Breast Cancer Pathway Navigator

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Breast Improvement Pathway Team, a newly established team working closely with the Breast Disease Group to enhance and streamline the breast cancer patient pathway.

We are seeking a motivated and proactive individual to support a more efficient, co ordinated and equitable approach to patient care. You will play a key role in improving how patients progress through their treatment journey, ensuring timely, well organised and compassionate care.

In this role, you will: •    Collaborate with clinicians, the wider multidisciplinary team, patients and carers to support care co ordination •    Use multiple IT systems to improve pathway efficiency and accuracy •    Support administrative process improvements, reducing burden on clinical teams •    Contribute to pathway development, promoting service improvement and equity You will join a supportive team including two pathway navigators, a Band 5 Support Manager and the Breast Pathway Project Manager. This evolving role offers opportunities for growth and involvement in service development.

Contract: Fixed term (6 months), full-time (37.5 hours per week). If you are passionate about improving patient experience, have strong organisational and communication skills, and enjoy collaborative working, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual with a passion for improving patient care. The ideal candidates will have experience of working within cancer services and an understanding of the cancer pathway. Strong organisational and communication skills, together with proven administrative experience, are essential.

Based at The Christie, you will work as part of the Breast Pathway Improvement Team to streamline the breast pathway across Greater Manchester. You will collaborate closely with the Breast Disease Group, Multidisciplinary team members, Patients and carers to support effective co-ordination from referral to treatment.

You will be expected to work both autonomously, with the wider breast disease group, and as part of this exciting new team. Contributing to pathway redesign and continuous service improvement to enhance the patient experience and ensure timely, co-ordinated care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communications and Relationships

The post-holder will be required to:

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Organise and prioritise the designated workload in order to meet the needs of the service.
• To work autonomously and as part of the new team and wider breast disease group.
• Demonstrate a professional approach to work and to promote positive and collaborative working relationships with other departments/multidisciplinary teams across the Trust and other Hospital Trusts.
• Working collaboratively with the relevant treatment scheduling teams to provide a seamless service, which is responsive to patients’, carers and relatives’ needs.
• Communicate effectively with members of the multidisciplinary team and relevant personnel from other Hospital Trusts to avoid delays in pathways.
• May involve assist in triaging new appointments and arranging follow up appointments, scheduling treatments as directed by the clinical team.
• Build and maintain a close relationship with the Performance Team to assist in identifying and resolving pathway blockages.
• Ability to promote patient centred care and establish good relationships with patients and the clinical teams and wider MDT.

The post-holder will be required to:

• Ensure that all aspects of care/interaction with patients, carers and relatives are documented in line with Trust policies on Trust systems and departmental databases.
• Assist the clinical team with audit of administrative processes
• Participating in meetings as requested by the Breast disease groups Responsibility for Patient Care

The post-holder will be required to:

Responsibility for Policy/Service Development

• May involve assisting in triaging and arranging new and follow up appointments, scheduling treatments as directed by the clinical team.
• The ability to provide empathy and support to the patients, carers and relatives whilst signposting them to further services.
• Providing non-clinical advice to patients on the phone, being able to identify specific issues and having an awareness of when the patient requires urgent treatment or to be sign-posted to the appropriate resource in the hospital, other trusts or community.

The post-holder will be required to:

Responsibilities for Human Resources

• Ensure all standard operating procedures relating to the service are regularly reviewed and revised as necessary. Develop new standard operating procedures for the service where required.
• Ensure standardisation across all specialties as appropriate.
• Assist in data collection and audit.

The post-holder will be required to:

• Recognise own limitations and seek help appropriately.
• Provide support and cover for absences, this at times may be across different specialities.
• Take own responsibility for ensuring all their own mandatory training is always up to date.

This job description is not intended to be exhaustive but reflects the main responsibilities of the post holder. Other duties may be required from time to time, which are commensurate with the grade of the post. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.