians and the Cancer Data Coordinator and assist in any audits when required
- To develop new and maintain existing contacts with the appropriate departments within the Trust
- To liaise with members of staff at all levels, e.g. Consultants and other health professionals in the Trust and also with the tertiary centres
- To ensure accurate entry of data to the Somerset Cancer Register allowing data transfer on agreed deadlines and in accordance with National data submissions. For example COSD
- Tracking of patients with targets set to predict when next data collection is required, and to check if all investigations are underway
- To provide cover for other Care Navigators in times of absence for example annual leave, sickness absence
- Undertake any other ad hoc duties deemed relevant to the post and grade
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Responsible for co-ordination of the diagnostic pathway of patient referred under a 2 week rule process, ensuring that all cancer data/information is stored and transmitted in a format, which adheres to all aspects of the Caldicott guidelines.
- Work within defined protocols and procedures for management of the patient pathways, under supervision of oversight of the clinical team
- Due to the sensitive nature of cancer information, ensure that the system, recording processes and MDT processes fulfil both Information Governance and Data Protection requirements/rules.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Regularly review procedures to ensure working processes are fit for purpose.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES
- Support the Cancer Data Coordinator in training new Care Navigators and MDT coordinators
RESEARCH & AUDIT
- To provide basic analysis of the data for Clinicians and the Cancer Data Coordinator and assist in any audits when required.
- To participate in ad hoc projects such as the Cancer Services Improvement Partnership.
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- To act as the key point of contact for patients, coordinating and providing first line support to the patient whilst they are moving through the diagnostic pathway; signposting on to other services as the need is identified e.g. psychological support
- Communicate with a range of clinical and non-clinical staff concerning progress of patients along the diagnostic pathway
- Provide and receive complex information and facilitate communication between different clinical services as part of managing the patients pathway
- Co-ordination of care to ensure seamless patient pathways
- Ensuring that test results, clinic letters and notes are available and communicated to the clinical team at the earliest opportunity to inform the next steps in the pathway.
- Work closely with the MDT Co-ordinators to ensure good preparation of cases for MDT discussion and that MDT outcomes are followed up in a timely manner.
- To foster good links and relationships between all members of the team who are involved in the patients pathway.
- Foster good links between patients and their key worker / Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Collection of patient information from test results, clinic notes and MDTs in order to complete data
- Ensure accurate cancer waiting times data is collected and recorded for each cancer site responsible for and adhere to relevant deadlines
- Ensure site specific data is collected on relevant databases, using identified data collection processes, in agreement with clinical teams
- To provide basic analysis of the data for Clinicians and the Cancer Data Coordinator and assist in any audits when required
- To develop new and maintain existing contacts with the appropriate departments within the Trust
- To liaise with members of staff at all levels, e.g. Consultants and other health professionals in the Trust and also with the tertiary centres
- To ensure accurate entry of data to the Somerset Cancer Register allowing data transfer on agreed deadlines and in accordance with National data submissions. For example COSD
- Tracking of patients with targets set to predict when next data collection is required, and to check if all investigations are underway
- To provide cover for other Care Navigators in times of absence for example annual leave, sickness absence
- Undertake any other ad hoc duties deemed relevant to the post and grade
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Responsible for co-ordination of the diagnostic pathway of patient referred under a 2 week rule process, ensuring that all cancer data/information is stored and transmitted in a format, which adheres to all aspects of the Caldicott guidelines.
- Work within defined protocols and procedures for management of the patient pathways, under supervision of oversight of the clinical team
- Due to the sensitive nature of cancer information, ensure that the system, recording processes and MDT processes fulfil both Information Governance and Data Protection requirements/rules.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Regularly review procedures to ensure working processes are fit for purpose.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES
- Support the Cancer Data Coordinator in training new Care Navigators and MDT coordinators
RESEARCH & AUDIT
- To provide basic analysis of the data for Clinicians and the Cancer Data Coordinator and assist in any audits when required.
- To participate in ad hoc projects such as the Cancer Services Improvement Partnership.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Diploma level and/or equivalent level of experience and/or equivalent qualification
- Educated to NVQ level 3/4 or equivalent level qualification and/or experience
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Understanding of the national cancer waiting times standards
- Experience of data entry
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office to include Word, Access and Excel.
- Experience of co-ordinating a patient workload
Desirable
- Experience of data analysis
- Experience of Hospital information system.
- Awareness of current development within the Cancer NHS plan.
- Knowledge of audit process
- Statistical & analytical skills
- Familiarity with medical terminology
- Experience of working within the NHS (either within primary or secondary care)
- Relevant health and social care experience
Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate effectively with staff at all levels
- Ability to organise their workload effectively to meet deadlines and work under pressure
- Able to work effectively as a team member
- Able to work with minimum supervision
- Able to meet changing demands and priorities with a flexible approach
- Demonstrate Excellent communication skills with patients
- Intermediate IT skills
Other
Desirable
- Ability to travel between Whiston and St Helens hospital locations by own car/ assisted driver
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Diploma level and/or equivalent level of experience and/or equivalent qualification
- Educated to NVQ level 3/4 or equivalent level qualification and/or experience
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Understanding of the national cancer waiting times standards
- Experience of data entry
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office to include Word, Access and Excel.
- Experience of co-ordinating a patient workload
Desirable
- Experience of data analysis
- Experience of Hospital information system.
- Awareness of current development within the Cancer NHS plan.
- Knowledge of audit process
- Statistical & analytical skills
- Familiarity with medical terminology
- Experience of working within the NHS (either within primary or secondary care)
- Relevant health and social care experience
Skills
Essential
- Ability to communicate effectively with staff at all levels
- Ability to organise their workload effectively to meet deadlines and work under pressure
- Able to work effectively as a team member
- Able to work with minimum supervision
- Able to meet changing demands and priorities with a flexible approach
- Demonstrate Excellent communication skills with patients
- Intermediate IT skills
Other
Desirable
- Ability to travel between Whiston and St Helens hospital locations by own car/ assisted driver
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.
