Cancer Care Navigator - Hyndburn Central PCN

NHS; Accrington; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

The East Lancashire Alliance is recruiting a Cancer Care Navigator to enhance cancer care coordination within the Primary Care Network. This role involves collaboration with healthcare teams and supporting patients throughout their cancer journey, focusing on early detection and seamless care. The role requires strong organizational skills, effective communication, and a proactive approach to patient care. Join a committed multidisciplinary team in making a difference in patient outcomes across East Lancashire.

Qualifications

• Experience of office procedures in an administration role.
• Understanding of Clinical Governance and Data Protection.
• Driver with sole use of vehicle.

Responsibilities

• Support patients through the early cancer diagnostic pathway.
• Develop and implement cancer screening improvement action plans.
• Provide coordination across health and care services.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Good standard of education GCSE or equivalent in English and Mathematics

A-level / NVQ level 3 or equivalent

Tools

Emis

Job description

Job summary

The East Lancashire Alliance is currently recruiting a Cancer Care Navigator on behalf of the Hyndburn Central PCN.

Main duties of the job

The Cancer Care Navigator will have responsibility for supporting and developing co-ordination and management of the Early Detection & Prevention of Cancer across the Primary Care Network and ensuring that the early part of the patients cancer journey is as seamless as possible.

You are to work within our Primary Care Network (PCN) multidisciplinary healthcare team. This role gives the exciting opportunity to work with a committed team and to help shape the delivery of services, and projects to the patient population. The candidate will need a flexible approach to change and be instrumental in the delivery of the PCNs aims for patient centred care.

About us

The East Lancashire Alliance is a network of 9 PCNs covering 48 GP practices covering a population of over 390,000 patients across East Lancashire. Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves in ensuring our patients feel safe, supported, communicated with and respected at a time when they may be feeling vulnerable. The Alliance are proud to represent our member practices and to champion our Primary Care Partners, by working with local general practice and other system partners in the provision of patient centred, local healthcare services.

Each practice has a close-knit team of staff who collectively seek to improve the health of their patient populations.

East Lancashire is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside, to the heart of the vibrant inner Towns and Villages with great shopping, entertainment and dining options. Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.

Details Date posted

17 June 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

Depending on experience Band 4 Agenda for Change Like

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Flexible working

Reference number

B0467-25-0039

Job locations

Acorn Centre

421 Blackburn Road

Accrington

Lancashire

BB5 1RT

Job description Job responsibilities

To assist the Primary Care Network (PCN) in delivering improvements to the services we provide our patients in relation to the following aspects of patient care - Participation in national cancer screening programmes.

Ensuring robust and supportive referral practices are in place for patients suspected of having cancer; including use of guidelines, professional development, and safety netting of those referred.

Run reports from clinical systems such as Emis (training will be provided if needed).

In support of collaborative working the post holder will form productive and supportive relationships with practice staff who have the skills, knowledge and remit to contribute to this work. e.g., GP practice non clinical cancer champions, social prescribers, pharmacists, secretaries etc.

The post holder will assist the PCN constituent practices to evaluate their screening uptake and engage hard to reach populations and to reduce health inequalities. This will include working alongside practices to enhance processes to track and follow-up screening non-responders.

Take forward proactive monitoring and tracking of patients suspected or confirmed of having a cancer diagnosis ensuring that their journey is processed in a timely and efficient manner, in line with Cancer Waiting Time Targets.

Provide advice and support to practices on cancer audit/referral review of cancer diagnoses. To work with practices to collate the learning from case reviews to identify any trends or learning.

Develop with core staff across the PCN consistent safety netting approaches/systems to monitoring patients who have been referred urgently with suspected cancer or for further investigations to exclude the possibility of cancer.

Source appropriate resources, training, system examples from appropriate organisation such as the Cancer Alliance, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan, and local authority partners.

Be a point of contact for PCN member Practices to develop and implement their cancer screening improvement action plans.

Create a Library of PCN data packs and other resources to support the delivery of information to patients in a wide variety of formats to meet the needs of all patient groups, including those with Learning Disabilities, and people for whom English is not a first language.

