Breast Oncology Support Worker Band 4

Job details

• Branch: Craigavon Area Hospital (SHSCT)
• Location: Craigavon Area Hosp-Main Building
• Directorate: Adult Community and Acute Services
• Salary: Band 4 (£27,485 - £30,162)
• Contract Type: Temporary
• Opening Date: 15/07/26
• Closes: Wed, 29 July 2026 @ 4:00 PM
• Interview Dates: To Be Confirmed

Notes

Important Information If you are submitting a manual application, please post it to: Recruitment Shared Services, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital Site, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh, BT61 7PR. Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage. “A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026. Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created- regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week.” Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards. Flexible Working We welcome flexible working requests from day one. All HSC organisations offer a range of flexible working options. The options available for this post will depend on the requirements of the role. Find out more about flexible working options on our website.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE

Breast Oncology Support Worker

BAND

4

DIRECTORATE

Surgery & Clinical Services Directorate/ Cancer & Clinical Services

INITIAL LOCATION

Mandeville Unit , Craigavon

REPORTS TO

Cancer Services Co- Ordinator / Service Administrator

ACCOUNTABLE TO

Operational Support Lead

FLEXIBLE WORKING PROVISIONS AVAILABLE

Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working,

Job-share.

JOB SUMMARY

The post-holder will

Form an integral part of the Breast oncology nursing team within acute services to provide holistic care and support for persons diagnosed with cancer and their circle of support.

Systematically offer persons diagnosed with Breast cancer the opportunity to identify their concerns using a dedicated Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) tool, at various stages of their disease and treatment pathway.

Co-create personalised care plans with persons diagnosed with cancer and share with them and their keyworkers.

Enable persons diagnosed with cancer and their circle of support to navigate the health and social care system and to access appropriate support services in the community and voluntary sector throughout their cancer journey

KEY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

To agree with the Clinical Nurse Specialist and Cancer Management Team the referral pathway.

To invite persons diagnosed with cancer to complete their Concerns Checklist on the electronic Holistic Needs Assessment (eHNA) tool.

To assess persons diagnosed with cancer and provide person-centred care and tailored support to enable them to participate fully in their HNA ( e.g. provision of an interpreter)

To offer telephone, face to face or online technology options to persons diagnosed with cancer to discuss concerns.

To co-create a care plan and take forward actions identified by the persons diagnosed with cancer within agreed protocols e.g. onward referrals.

To document the care plan and outcomes, as per agreed protocol.

To undertake administrative processes, including uploading to IT systems as detailed in the protocol.

To follow up with persons diagnosed with cancer at regular intervals, repeating an HNA where required.

To make referrals to other services, signposting to online and local resources, or escalating concerns identified to the Clinical Nurse Specialist in line with the agreed protocol.

To promote early referral to MIS (Macmillan Information and Support) team as appropriate.

The co-created care plan should be shared with the person diagnosed with cancer and uploaded to NIECR/Encompass.

To develop a partnership approach, to empower the person diagnosed with cancer and facilitate self-management including promotion of a healthy lifestyle (diet, exercise, wellbeing) and encouraging them to access timely and appropriate information and support.

Communicate directly with persons diagnosed with cancer and their circle of support demonstrating communication skills such as, empathy, understanding and respect.

Support persons diagnosed with cancer and contribute to their understanding of what signs, symptoms or situations to be aware of that would indicate concern, as agreed in the protocol.

Ensuring the person diagnosed with cancer knows how to make contact when required including what to do out of hours as per agreed protocol.

To develop and maintain good professional relationships with the CNSs and wider Multidisciplinary team locally and regionally.

Demonstrate the ability to recognise and respond appropriately when the persons diagnosed with cancer indicates a sudden deterioration or emergency situation, alerting the clinical team as soon as possible.

Ensure persons diagnosed with cancer and their circle of support are treated with dignity and respect.

Understand that there will be some distressing situations and know when to seek appropriate support/advice.

Feedback persons diagnosed with cancer and their circle of support concerns/unmet needs to the appropriate CNS or line manager.

