NursingNetUK

Job overview

This post is currently full time but reduced / flexible hours may be considered.

The award winning head, neck and thyroid cancer clinical nurse specialist team have a vacancy for a band 4 cancer support worker. We are looking for a highly motivated individual with a passion for improving the care of patients living with cancer in Sussex.

The  ideal candidate will have experience in supporting patients with care co-ordination. They will have excellent communication skills and be confident in offering emotional support. Excellent knowledge of computer systems and IT are a must and experience of working in a clinical environment would offer an advantage.  

The CSW will work alongside and under the guidance of Macmillan Nurse Specialists to provide support, advice and assessment for patients who have been diagnosed with head, neck and thyroid cancers throughout the pathway. Often being the first point of contact the CSW will triage calls and offer advice and support as able signposting and referring on as required. The CSW will help to co-ordinate patient care to ensure a streamlined and efficient service.

They will take an active role in contributing towards the developing health and wellbeing interventions and support the nurse specialists in achieving Service Standards in line with national guidance.

The CSW will provide a link between nurse specialists and allied health professionals ensuring timely and accurate referrals are made to appropriate services.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will provide support to patients receiving  their diagnoses, throughout their investigations and their treatment journey. The CSW will be the primary point of contact for our patients and will offer holistic needs assessments and on-going support; they will triage urgent calls and attend  clinics.  A large part of the role involves assisting the Clinical Nurse Specialist team in delivering complex care and support and developing pathways to improve the patient experience.  

We are developing our pathways to ensure a smooth transition between partner departments and organisations - the post holder will be integral to taking this forward; experience of service development / improvement would be advantageous.

All posts include an amount of patient tracking / data collection and therefore requires competent use of Microsoft packages, including excel.

The post requires the post holder to collect and analyse data, as well as the creation of graphs and presentations.

There is more information on the role of a cancer support worker at Careers in Cancer | Macmillan Cancer Support or Support-Workers_tcm9-283189.pdf (macmillan.org.uk) 

Please read the information above and job description carefully. Use this information to clearly reflect your knowledge  experience in your application.

The role will be based at The Royal Sussex County Hospital, with travel expected to the Princess Royal hospital in Haywards Heath and Worthing Hospital.

Working for our organisation

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First, as shown in our  Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community  where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in.We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when  they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it - because we know that to look after others we must first look after  ourselves.

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best  that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make  and feel valued for all that you do. 

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.