Review practice coding for report building and templates to ensure consistency across the PCN and accuracy of data. Identify coding anomalies and liaise with Ardens (template and reports used by all member practices).

Provide the PCN with support to host peer-to-peer learning events that look at data and trends in diagnosis and screening across a Network. Including appropriate contributors from other organisations

Provide support and guidance to ARRS staff in the running and operation of their appointment sessions.

Book patient appointments where necessary.

Code clinician and administration contacts.

Generate reports to help analyse data to understand capacity and demand.

Support patients to book appointments, as part of the various projects, programmes and clinical initiatives

Help patients manage their needs by answering queries, making and managing appointments, and making sure that patients have understandable written or verbal information to help them make choices about their care.

Support or manage clinics as required including management and monitoring of services and staff rotas.

Help patients gain access to self-management education courses and peer support/interventions that support them to take more control of their health and wellbeing

Support the coordination and delivery of muti-disciplinary meetings.

Adhere to organisations policies and procedures, guided by occupational policies and procedures in primary and secondary care.

Work without supervision, plan own workload and seek guidance as required from line manager and colleagues.

Administrative support as required.

Understand what a Primary Care Network is, and how support is provided to patients because of improved collaboration of working between health and social care services.

Work with key people in the PCN to develop & support collective general practice projects including areas of federated working.

The post holder should demonstrate good organisation and time management skills.

Always maintain confidentiality.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment & Therapy

Support the process of holistically bringing together all of a persons identified care and support needs and explore options to meet these within single personalised care and support plan (PCSP), in line with PCSP best practice based on what matters to the person.

Work both directly and indirectly with patients and their carers to help navigate patients through the early part of the cancer diagnostic pathway. To improve patient compliance and experience, ensuring that all patients are signposted to /or receive information on their referral - including safety netting advice.

To ensure patients continue to be monitored and supported post treatment completion, supporting the patient and their family for post treatment rehabilitation where necessary.

Ensuring Cancer Care reviews are performed by the relevant clinician/s at 3 months and 12 months intervals according to the Quality & Outcomes Framework.

Ability to input information accurately and in a timely manner and to work to tight deadlines.

Develop with practices systems to ensure high quality patient referrals are completed (i.e. the effective review of referrals to ensure with all pre-work such as blood tests or scans are actioned in advance as required).

Be responsible for identifying and resolving delays in the patient pathway, looking at diagnostic test dates and outpatient appointments. Where this is not possible, ways forward are to be discussed with the practice/PCN.

Adaptable and flexible to differing operational frameworks of individual practice and patient needs.

Support the process of helping patients to manage their needs through answering queries, making and managing appointments and ensuring that patients have good quality written or verbal information to help them make choices about their care.

Support the process of patients being able to take up training and employment and to access appropriate benefits where eligible.

Assist the process for patients to access self-management education courses, peer support or interventions that support them in their health and wellbeing increase their activation level.

Supports the process of patients being able to access personal health budgets where appropriate.

Provide co-ordination and navigation for patients and their carers across health and care services, working closely with Social Prescribing Link Workers, Health & Wellbeing Partnership Coaches and other primary care professionals.

Effectively uses all methods of communication and is aware of and manages barriers to communication.

Supports the process that provides information to patients, their carers and/or relatives on behalf of the team.

Is the point of liaison for service users and interfaces with all health and social care professionals, including keeping everyone informed and updated.

Receives and collates information in connection with the PCN work streams.

Is able to use risk stratification tools provided and supports presentation information in review meetings.

Follows through actions identified in the PCN work streams including arranging tests, referrals, signposting, etc.

For further information please refer to the attached job description

Job description Job responsibilities

To assist the Primary Care Network (PCN) in delivering improvements to the services we provide our patients in relation to the following aspects of patient care - Participation in national cancer screening programmes.

Ensuring robust and supportive referral practices are in place for patients suspected of having cancer; including use of guidelines, professional development, and safety netting of those referred.

Run reports from clinical systems such as Emis (training will be provided if needed).

In support of collaborative working the post holder will form productive and supportive relationships with practice staff who have the skills, knowledge and remit to contribute to this work. e.g., GP practice non clinical cancer champions, social prescribers, pharmacists, secretaries etc.

