Advanced Cancer Care Navigator

Job overview

The Advanced Cancer Care Navigator for Gynaecology will form an integral part of the multidisciplinary team in caring for the physical, social and psychological needs of patients diagnosed with cancer and their carers, with a focus on supporting where there is advanced disease.

Main duties of the job

Ensure patients, family and carers are treated with dignity and respect and in keeping with the RWT approach and Macmillan values.

Provide dedicated and knowledgeable support to patients receiving care and treatment at RWT.

Develop good working relationships and liasion with other departments and Healthcare

professionals within RWT, external relevant services and local palliative services

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Ensure patients, family and carers are treated with dignity and respect and in keeping with the RWT approach and Macmillan value.

Provide dedicated and knowledgeable support to patients receiving care and treatment at RWT.

Demonstrate a broad understanding of cancer treatments offered within RWT and tertiary centres.

Co-ordinate the transfer of care between service teams, or facilitation of service provision across interfaces of care – for example primary and secondary care.

Refer to other team members when appropriate following discussion with line manager or Clinical Team members..

Develop good working relationships and liaison between other departments and Healthcare professionals within the RWT, external relevant services and local palliative services.

Assess patients using Holistic Needs Assessment Tool and document accordingly.

Participate in initiatives to explore patient experience and service feedback.

Use computer skills to document assessments.

Attend appropriate training course and continually develop knowledge in palliative and end of life support services.

Support Macmillan Centre where service and patient need dictates.

Provide Holistic Needs Assessment to patients identified by Palliative Care Nurse and support those requiring Level 1-2 psychological support within own skill base.

Organise own workload and be able to update Nurse Specialists of progress in line with agreed work plan.

Ensure patient queries are resolved in an appropriate and timely manner, referring to clinical support where necessary.

Ensure patients receive quality and appropriate information regarding their diagnosis and treatment and signpost to appropriate supportive leaflets and literature.

Respond to telephone queries by a model of triage and appropriate referral to Macmillan, CNS, palliative care nurses or other allied healthcare professional.

Communicate directly with patients, relatives and carers demonstrating empathy, understanding and respect. Information discussed and received will often require tact or persuasive skills, to ensure safety and understanding around treatment side effects as well as an understanding of complex information around treatment options and end of life care.

Assist in the discharge planning of patients with appropriate community follow up for their psychological needs or support.

Participation in obtaining and collating patient satisfaction with care using questionnaires, results of Friends and Family Test and new patient experience tools such as Evidence Based Design.

Participation in the development of Well Being Sessions.

Assist with the preparation of documentation for preparation Cancer Peer Review assessments.

Maintain stock levels of relevant Macmillan & local support information within the clinical areas.

Be aware of physical and psychological needs of the patient, reporting changes to the patient’s condition or concerns to clinical teams so necessary treatment and/or reassurance can be given to maintain patient safety/well-being. This will involve prioritising a patient’s clinical and psychological symptoms and judging how best to action any concerns when there may not be a straightforward choice of options

Plan and organise own workload to ensure patient needs are prioritised. Plan and organise own day to day workload.

Liaising and collaborate with other healthcare professionals and external agencies such as Compton Care, St Giles Hospice and Walsall Palliative Care Centre.

Help patients and relatives overcome barriers to understanding when English is not their first language or where accessible information is required.

Reporting all complaints and untoward occurrences as per trust policy.

Participation in Macmillan training and education opportunities for self-development and shared experience.

Participate in other duties to reflect an evolving healthcare service as appropriate.

Undertake scoping of information / education support resources available in the local health and social care sectors.