IBD/Liver Clinical Support Worker NHS AfC: Band 4

Job overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic and self-motivated individual to provide a comprehensive administrative service and also provide assistance with clinical services for our Nurse Specialists.

This demanding role will require excellent time management and organisational skills. The successful candidate must be able to prioritise their own workload and will require a flexible approach to their role.

12 months fixed term Post

This post will be subject to an Enhanced DBS (with barred list for vulnerable Children and Adults disclosure).

Interview date TBC

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office packages and be able to use a range of computer systems to collate information. Training will be provided where necessary for internal IT systems.

We are looking for a motivated individual who has the ability to communicate effectively and confidently across all disciplines. The post holder will need to be able to work to tight deadlines and withstand the pressure of a busy department and be able to work independently as well as part of the team.

Working for our organisation

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is the only acute Trust in Cheshire and Merseyside, and one of the few in the entire country, to achieve the title of OUTSTANDING, rated by the Care Quality Commission.

We provide a full range of acute adult services to our local population of circa 360,000 and provide tertiary services across a much wider area in the North West, North Wales and Isle of Man. We are a Major Trauma Unit and the Mersey Regional Burns Unit.

Our ’5 Star Patient Care’ strategy is at the heart of all that we do; supporting our vision to provide world class services for all our patients by getting it right for every patient, every time.

Our latest achievements include:

• Acute Trust of the Year – HSJ Awards November 2019
• Trust rates Outstanding by the CQC – Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers and Health Service Journal)
• Best acute Trust in the North West for quality of care (NHS Staff Survey 2021)
• Best place to work in the North West (NHS Staff Survey 2021)

In the NHS Staff Survey 2021 the Trust scored the highest marks in the North West for the following areas;

• Standard of care
• Best place to work
• Care of patients being the Trust’s priority
• Staff engagement
• Staff morale
• Compassionate and inclusive
• Providing a safe environment for staff

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY DUTIES

Communication

Develop and maintain effective working relationships with clinicians, managers and others within department and Trust wide service users.

Be the point of contact for all non-routine enquires facilitating communication and information flows, initiating and responding to correspondence and resolving enquiries.

Organising incoming and outgoing mail both paper and electronic.

Liaise with GPs/other services (for example Dietetics & Palliative Care)/Specialist Centres as appropriate.

Liaise with patients and other consultants’ secretaries.

Specifically assist the nurse specialists in coordinating care by tracking patient pathways and providing a point of access, including rapid re-entry into the system for those people identified as having urgent or specialist needs.

Triage incoming calls, using a risk assessment framework and initiate appropriate response according to protocols and individual pathways.

Using good communication skills, and appropriate tools and procedures, liaising as appropriate with the nurse specialists when non routine and refer complex decisions to the team for assessment and review.

Provide basic telephone advice and refer on or sign-post to other sources of support in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

Coordinate/act independently to make OPD appointments for those with abnormal results, fast track patients back into the system if required, and to respond appropriately when faced with a sudden deterioration or an emergency situation by escalating to nurse specialists or consultant.

Communicate and signpost to appropriate needs related information

Service Improvement

Support and contribute to audit processes, governance, research, clinical research trials and service development.

Take an active part in Team Meetings and audits as required.

Make changes in own practice and offer suggestions for improving the services.

Ensure the implementation of departmental policies and procedures.

Support the development of services in order to meet the requirements of patients and service users.

Ensure the effective deployment of resources to ensure delivery of an efficient well organised service.

Administer fail safe to ensure patients’ results are registered accurately and action taken appropriately.

Quality

Coordinate patient questionnaires.

Follow the approved Standard Operating Procedures used in the Department.

Comply with all relevant legislation, policies and procedures.

Use and maintain resources efficiently and effectively. Prioritise own workload.

Ensure same standard of work when covering for sickness and annual leave.

Equality and Diversity

Maintain an up to date knowledge of the parameters of legislation and Trust Policies and procedures related to equality and diversity.

Treat everyone equally and with dignity and respect.

Acknowledge others’ different perspectives

Recognise that people are different and makes sure they do not discriminate against other people.

Report behaviour that undermines equality and diversity

Services and Project Management

Coordinate the handover with other teams to facilitate safe and effective transition of care between services.

Co-ordination of services

Co-ordinate and track patient pathways for Liver /IBD patients.

Support patients and their families to access appropriate information and support, by sign-posting to a range of clinical and support services.