The post holder will assist the PCN constituent practices to evaluate their screening uptake and engage hard to reach populations and to reduce health inequalities. This will include working alongside practices to enhance processes to track and follow-up screening non-responders.

Take forward proactive monitoring and tracking of patients suspected or confirmed of having a cancer diagnosis ensuring that their journey is processed in a timely and efficient manner, in line with Cancer Waiting Time Targets.

Provide advice and support to practices on cancer audit/referral review of cancer diagnoses. To work with practices to collate the learning from case reviews to identify any trends or learning.

Develop with core staff across the PCN consistent safety netting approaches/systems to monitoring patients who have been referred urgently with suspected cancer or for further investigations to exclude the possibility of cancer.

Source appropriate resources, training, system examples from appropriate organisation such as the Cancer Alliance, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan, and local authority partners.

Be a point of contact for PCN member Practices to develop and implement their cancer screening improvement action plans.

Create a Library of PCN data packs and other resources to support the delivery of information to patients in a wide variety of formats to meet the needs of all patient groups, including those with Learning Disabilities, and people for whom English is not a first language.

Review practice coding for report building and templates to ensure consistency across the PCN and accuracy of data. Identify coding anomalies and liaise with Ardens (template and reports used by all member practices).

Provide the PCN with support to host peer-to-peer learning events that look at data and trends in diagnosis and screening across a Network. Including appropriate contributors from other organisations

Provide support and guidance to ARRS staff in the running and operation of their appointment sessions.

Book patient appointments where necessary.

Code clinician and administration contacts.

Generate reports to help analyse data to understand capacity and demand.

Support patients to book appointments, as part of the various projects, programmes and clinical initiatives

Help patients manage their needs by answering queries, making and managing appointments, and making sure that patients have understandable written or verbal information to help them make choices about their care.

Support or manage clinics as required including management and monitoring of services and staff rotas.

Help patients gain access to self-management education courses and peer support/interventions that support them to take more control of their health and wellbeing

Support the coordination and delivery of muti-disciplinary meetings.

Adhere to organisations policies and procedures, guided by occupational policies and procedures in primary and secondary care.

Work without supervision, plan own workload and seek guidance as required from line manager and colleagues.

Administrative support as required.

Understand what a Primary Care Network is, and how support is provided to patients because of improved collaboration of working between health and social care services.

Work with key people in the PCN to develop & support collective general practice projects including areas of federated working.

The post holder should demonstrate good organisation and time management skills.

Always maintain confidentiality.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment & Therapy

Support the process of holistically bringing together all of a persons identified care and support needs and explore options to meet these within single personalised care and support plan (PCSP), in line with PCSP best practice based on what matters to the person.

Work both directly and indirectly with patients and their carers to help navigate patients through the early part of the cancer diagnostic pathway. To improve patient compliance and experience, ensuring that all patients are signposted to /or receive information on their referral - including safety netting advice.

To ensure patients continue to be monitored and supported post treatment completion, supporting the patient and their family for post treatment rehabilitation where necessary.

Ensuring Cancer Care reviews are performed by the relevant clinician/s at 3 months and 12 months intervals according to the Quality & Outcomes Framework.

Ability to input information accurately and in a timely manner and to work to tight deadlines.

Develop with practices systems to ensure high quality patient referrals are completed (i.e. the effective review of referrals to ensure with all pre-work such as blood tests or scans are actioned in advance as required).

Be responsible for identifying and resolving delays in the patient pathway, looking at diagnostic test dates and outpatient appointments. Where this is not possible, ways forward are to be discussed with the practice/PCN.

Adaptable and flexible to differing operational frameworks of individual practice and patient needs.

Support the process of helping patients to manage their needs through answering queries, making and managing appointments and ensuring that patients have good quality written or verbal information to help them make choices about their care.

Support the process of patients being able to take up training and employment and to access appropriate benefits where eligible.

Assist the process for patients to access self-management education courses, peer support or interventions that support them in their health and wellbeing increase their activation level.

Supports the process of patients being able to access personal health budgets where appropriate.

