Macmillan Cancer Support Worker

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Macmillan cancer support worker to join the Upper GI team and to be a part of the development of the service to support people with Upper GI within Hywel Dda. The cancer support workers role is to develop and provide holistic needs assessments service for cancer patients and assist, support and co-ordinate the pathway for patients under the supervision of the cancer CNS Team. A large part of the role will be to be responsible for providing administrative and coordinative support to patients, families, providing holistic needs assessments and coordinating and monitoring the risk stratified follow up pathway. Working under the supervision of the clinical nurse specialists, the support worker must ensure the efficient channelling and close co-ordination of the patient pathway ensuring robust communication between consultants, cancer nurse specialists, GP's and other staff involved in the cancer pathway., To provide general information and support about cancer and cancer services. A key aspect of the role involves daily and direct (e.g. face to face and telephone) communication with patients, relatives, carers, and other health and social care professionals. The information and nature of the communication required is sensitive due to the nature of cancer. Communication in this context requires a high degree of empathy, understanding, diplomacy, honestly and integrity.

Triage patients, using a risk assessment framework and initiate appropriate response according to the protocols and individual pathways, using good communication skills, basic clinical awareness and appropriate tools and procedures, liaising as appropriate when non routine and refer complex decisions to the team for assessment and review.

Provide basic telephone and face to face advice and refer on or sign-post to other sources of support. Provide support to patients in clinic setting when required. Coordinate the necessary assessments, appointments or investigations to fast track people back into the system when required.

Demonstrate the ability to recognise and respond appropriately when faced with a sudden deterioration or an emergency situation, alerting the team or enabling rapid response as appropriate.Support information provision and signpost as appropriate. Guide people through the use of self-assessment resources.

Hywel Dda University Health Board is the planner and provider of NHS healthcare services for people in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and its bordering counties. Our 12,000 members of staff provide primary, community, in-hospital, mental health and learning disabilities services to almost 400,000 people across a quarter of the landmass of Wales. We do this in partnership with our three local authorities and public, private and third sector colleagues, including our volunteers, through:

Four main hospitals: Bronglais General in Aberystwyth, Glangwili General in Carmarthen, Prince Philip in Llanelli and Withybush General in Haverfordwest.

Five community hospitals: Amman Valley Hospital and Llandovery Hospital in Carmarthenshire, Tregaron Hospital in Ceredigion and Tenby and South Pembrokeshire Hospital Health and Social Care Resource Centre in Pembrokeshire.