Under supervision of the nurse specialists deliver patient-centred, support and education as necessary to non-complex patients.

Encourage and support active and healthy lifestyle choices.

Under supervision of the nurse specialists, patients and their families to understand what signs, symptoms or situations to be aware of that would indicate concern.

Advise patients and their families on how to make contact when they feel that there are delays in their pathway.

Advise patients and their families on how to make contact when they feel that their condition or needs have changed, including what to do out of hours.

Information Processing

Registration of patients onto relevant databases ensuring all patient data both clinical and personal is electronically and accurately recorded.

Support information prescription delivery; this role may include sourcing appropriate material, printing out information prescriptions, assisting people accessing emailed information prescriptions.

Arrange and book appropriate outpatient appointments.

Document and monitor all aspects of care coordination and service delivery, supporting data collection for audit and outcome data.

Diary management.

Utilisation of local or Trust case note tracking system.

Ensure investigation reports are obtained, shown to medical staff, action taken and filed in patient case notes as soon as possible

Information Collection and Analysis

Undertake work to help the Directorate with any Audit information needed.

Use databases and computer packages to initiate and maintain records and generate statistics for analytical purposes.

Collect, collate and report routine and simple data.

Manage workload and liaise with colleagues in periods of annual leave and sickness.

Teaching & Training Responsibilities

Identify personal education needs and skills development with the registered practitioner.

Be responsible for own personal educational, keeping up to date with changes to practice, to ensure highest possible standards of work.

Participate in an annual review with the Nurse Specialists and Lead Liver/IBD Nurse ensuring highest possible standards of work.

Review own work against KSF outline and identify with the relevant people the activities to be undertaken to support learning and development.

Actively take part in learning activities and maintain a record of these in personal portfolio in order to obtain skills required for the post.

General Duties

To observe the provisions of and adhere to all Trust policies and procedures.

To actively participate in the annual performance review to identify personal development needs

To attend Trust Statutory and Mandatory training sessions as required and any other training courses relevant to the post.

To fully comply with the relevant sections of the Health and Safety at Work Act. They must also understand and implement St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Hospitals Trust “Statement of Policy on Health and Safety at Work” and the Trust corporate “Health and Safety Policies and Procedures”. You are required to follow all applicable rules and procedures relating to Health and Safety at Work and to take all responsible precautions to avoid actions.

To be aware of the confidential aspects of the post. To keep up to date with the requirements of information governance; undertake mandatory training and follow Trust policies and procedures to ensure that trust information is dealt with legally, securely, efficiently and effectively. Breaches of confidentiality will result in disciplinary action that may involve dismissal. You must maintain the confidentiality of information about service user staff and organisational business in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) and Caldicott principles.

The post holder should also be aware that, regardless of any action taken by the employing authority, breaches of confidentiality could result in civil action for damages.

All staff will be treated with respect by management, colleagues, patients and visitors and equally staff will treat management, colleagues, patients and visitors with the same level of respect. Staff will be supported to challenge any discriminatory behaviour that may be based on differences in race, disability, language, culture, religion, sexuality, age, and gender or employment status.

You will be expected to undertake the Trusts’ commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

To ensure that when creating, managing and sharing information records it is done in an appropriate way, subject to statutory requirements and agreed security and confidentiality policies, procedures and guidelines. All employees are responsible for implementing and maintaining data quality, ensuring that records are legible and attributable and that the record keeping is contemporaneous

In accordance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the post holder will actively participate in the prevention and control of infection within the capacity of their role. The Act requires the post holder to attend infection prevention and control training on induction and at regular updates and to take responsibility for the practical application of the training in the course of their work. Infection prevention and control must be included in any personal development plan and/or appraisal.

To adhere to relevant Code of Practice of Professional body (if appropriate)

The post holder must be flexible in the duties performed and it is expected that similar duties, not specifically listed above, will be carried out as required and may be cross site.

The duties contained in this job description are not intended to be exhaustive. The duties and responsibilities of this post are likely to evolve in line with the Trust’s continued organisational development.

• To adhere to the NHS Constitution and its principles and values. You must be aware of your Duty of Candour which means that you must be open and honest during your employment and if you see something wrong, you must raise it. You must read the NHS Constitution in full and can download this from the Trusts intranet site or the gov.uk website. Hard copies are available from the HR Department on request.

• The Trust is a non-smoking site. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action.