Provide co-ordination and navigation for patients and their carers across health and care services, working closely with Social Prescribing Link Workers, Health & Wellbeing Partnership Coaches and other primary care professionals.

Effectively uses all methods of communication and is aware of and manages barriers to communication.

Supports the process that provides information to patients, their carers and/or relatives on behalf of the team.

Is the point of liaison for service users and interfaces with all health and social care professionals, including keeping everyone informed and updated.

Receives and collates information in connection with the PCN work streams.

Is able to use risk stratification tools provided and supports presentation information in review meetings.

Follows through actions identified in the PCN work streams including arranging tests, referrals, signposting, etc.

For further information please refer to the attached job description

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Good standard of education GCSE or equivalent in English and Mathematics

Desirable

• A-level / NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience in admin / business / marketing / customer service environment
• Degree level education or equivalent

Experience Essential

• Experience of office procedures working at a high level as part of an administration team / within an administration role.
• Experience of setting up and implementing internal processes and procedures.
• Experience of dealing with sensitive/confidential information.
• Experience of working with reception / telephone environments.
• Proven administrative experience.

Desirable

• Experience of Project support/management.
• Experience of working within Multidisciplinary teams.

Knowledge Essential

• Understanding of Clinical Governance
• Understanding of Confidentiality and Data Protection Act

Desirable

• Working knowledge of the management of databases
• Knowledge of local guidelines
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant health and social care legislation and initiatives

Other Essential

• Driver with sole use of vehicle

Autonomy Essential

• Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales

Skills & Abilities Essential

• Understanding and able to deal with confidential and sensitive issues when liaising with team members / other professionals
• Ability to prioritise and organise workload to meet deadlines
• Ability to work under pressure with constant interruptions requiring skills in multi-tasking, maintaining accuracy at all times
• Ability to problem solve and support others in resolving problems
• Ability to work in partnership with other agencies
• Ability to manage conflicting issues assertively and sensitively

Desirable

• Ability to use electronic patient record / Emis

Personal Qualities Essential

• Adaptable and flexible
• Ability to use own initiative when appropriate
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships
• Ability to challenge and be challenged
• Ability to motivate self and others, and to work as part of a team
• Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
• Ability to communicate with a high level of effectiveness both verbally and in writing

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Good standard of education GCSE or equivalent in English and Mathematics

Desirable

• A-level / NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience in admin / business / marketing / customer service environment
• Degree level education or equivalent

Experience Essential

• Experience of office procedures working at a high level as part of an administration team / within an administration role.
• Experience of setting up and implementing internal processes and procedures.
• Experience of dealing with sensitive/confidential information.
• Experience of working with reception / telephone environments.
• Proven administrative experience.

Desirable

• Experience of Project support/management.
• Experience of working within Multidisciplinary teams.

Knowledge Essential

• Understanding of Clinical Governance
• Understanding of Confidentiality and Data Protection Act

Desirable

• Working knowledge of the management of databases
• Knowledge of local guidelines
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant health and social care legislation and initiatives

Other Essential

• Driver with sole use of vehicle

Autonomy Essential

• Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales

Skills & Abilities Essential

• Understanding and able to deal with confidential and sensitive issues when liaising with team members / other professionals
• Ability to prioritise and organise workload to meet deadlines
• Ability to work under pressure with constant interruptions requiring skills in multi-tasking, maintaining accuracy at all times
• Ability to problem solve and support others in resolving problems
• Ability to work in partnership with other agencies
• Ability to manage conflicting issues assertively and sensitively

Desirable

• Ability to use electronic patient record / Emis

Personal Qualities Essential

• Adaptable and flexible
• Ability to use own initiative when appropriate
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships
• Ability to challenge and be challenged
• Ability to motivate self and others, and to work as part of a team
• Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
• Ability to communicate with a high level of effectiveness both verbally and in writing

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details Employer name

East Lancashire Alliance

Address

Acorn Centre

421 Blackburn Road

Accrington

Lancashire

BB5 1RT

Employer's website

https://eastlancashirealliance.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

East Lancashire Alliance

Address

Acorn Centre

421 Blackburn Road

Accrington

Lancashire

BB5 1RT

Employer's website

https://eastlancashirealliance.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)