Cancer Team Lead

Job content

Division: Planned Care

Care Group: Cancer Services

Band: 5

Salary: £28,407 - £34,581 per annum/pro rata

Interview Date: Friday 28th July 2023

We are recruiting for a Cancer Team Lead who shares our ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People and has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.

Ensure that all members of the Cancer Services Team monitor, progress and report all suspected and confirmed Cancer cases in a timely and consistent manner against all National Cancer Waiting Times targets, including the Two Week Wait, the 31 Day and the 62 Day Standards.

Provide Patient Treatment List (PTL) management reports to the Pathway Navigators and MDT Co coordinators daily, to ensure the patients are being actively managed and progressed along their cancer pathways.

Support weekly accountability PTL meetings with the Pathway Navigators and MDT Coordinators to ensure all patients are being actively managed and escalated where required. All actions agreed must be completed in a timely manner.

Our values are Bold, Every Person Counts, Sharing and Open and Together. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.

We are committed to endorsing diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; our policies / procedures ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.

Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision of Better, Best, Brilliant is achieved. Our culture and values are what drives the Trust and is the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.

Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious environment.

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement which will not mean sacrificing time for personal interests or family commitments. We aim to support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit you and us.

All of our substantive & fixed term employees can enjoy a range of staff benefits, a gym, an active health and wellbeing programme, an on-site nursery and a cycle to work scheme.

We are taking positive action to ensure that we can attract, recruit and retain the best talent and would welcome more applicants from under – represented groups to support the Trusts commitment to a diverse, inclusive and an employer of choice workforce.

All staff at Medway comply the Trust’s and the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Board’s policies on safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Develop and maintain up to date knowledge of the standards and targets being set nationally and locally for cancer. Provide effective and appropriate communication of this information to all relevant staff throughout the Trust.

Work with the Cancer Referral Team, Pathway Navigators, MDTC Co coordinators and Service leads to ensure capacity is maintained to enable the cancer patients to be managed within the 2 week, 28 FDS, 31 and 62 day targets. To manage such potential breaches and initiate action with other Trust Directorates, so as to mitigate the outcome and ensure that the Trust achieves the Cancer Waiting Times Targets.

Escalate in line with the Escalation Standard Operating procedure any points in the patient pathways that are not progressing

Ensure that all members of the Cancer Services Team monitor, progress and report all suspected and confirmed Cancer cases in a timely and consistent manner against all National Cancer Waiting Times targets, including the Two Week Wait, the 31 Day and the 62 Day Standards.

Provide Patient Treatment List (PTL) management reports to the Pathway Navigators and MDT Co coordinators daily, to ensure the patients are being actively managed and progressed along their cancer pathways.

Support weekly accountability PTL meetings with the Pathway Navigators and MDT Coordinators to ensure all patients are being actively managed and escalated where required. All actions agreed must be completed in a timely manner.

Patient Pathways need to be continually monitored and enhanced to ensure accurate recording of diagnosis and treatment plans for Cancer patients. The Cancer Team Lead will initiate discussions and pathway development with all members of Cancer Services and the Multi-Disciplinary teams to ensure the pathway management team are able to complete their roles effectively.

Analyse patient pathways, taking into consideration the source of referral, actual diagnosis, current treatment plan and previous treatments carried out to decide which of the national Cancer Targets are applicable to each patient. This will require working with relevant members of the Multi-Disciplinary team to validate patient pathways and identify any areas of delay that require further investigation. Processes and pathways will need to be continually developed to ensure cancer patients are actively managed on their pathways.

Work with the Cancer Service Manager and the relevant Multi-Disciplinary Team to ensure robust procedures are followed and relevant policies maintained to achieve effective referrals to specialist tertiary treatment centres.

Build and maintain communication streams with the Kent and Medway Cancer Collaborative and other associated bodies to ensure adequate processes and systems are in place for the collection and reporting of specified data. Negotiate with all Multi-Disciplinary Team members across all relevant Trusts and organisations to agree and accurately record the sensitive and complex data related to cancer diagnosis and treatment plans.

To work with clinical and managerial staff to co-ordinate decision-making and contribute to resolving the often conflicting opinions and achieve agreement on action plans.

To exercise initiative and independent thought in support of the Cancer Services team objectives.

Participate in and support the work of the MDT and Cancer Services team necessary to prepare for and meet the requirements of the National Programme of Cancer Peer Review.

On a day to day basis manage the workloads of the team and re-allocate specific tasks to maintain an effective level of service within the Department.

The Cancer Team Lead will be responsible for signing off eRoster, and agreeing additional hours and working patterns within the team ensuring the team are resourced, kept updated and have cover for all absences.

To help the Cancer Service Manager with the recruitment and selection of staff ensuring appropriate job descriptions are developed and maintained within the planned Trust pay structure and personnel policies.

Manage the absence attendance within the Department, following Trust guidelines and policies.

Provide mentoring support and advice to new members of the Cancer Services Team.

To ensure that the Cancer Referral Team, Pathway Navigators, MDT coordinators and Cancer Services Administrative Assistants training and developmental needs are identified through a process of performance review and strategies implemented to enable the achievement of objectives through appropriately skilled staff. To conduct annual appraisals in line with Trust policies.

Ensure that when Cancer Referral Team, Pathway Navigators, MDT Co-ordinators and Cancer Services Administrative Assistants are requesting annual leave that cover is available so that the Service is not disrupted.

The Cancer Team Lead will be responsible for a safe and effective working environment for the Cancer Referral Team, Pathway Navigators, MDT Co-ordinators and Cancer Services Administrative Assistants. Ensuring all equipment is correctly maintained and used by the team.

Ensure that the Cancer Referral Team, Pathway Navigators, MDT Co-ordinators and Cancer Services Administrative Assistants are fully trained to achieve the required level of understanding relevant to the Cancer Waiting Times Targets and National Clinical Audit requirements. Support the Cancer Service Manager on the implementation of new processes in line with the requirements of Cancer Waiting Times.

Develop knowledge and keep up to date on cancer data collection requirements and National Cancer Waiting Time Directives. Ensure this is disseminated within the Cancer Services Team and that any requirements are acted upon.

To implement, manage, review and influence Cancer Service policies through department channels.

To attend meetings and work groups to discuss changes to policies or procedures that affects all areas of patient pathways, relative to cancer patients, from referral to diagnostic testing, staging and treatment. (For Example: - The Patient Access Policy)

Deputise for the Cancer Service Manager at internal and external meetings as required and provide feedback to the team.

The Cancer Team Lead will be required to concentrate for long periods of time to validate patient pathways and ensure data completeness and accuracy across multiple activities. Data accuracy between multiple computer systems will need to be validated and the details in the patient case notes verified.

This role has unpredictable requirements and requires the ability to be able to switch from one task to another on demand.

Any delays in patients pathways need to be escalated and dealt with immediately as they are identified with Theatre Scheduling staff

To undertake projects/process pathway mapping as requested by the Cancer Service Manager.

The Cancer Team Lead will continually audit the data within the Cancer Database (InfoFlex) to ensure completeness and accuracy. They will need to ensure that robust processes are in place to enable the cancer teams to effectively collect the required data to meet the National minimum datasets for Cancer Waiting Times, Peer Review, Cancer Registries and National Clinical Audits.

The Cancer Team Lead will need to compile reports and presentations on a regular basis, using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other desktop publishing software.

Advanced keyboard skills will be required as this post requires the ability to accurately record data into the Cancer Database (InfoFlex) quickly and efficiently