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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES

Professional / Clinical:

• To communicate and work in partnership with all members of the MDTs to ensure a seamless pathway of care for patients from diagnosis through treatment and follow up care

• To be an autonomous practitioner and manage own caseload and work with colleagues to provide the highest possible standards of care for patients diagnosed with an unknown primary cancer.

• To support and co-ordinate patient’s / family / carer from diagnosis onwards through all stages of their disease and treatment modalities and utilise excellent communication skills to complete appropriate onward referrals for your cohort of patients.

• To act as point of contact and offer to be the Womens Health ‘keyworker’ for patients and their families and carer.

• To provide and offer a wide range of information and support to patients their family and/or carers at all stages of their cancer journey this includes access and utilisation of Information Prescriptions and signposting to the Trust's Macmillan Information space.

• To competently act as the patients advocate and assist patients in understanding their disease and treatments available to them, to enable them to make informed choices about their care

• Assist in the co-ordination of patient treatment pathways between the various departments in both primary and secondary care to facilitate continuity of care

• To attend the Gynaecological Cancer outpatient clinics and triage/ prepare notes pre clinic to ensure necessary investigations organised.

• To be a core member of the Gynaecological MDT and site specific MDT’s where Women’s Health patients are being discussed and as deemed appropriate.

• To establish links and develop networking opportunities with other Women’s Health CNS’s in the London Cancer Network and Cancer Centre at UCH.  Attend joint CNS meetings/ events at UCH Cancer Centre.

• To develop nurse led clinics for EHNA (Electronic Health Needs Assessment) and post treatment dilator clinics for gynae-oncology patients.

• To support and assess all Women’s Health Cancer in-patients and liaise with ward staff and Consultant Gynaecologist & Oncologist as deemed appropriate and provide a seamless approach to communication to enhance the patient’s pathway and experience.

• To ensure all patients have access and are offered the provision of a health needs assessment (HNA) and the psychological assessment of patients.  You will be required to liaise with and ensure referral and appropriate signposting onto allied health professionals and services as required.

• To ensure that patients are referred onto other health care professionals and services to ensure a seamless, high quality pathway of care for them, their families and carers.

• To establish and maintain close working relationships with the Hospital and relevant Community Macmillan Palliative care teams.

• To be responsible in ensuring accurate and comprehensive documentation in all patients' notes which include the trusts EPR and Cancer database system.

• To work as part of the MDT’s core member and actively participate in the National Cancer Peer review process.

• To regularly attend the Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist Forum and participate in the agreed projects/work streams as agreed by the group. • To provide CNS cover for cancer nurse specialist colleagues during leave and absence.

• To be competent in managing your own timetable and caseload.

• To possess exemplary time management skills.

Education and Training:

• In conjunction with the Lead Cancer Nurse, identify education and training needs of relevant staff and develop education programmes to meet the identified needs.  Work towards specialist qualification within oncology.

• Ensure learning materials are available in clinical areas.

 • To be responsible for undertaking all statutory and mandatory training updates.

.• Act as specialist resource and provide information and advice for staff both in primary and secondary care settings through a variety of formats.

• Provide training to staff / professionals within Trust/ community on unknown primary cancers and their treatments

• Assist in producing any relevant literature to aid patient and health professional information.

• To ensure and be responsible for continuously updating specialist knowledge and skills in relevant field.

• To be responsible for ones own knowledge and awareness of all relevant Trust policies and protocols.

• To present and attend local, regional and national conferences as required and as deemed applicable.

• To actively participate in formal/informal education sessions within the trust and with external organisations including university programmes. Quality, Research and Audit

• Participate in both clinical and organisational audits, continually evaluating the effectiveness of the service provided against trust and national standards.

• To attend, participate and present at departmental audit meetings.

• To undertake research / audit topics appropriate to cancer of unknown primary and disseminate findings to relevant audiences through a variety of modes.

• To actively participate in multi-disciplinary research projects.

• To participate in the collection of data required by the Trust to input into the cancer registry and  cancer database.

• To encourage user involvement to identify potential areas for service development.

• To actively participate in local, network and national patient satisfaction surveys and provide detailed action plans to assist in improving patient experience, pathway and service provision.

Management and Supervision Responsibilities:

• To constantly review the Women’s Health service provision, development and patient feedback in liaison with your line manager in collaboration with the Lead Cancer Nurse and relevant MDT members.

• To undertake and understand appropriate risk within area of practice.

• Act as a resource within your role as a senior nurse, advisor and liaison for issues relating to staff within the Trust, Primary Care and Tertiary Centres (This includes junior doctors, imaging consultants and radiographers, histopathology, medical secretaries, ward staff at all levels and clerical staff).

• To produce an Annual report detailing the service of which you work within for the manager, MDT and Macmillan Cancer Support outlining the key achievements in your role, a clear demonstration of the numbers within your case load over the last year and include any future aims, developments, projects/plans in the future for service.

• To participate in Service Development Plans.

• To identify a supervisor and participate in a monthly clinical supervision session as set out by the Cancer Nurse Specialist core competencies.

• To use resources effectively.

• To be visible and accessible to patients, ensuring cover is arranged for periods of absence or leave.

This job description is an outline only and may be subject to change in accordance to the needs of the service and in consultation with the post holder and their line manager/ Lead Cancer Nurse. The post holder will actively promote and at all times carry out his/her duties with regard to the Trusts’ Equal Opportunities Policy and the Data Protection Act