Healthcare Navigator

**Job summary**: Contributes to, and advises on, helping inclusion groups and clients with complex or multiple needs accessing healthcare across Northumberland. Provides support and advice to a range of professionals from across sectors to achieve best outcomes for clients. Develops and maintains public health information and support structures. Facilitates and provides training courses in own area of expertise.

May maintain information directories and data collection systems. To role model compassionate and inclusive leadership in order to shape the creation of a collective leadership culture within the Council. This means demonstrating a consistent leadership style which (a) engages, enables, and empowers others (b) uses coaching to promote ownership of learning and quality improvement and (c) facilitates team working and collaboration within teams / departments and across organisational boundaries. Staff: Works closely with members of the internal Housing and Public Health Teams and may provide training for staff and public in a range of public health areas.

Works closely with colleagues in NHS General Practice, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Secondary Care/Hospital and Community Services(including Mental Healthcare), Adult and Childrens Social Care and the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). May line manage staff. Finance: Responsible for a budget of between £5,000-10,000 to support client costs. Reports to manager.

**Physical**: Analysis of health data and effectiveness of public health initiatives and programmes. Responsible for safe use of training and IT equipment. Orders public health campaign resources. Clients: Assists with the development of policies and procedures for supporting and assessing the needs of some of our most vulnerable adults, children, and families.

Delivers support and training to community groups, healthcare professionals and others, as appropriate. Key duties and result areas: The postholder will help inclusion groups (e.g. people seeking asylum, refugees) and people with complex or multiple needs living in Northumberland to: Understand and navigate the NHS. Register with a GP.

Reduce stigma and increase confidence in accessing the healthcare system. Attend or change GP and hospital appointments. Understand how to access preventative interventions such as NHS Health Checks and stop smoking services, and other services or support that can improve their health. Improve their health and healthcare literacy.

**The postholder will also**: Contribute to improving our understanding of the barriers that prevent inclusion groups from accessing effective healthcare so that action can be taken to address these. Take part in outreach activities with clients, community groups, system partners and clinicians to provide holistic insights and enable targeted planningand improvement to inequality outcomes. Proactively engage with families to understand and address their needs. Support the monitoring and evaluation of the intervention.

Work with partners to ensure communication materials are available in appropriate languages or format. Examples of possible duties and responsibilities: Respond to health care queries from existing clients, for example prescription issues, appointments, and transport issues. Respond to non-health related queries by directing the client to the right service. Co-ordinate and provide administrative support to the relevant teams to ensure that all the relevant paperwork and clinical information is available (with the clients consent).

Accompany clients with complex needs to medical appointments (where wanted and consent given) and booking taxis and arrange transport as and when required. Work in collaboration with other services to support and facilitate the clients to become orientated to the local area and to learn to use public transport. Support clients and clinicians to follow up on referrals to other services. Update on enquiries regarding a clients care to GPs and other clinicians (with consent).

Develop an understanding of the milestones of the allocated pathway for clients within a designated group. Attend relevant meetings and complete actions regarding the care of clients. Identify barriers to access to care and suggest improvements that can be made to client care and process. The navigator will be expected to develop their knowledge of local services, using existing databases and developing links with service providers, keeping up to date with service changes and developments.

The navigator should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the impact of the service on wider health, social and voluntary sector services. Action day-to-day issues, ensuring resolution and escalating serious issues to management as appropriate. Ensure the timely and efficient responses of information between other organisations involved in the client care pathway, adhering to agreed communication pathways and protocols. Work within a multi-disciplinary team in developing th