PCN Cancer Care Co-ordinator inMiddlesbrough inMiddlesbrough PUBLISHED FRI 20 DEC 2024

We are looking for a highly motivated and knowledgeable Cancer Care Coordinator to join our dynamic and friendly team that is committed to delivering exemplary patient care for our patients. Someone who can build strong relationships with team members and really wants to make a difference.

The Cancer Care Coordinator will work within the Primary Care Network (PCN) team and GP practices supporting the delivery of NHS Englands Comprehensive model of Personalised Care and the Early Cancer Diagnosis Direct Enhanced Service.

Successful candidates will work with patients with cancer to provide support, co-ordination, and navigation of care. Successful candidates will be committed to providing high quality compassionate care to all patients in an empathic and sensitive manner. Therefore, will require excellent communication skills, a good understanding of cancer pathways and the knowledge and skills to navigate patients through the health and social care systems.

Successful candidates will act as a single point of contact for cancer patients across the PCN, secondary care, community and other services and organisations.

A large part of the role will involve supporting patients after they have been diagnosed with cancer, to help them understand the early stages of their cancer diagnosis through to treatment, living with cancer and the support that is available locally to help them. The care will include personalised care interventions such as Personalised Care and Support Planning (PCSP) and Cancer Care Review.

The Cancer Care Coordinator will support patients at all stages in their cancer pathway providing support throughout their journey.

Successful candidates will work with patients to complete non-clinical elements of cancer care reviews and help patients understand why cancer screening is key for early diagnosisand support them whilst awaiting diagnostic tests for possible cancer and investigate those patients who fail to respond or attend for this. Successful candidates will act as the patients coordinator between hospitals, community and other services and organisations.

The role will require high standards and great attention to detail, in order to provide an excellent service to patients and colleagues. We are looking to appoint an individual who is self-motivated, organised reliable and is committed to delivering on agreed plans.

About us

The following description is intended as a guide and not an exhaustive list of requirements, and further detail will be provided at interview.

A large part of your role will involve supporting patients in the early stages of their cancer diagnosis through treatment and living with cancer.

You will support patients with a suspicion of cancer on a cancer pathway.

You will support patients at all stages in their cancer pathway. A cancer pathway is the patients journey from the initial suspicion of cancer, through clinical investigations, patient diagnosis, treatment and beyond.

Supporting both patients and primary care to ensure that patients referred on a cancer pathway have completed all of the necessary investigations required set out in the 2 Week Wait referral criteria.

Support the practices in the PCN to improving local uptake of National Cancer Screening Programmes, understand the practices data for uptake on screening and understand how the practice can carry out the screening.

Ensure that all patients are signposted to or receive information on their referral including why they are being referred, the importance of attending appointments and where they can access further support.

Work closely with Trust colleagues to ensure that the patient attends the appointment.

Be available for patients with cancer, or their relatives, to ask questions and deal with problems that arise, linking in or signposting to services such as the hospital team, district nursing or Macmillan services, benefits agency as appropriate.

Review patients and follow up each patient to complete the non-clinical elements of the cancer care review - following a cancer diagnosis, covering topics such as benefits, support groups, offering support to relatives.

Be a point of contact for survivors of cancer, or bereaved relatives, who need support, signpost to support groups available locally or nationally as appropriate.

Support the practices in your PCN in conducting peer to peer learning events that look at data and trends in diagnosis across the PCN, including cases where patients presented repeatedly before referral and late diagnoses.

Link in with and build relationships with the wider PCN team, Social Prescribers, Pharmacist, Health and Wellbeing Coach and other clinical/non-clinical partners involved in patient the patients care.

Holistically bring together all of a persons identified care and support needs and explore options to help them achieve their needs.

Help people to manage their needs through answering queries, making, and managing appointments, and ensuring that people have good quality written or verbal information to help them make choices about their care.

Provide personalised care for people and their carers across health and care services, working closely with social prescribing link workers, health and wellbeing coaches, and other professionals.

1. Health and Safety/Risk Management

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:

The post-holder must always comply with Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting incidents.

The post-holder will comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines.
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills.
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.
• Reporting potential risks identified.

2. Equality and Diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers, and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation.
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers, and colleagues.
• They should not undertake any acts of discriminatory practice during the course of their employment and similarly have a responsibility to highlight any potentially discriminatory practice to their Line Manager.

3. Confidentiality

To always adhere to the practices policies for confidentiality when both dealing with patients or information relating to patients, both at the practice and outside of the practice.

To maintain confidentiality of information relating to patients, clients, staff and other users of the services in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Caldicott Guardian. Any breach of confidentiality may render an individual liable for dismissal and/or prosecution.

Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the Practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practices policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.by the requirements of the role.

4. Communication and Working Relationships

Establish and maintain effective communication pathways with all practice staff and visiting clinical team members.

5. Special Working Conditions

The post-holder is required to travel independently between Practices (where applicable), and to attend meetings etc. hosted by other agencies.

This Job Description provides a guide to the duties and responsibilities of the post and is not an exhaustive list. The post holder may be asked to undertake any other relevant duties appropriate to the post. The Job Description may be amended over time, in consultation with the post holder to meet the needs of the service.