Navigator - Lung Cancer

As a Lung Cancer Pathway Navigator, you will be an integral member of the Lung Cancer Multidisciplinary Team (MDT).

You will use exceptional organisational, communication and interpersonal skills to support the CNS team as well as patients & carers, members of the Cancer Services Team and clinicians delivering direct patient care for patients referred to the Lung cancer Service at Somerset Foundation Trust (SFT) and Yeovil District Hospital (YDH).

The post holder will liaise with the patient/carers to provide details of next appointments /investigations also following up on any cases where the patient has failed to attend.

You will work collaboratively across primary care and secondary care to ensure effective identification and flagging of vulnerable patients or those requiring reasonable adjustments to services early in the pathway.

As an organisation, the NHS offers a wide range of benefits including flexible working, pension contributions, market leading annual leave allowance, career progression and regular conversations, not to mention our Blue Light Card and NHS exclusive discounts.

The benefits of working in Somerset include the idyllic countryside, with our areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines. You will get to enjoy these perks whilst still only being a stone’s throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London.

There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable. You will experience the best of both in Somerset, the countryside and the cosmopolitan - there is truly something for everyone

**The post holder will support the CNS team by**:

- Meeting with patients in 2 Week Wait clinic alongside CNS, explaining the Navigator role and give appropriate contact details.
- Tracking and enhancing the patient journey throughout their diagnostic pathways is a key priority in order to achieve the National target of referral to diagnosis, or exclusion of cancer within 28 days of GP referral, with close attention to timelines and minimising delays
- Streamlining the patient journey will enable improved patient outcomes and patient experience through earlier diagnosis of cancer and ensure effective patient centred services.
- Work collaboratively across primary and secondary care and third sector organisations with responsibility to provide an effective caring and compassionate service to patients to optimise their access to cancer services through close working with MDT teams.
- To ensure investigations are booked, reports are available, and staging is complete.
- They will act as patient advocate and facilitator to overcome barriers to timely access to cancer services, utilising interpersonal skills and resources across the health service.
- Responsible for escalation of any concerns in respect of individual patient pathways that may result in breaches of cancer waiting time standards.
- Using initiative and working autonomously to resolve issues where these fall within their sphere of knowledge and competence
- Communicating complex issues onwards to the CNS for their management
- Providing basic telephone and face to face advice to patients, relatives and carers along with signposting where necessary
- Working alongside the MDT coordinator tracking investigations and ensuring timely discussion at MDT meetings
- Ensuring timely return of investigations / reports requested by medical staff, drawing attention of clinical team to any abnormal or unusual results
- Be the first point of contact for the Lung Prehab service, book patients into appointments and then make weekly follow up calls with patients to assess and track their progress. Feed back info and any concerns to Prehab Project Manager and team.