Tuberculosis (TB) Outreach Worker

An opportunity has arisen to join our TB team at St Georges Hospital in the role of TB Outreach Worker. This post is integral to supporting patients and their families with complex social needs through their TB treatment. You will work alongside the multidisciplinary team and other agencies to provide inclusive holistic care offering an individualised service respecting the many diverse and spiritual backgrounds of patients of patients cared for at St Georges Hospital. The TB Outreach Worker is a key team member who helps in the prevention of TB transmission through providing directly observed therapy (DOT) education and support accessing healthcare., The main duties of the job are to provide outreach support to patients and their families alongside the TB nursing team. This includes; supporting treatment adherence through DOT / VOT, pill counts, making home and community visits, supporting patients into hospital for appointments and investigations and liaising with agencies such as the Job Centre, immigration and housing departments., + To provide support and follow-up to complex patients including paediatrics, following training and assessment to provide community and clinic base directly observed therapy (DOT) and undertake random urine sample checks and pill counts in order to help assess patient's compliance. This will involve visiting patients in their homes and providing directly observed therapy (DOT) in a variety of community settings including homeless hostels.
+ To visit non attendees at home to encourage attendance at further appointments and clinics.
+ To work alongside TB Nurse Specialists to provide support and follow-up care to TB patients and their families
+ To identify specific needs in education of patients, relatives, and staff and facilitate meeting these requirements.
+ To offer an individualised service respecting the many diverse cultural and spiritual backgrounds of each family, offering confidentiality, and maintaining trust.
+ To assist in the prevention and control of spread of TB.
+ To link with primary care, local authority, voluntary and other agencies such as Find and Treat to provide access to support, and facilities needed for TB treatment. Many TB patients are socially excluded and therefore this post will aim to improve access to all primary healthcare and other services.
+ To participate in raising the profile of TB to local health care workers and others.
+ To access and manage charitable funds for patients who require support and incentives.
+ To manage patient access to Video Observed Therapy.

The TB service at St Georges Hospital provides specialist inpatient and outpatient services and care for the clinical diagnosis and management of TB patients. We are the tertiary referral centre for multi-drug resistant TB and provide specialist care for patients with TB meningitis and co-infection across South- West London.
The specialist nursing team consists of specialist nurses, an outreach worker and administrator and they deliver a number of services for TB patients; nurse led clinics for patients receiving treatment for active and latent TB, screening clinics for contacts of TB (adult and paediatric), occupational health contacts, new entrant screening clinics and screening for patients prior to receiving biologic treatments. We have a rapid access clinic for patients with symptoms of active TB who are referred from the community or other tertiary services. We work with inpatient teams to support the care of inpatients on TB treatment. We are the local TB team for HMP Wandsworth to whom we provide specialist advice.
St George's Hospital in Tooting - one of the country's principal teaching hospitals. It is a large organisation - with more than 9,000 staff - but retains a strong sense of community. We have strong links with the local populations we serve but are also recognised nationally and internationally for being a leader in research and innovation.