Description:
- To act as the key point of contact for patients, coordinating and providing first line support to the patient whilst they are moving through the diagnostic pathway; signposting on to other services as the need is identified e.g. psychological support
- Communicate with a range of clinical and non-clinical staff concerning progress of patients along the diagnostic pathway
- Provide and receive complex information and facilitate communication between different clinical services as part of managing the patients pathway
- Co-ordination of care to ensure seamless patient pathways
- Ensuring that test results, clinic letters and notes are available and communicated to the clinical team at the earliest opportunity to inform the next steps in the pathway.
- Work closely with the MDT Co-ordinators to ensure good preparation of cases for MDT discussion and that MDT outcomes are followed up in a timely manner.
- To foster good links and relationships between all members of the team who are involved in the patient’s pathway.
- Foster good links between patients and their key worker / Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Collection of patient information from test results, clinic notes and MDT’s in order to complete data
- Ensure accurate cancer waiting times data is collected and recorded for each cancer site responsible for and adhere to relevant deadlines
- Ensure site specific data is collected on relevant databases, using identified data collection processes, in agreement with clinical teams
- To provide basic analysis of the data for Clinicians and the Cancer Data Coordinator and assist in any audits when required
- To develop new and maintain existing contacts with the appropriate departments within the Trust
- To liaise with members of staff at all levels, e.g. Consultants and other health professionals in the Trust and also with the tertiary centres
- To ensure accurate entry of data to the Somerset Cancer Register allowing data transfer on agreed deadlines and in accordance with National data submissions. For example COSD
- Tracking of patients with targets set to predict when next data collection is required, and to check if all investigations are underway
- To provide cover for other Care Navigators in times of absence for example annual leave, sickness absence
- Undertake any other ad hoc duties deemed relevant to the post and grade
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Responsible for co-ordination of the diagnostic pathway of patient referred under a 2 week rule process, ensuring that all cancer data/information is stored and transmitted in a format, which adheres to all aspects of the Caldicott guidelines.
- Work within defined protocols and procedures for management of the patient pathways, under supervision of oversight of the clinical team
- Due to the sensitive nature of cancer information, ensure that the system, recording processes and MDT processes fulfil both Information Governance and Data Protection requirements/rules.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Regularly review procedures to ensure working processes are fit for purpose.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES
- Support the Cancer Data Coordinator in training new Care Navigators and MDT coordinators
RESEARCH & AUDIT
- To provide basic analysis of the data for Clinicians and the Cancer Data Coordinator and assist in any audits when required.
- To participate in ad hoc projects such as the Cancer Services Improvement Partnership.