Participate and support patient experience and service feedback.

Maintain accurate databases, collating data and contribute to reports as appropriate for audit, governance and service evaluation.

Be responsible for the co-ordination of their workload to meet the demands of the post.

Generic responsibilities both within an operational and strategic context.

Carry out administration duties appropriate to the role

Word processing letters from Digital Dictation if required. Record and update information on Encompass or other computerised information systems.

Take initial receipt of all incoming correspondence – telephone, written and enquiries. Using initiative, prioritise urgency of response required and bring to the attention of the CNS where necessary.

Operate all appropriate Hospital IT systems and tools available to provide the most efficient use of time and most effective use of service, ensuring the data contained on the system is accurate and up-to-date.

Provide general administrative support to the Breast Oncology CNS team, which may involve liaising with all departments such as radiology or laboratory to chase up diagnostic tests or results.

Order supplies and equipment if required

Maintain confidentiality

Demonstrate commitment through regular attendance, efficient completion of duties and participation in department/team activities

Comply with trust strategy, policies, procedures, guidelines and protocols and codes of conduct.

Maintain high standards of practice and adhere to quality procedures.

Contribute to the effective and economic use of resources and the maintenance of all equipment.

Participate in the Trust Personal Performance & Development Review.

Participate in staff induction, training and other learning as required.

Carry out any other duties as required.

RAISING CONCERNS - RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency.

The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the Trust’s ‘Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)’ policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The post holder will be required to

Ensure the Trust’s policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his/her own actions and those of any staff for whom he/she has responsibility.

Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Trust's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.

Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example

Smoke Free policy

IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct

standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour

Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.

Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.

All employees of the Trust are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the Trust including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the [org name] policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.

Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

Represent the Trust’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within the Trust's area, as needs of the service demand.

Developed July 2026

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

JOB TITLE AND BAND: Breast Oncology Support Worker, Band 4

DEPARTMENT / DIRECTORATE: Cancer Services, Acute Directorate

HOURS: 37.5 hours per week

Notes to applicants

You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.

Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form. Please note the Trust reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.

Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor

Criteria

Method of Assessment

Experience

Qualifications/ Registration

Hold a level 3 qualification in Administration or Health/Health and Social Care, eg NVQ or equivalent PLUS 1 years paid experience in a role with direct patient contact in a Health and Social care setting e.g. hospital, GP practice, care home

OR

Hold a level 2 qualification in Administration or Health and Social care, eg NVQ or equivalent qualification PLUS 2 years paid experience in a role with direct patient contact in a Health and Social care setting e.g. hospital, GP practice, care home

OR

5 GCSEs (Grade A-C) including Maths and English AND 3 years paid experience in a role with direct patient contact in a Health and Social care setting e.g. hospital, GP practice, care home

Shortlisting by Application Form

Other

Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.

Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:

Skills / Abilities

Good communication skills with people at all levels

Ability to work as part of a team and to relate to senior members of staff

Ability to work on own initiative

Effective organisational skills and ability to manage & prioritise workload

Ability to meet deadlines

Ability to use computer for typing of reports, collation of data

Understanding of person centred care

Ability to work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team

Willingness to undertake learning and development courses as appropriate to the post

Interview

Knowledge

Knowledge of the role and responsibilities of the post

Knowledge of Health and Social Services including current trends

Working knowledge of HSCC computer systems

Working knowledge to enable data collection and collation

Interview

Special circumstances

Flexibility regarding working extended working day, weekends/bank holidays

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

SECTION 3: these will ONLY be used where it is necessary to introduce additional job related criteria to ensure files are manageable. You should therefore make it clear on your application form how you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted

Factor

Criteria

Method of Assessment

Experience

Experience in supporting cancer patients

Shortlisting by Application Form

If this post is being sought on secondment then the individual MUST have the permission of their line manager IN ADVANCE of making application.

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Trust to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

THE TRUST IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants

may be required to attend for a Health Assessment

can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post. If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.

are able to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times