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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will support patients and/or their carers from the initial point of referral to the communication of their diagnosis (in line with performance targets) at which point the patient is then passed to the lung cancer specialist nurses within the surgical team who will support patients and/or carers from there. They will work both directly and indirectly with patients and/or their carers to assist in coordinating their care through the hospital diagnostic journey, identifying, escalating, and managing issues that may arise, attending appointments, informing patients about diagnostic investigations, and any additional support requirements.

Additionally the post holder will be responsible for tracking patients who are placed on the lung nodule surveillance pathway, up to the point the patient is discharged. The post holder will ensure scans are requested and booked within the relevant timeframe and will be responsible for escalating issues within the pathway with clinical support where needed. They will also be responsible for flagging up urgent scan results to the clinicians and actioning any outcomes. For example, ensuring patients are added to the lung cancer MDT and/or booking follow-up outpatient appointments.

The post holder will work closely with GP’s, Clinical Lead, Consultant Respiratory Physicians, Radiology, Lung Cancer Specialist Nurses, MDT Coordinators, Cancer Trackers, Booking Office, and Diagnostic and Therapy Departments to ensure patients are actively managed through the lung cancer pathway and the lung nodule service pathway appropriately and as per guidelines.

The post holder will have the opportunity to work within a friendly and dynamic team. Applicants must be organised and be able to work to their own initiative, with the ability to prioritise a competing workload. They must have a flexible approach to working practices and be able to work effectively as part of a team. The successful candidate must also have excellent word processing and IT skills, along with excellent verbal and written communication skills, with both patients and healthcare professionals. Knowledge of medical terminology is preferred but not essential.  It is imperative that the post holder has a full understanding of the Cancer Waiting Time Targets, and the impact these have on both patient and trust, to educate and advise key personnel on all aspects and requirements of the Cancer targets.

Patient Pathway

1.      Track and guide (virtually) the patient through the cancer pathway using the Hospital systems ensuring there are no delays which will prevent the patient achieving the cancer waiting time targets.

2.      Ensure diagnostic investigations are carried out in a timely manner and the results of such are made available as soon as possible to clinicians

3.      Be responsible for identifying patients coming into the Trust referred either via the 2 week wait route or other routes (at positive histology).

4.      Track and guide (virtually) the patient through the hospital system ensuring there are no system delays which will prevent the patient achieving the cancer waiting time targets.

5.      Be responsible for identifying and resolving delays in the patient pathway.  Where this is not possible, ways forward to be discussed and agreed with the Clinical Lead and Directorate Manager.

6.      Ensure the exchange of data in relation to the Cancer patient journey.  Ensure all data in relation to the patient journey is supplied for input onto the Somerset Cancer Services Database.

7.      Highlight any regular system bottlenecks and contribute ideas to resolve these.

8.      Cross-divisional working with both Medicine & Emergency Care and Surgical teams, including the Cancer Management Team, and Service Improvement Leads to continually improve the patient journey.

9.      Ensure data entry of patient details to Cancer Database.

10.  Be able to identify and advise clinical teams on when adjustments can be made to the patient journey, ensuring these are documented in both the patient case notes and within the Cancer Database.

11.  Support and attend weekly Patient Tracking List (PTL) meetings, which involve the Directorate Managers, Deputy Directorate Managers, MDT Co-ordinators, and Cancer Services Directorate Manager.  Ensure all recommended actions are dealt with expediently and escalation procedures followed.

12.  Typing up of clinic letters and annotations using the Winscribe System.

13.  Add telephone clinics to Cerner EPR.

14.  Organise Hot Clinic rooms and/or appointments, liaising with the relevant teams.

15.  To ensure the relevant information is entered promptly and accurately onto the Somerset Cancer Register, in line with the minimum data set, meeting the requirements of the Trust’s Patient Access Policy at all times.

16.  To liaise with patients and establish good working relationships with other members of the team and external stakeholders.

17.  Establish a process to ensure all patients move smoothly between MDTs and protocols are followed.

18.  Management of medical records adhering to trust protocols.

19.  To provide cover for other colleagues in their absence and support for clinic prep as required

MDT Support

1.      Liaise with Consultants, medical secretaries and specialist nurses to ensure that all appropriate patients are identified and included on the MDT list for discussion at the MDT meeting, and distribute the lists within a reasonable timescale before the meeting.  Include all the relevant clinical data about the patient that is required for the MDT discussion.

2.      Ensure case notes, x-rays and results are available at MDT meetings.  This will involve liaising closely with several departments currently undertaking parts of this work.

3.      Attend each MDT meeting, recording minutes of the discussion.  Following the meeting, provide the core MDT members with the minutes and actions required.

4.      Ensure that any investigations and treatments and any actions from the MDT are booked in a timely manner, avoiding any delay in this process.

5.      Maintain an attendance register and updated list of MDT membership.

6.      Schedule future dates for MDT meetings and ensure a suitable venue is booked on an annual basis. Send out agendas and dates to the appropriate MDT members.

7.      Provide Consultants and MDT members with dates of when patients should be treated by, to adhere to the Cancer Waiting Times 31 day and 62 day treatment targets as well as the new Day 28 faster diagnosis standard.

Additional Duties

Support the Cancer Services with the Quality Surveillance Programme and other quality improvement processes within Cancer Services by providing MDT cancer information.

Provide cover for absent colleagues to ensure the smooth running of the service.

Attend Local & National cancer services events to develop own knowledge; share in best practice and to ensure the Trust is fully informed of local and national initiatives.

General administrative duties to support the departments e.g. Filing, photocopying, scanning etc.