Lung Cancer Support Worker, Band 4

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension Scheme

Discounts at local shops/restaurants

Two on-site nurseries

Discounted public transport

Flexible working opportunities

Generous annual leave

Job summary

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Lung Cancer Support Worker (Band 4) for 22.5 hours per week. You will support cancer patients to navigate health and social care systems and deliver holistic needs assessments under the CNS team.

The role includes coordinating care, providing empathetic communications with patients and carers, and helping develop care plans across site NHS services. Interview date 5 October 2026.

Qualifications

• Computer literate; use of Microsoft products.
• Previous NHS experience in patient care.
• Experience of multi professional working.
• Able to use own initiative and work without supervision.
• English and Maths GCSE
• Relevant Health or social care experience at AFC band 3 or equivalent
• Experience of coordinating a patient workload
• Knowledge of cancer treatments/interventions

Responsibilities

• Provide information and support about cancer services to help navigate the health and social care system.
• Daily and direct communication with patients, relatives, carers and professionals with empathy, diplomacy and integrity.
• Support patients through cancer treatment and survivorship, including Holistic Needs Assessments.
• Undertake Holistic Needs Assessments and formulate Care Plans.
• Assist CNS team in redesigning care pathways to improve quality and safety.

Skills

Empathy & communication

Self-initiative

Team collaboration

Multi-professional working

Microsoft Office

Education

English and Maths GCSE

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Current jobs at Gloucestershire Hospitals

Main area Lung Cancer Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week (3 days per week) Job ref 318-26-T0621

Site Trustwide Town Gloucestershire Salary £28,392 - £31,157 (pa, pro rata if part-time) Salary period Yearly Closing 27/09/2026 23:59 Interview date 05/10/2026

At Gloucestershire Hospitals, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As the county’s largest employer, we are proud to provide high-quality acute, elective, and specialist services to more than 650,000 people across our county. Our care is delivered across Gloucestershire Royal, Cheltenham General and Stroud Maternity Hospital.

With over 9,000 employees representing more than 95 nationalities, bringing together a mix of cultures and experiences to the care that we deliver. Whether you’re beginning your NHS journey or looking to take the next step in your career, this is an exciting time to join us. We’re investing heavily in innovation, research, and transformation, with more than 100 active clinical studies and major developments underway across our hospitals.

We take pride in working as one team, driven by a shared ambition to grow, develop, and continually improve. Every contribution is valued and by combining our collective strengths, we support not only our diverse communities but one another. You can expect a warm, supportive culture and colleagues who are passionate about teamwork, professional development and delivering exceptional care. We offer structured development programmes, mentoring and leadership opportunities to help you progress in your career.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from a comprehensive package that includes flexible working opportunities, generous annual leave, the NHS pension scheme, competitive bank rates, local discounts, access to on-site nurseries, reduced public transport costs, reward and recognition schemes and a wide range of health and wellbeing initiatives.

Be part of Gloucestershire Hospitals, explore your future with us today.

Job overview

Lung Cancer Support Worker, Band 4 (22.5 hours a week)

The postholder will be an integral part of the cancer team, who works under the supervision of the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). The main purpose of the role is to support people to navigate the complex health and social care system during and/or following completion of cancer treatment. The post holder will coordinate care by delivering emotional and practical support to patients with a diagnosis of cancer. You will specifically lead in the delivery of Holistic Needs Assessment’s which aim to identify and address patient’s concerns.

The post holder will be working across site.

The proposed interview date is 5th October

Main duties of the job

• To provide general information and support about cancer services, to enable people to navigate the health and social care system and make choices that are best for their cancer and their life.
• A key aspect of the role involves daily and direct (e.g., face-to-face, virtual and telephone) communication with patients, relatives, carers and other health and social care professionals. The information and nature of communication required is sensitive due to the nature of cancer. Communication in this context requires a high degree of empathy, understanding, diplomacy, honesty and integrity.
• To meet the challenge of supporting patients living with the consequences of a cancer diagnosis. Encompassing patients receiving curative and palliative treatments and supportive care.
• Establish a process of Holistic Needs Assessment. Undertaking patient assessments and formulating individual Care Plans to best suit patient needs and preferences.
• To support the CNS team by contributing to the redesign of care pathways for patients with cancer to improve quality and patient safety.

Working for our organisation

We take pride in placing people at the centre of everything we do, working together as a united team. Driven by a shared ambition to continually grow, develop, and learn, we recognise and value every contribution. By combining our experience and skills, we not only support our vibrant, diverse communities, but also support one another.

With a team of over 9,000 employees, we are proud to be the largest employer in Gloucestershire and rank among the top 10 largest Trusts in the South West region. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from an excellent package that includes exclusive benefits, flexible working opportunities and the chance to gain valuable experience in one or both of our innovative hospitals.

As well as generous annual leave allowance, you will have access to the excellent NHS pension scheme, competitive bank rates, discounts at local shops and restaurants, access to two on-site nurseries, discounted public transport, reward and recognition and a range of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To undertake by negotiation, administrative tasks currently undertaken by the CNS team ie monitoring of databases, monitoring telephone helpline.
• Provide basic telephone advice and refer to / or signpost to other sources of support.
• Communicate and signpost to appropriate needs related information.
• To be actively involved in service development plans such as Prehab etc.
• Guide people using self-assessment resources.
• To strengthen the links with primary and secondary services and refer to multi‑disciplinary team members as appropriate
• Be proactive and motivated; to be able to identify areas of potential future role development and demonstrate how this will contribute to an enhanced provision of patient care within the team.
• To undertake specific supervised and unsupervised work, organising and prioritising own caseload (within clearly defined boundaries).
• To directly support patients with non‑complex needs, providing practical support and advice.
• To comply with Trust and Departmental policies and procedures e.g., Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), Manual Handline, clinical equipment competency, risk management, Data Protection Acts and patient confidentiality at all times. This will include demonstrating compliance with the terms of all safeguarding policies and processes relevant to the safeguarding of adults and children in the care of GHNHSFT and undergoing regular mandatory training concerned with safeguarding matters.
• Support people to access appropriate information and support, by signposting to a range of support services and taking an approach which helps people self‑manage where appropriate
• Advise patients on individual self‑care management principles and review/further promote this information
• Encourage and support active and healthy lifestyle choices
• Planning/inviting/organising of health and well‑being events or other supported self‑management
• Carry out some administration duties required by the role
• Order supplies and equipment
• 1. Professional Development, Education and Training
• Demonstrate self‑directed learning, actively seeking role development opportunities to enhance knowledge and role progression
• Identify personal education needs and skills development with the registered practitioner
• 2. Communications and Working Relationships
• To utilise verbal and nonverbal communication skills to effectively communicate with patients, their families and carers. This may include patients/carers who may or may not have barriers to communication e.g., language, through cognitive or physical impairment
• To co‑ordinate access to the right information and education resources to support people in making decisions about aspects of their own care, enable independence and support self‑management as appropriate. Develop a partnership approach to working to empower patients and carers.
• To motivate patients to enroll in rehabilitation, where there may be reluctance or communication difficulties
• Comment on proposed changes to policies and procedures
• Support and contribute to audit processes and service development
• Make sure that people affected by cancer are aware that they are interacting with a healthcare professional and know about the full range of resources and services available
• Understand that there will be frequent exposure to distressing/highly distressing situations and when to seek appropriate support/advice
• Take an active part in team meetings and audits as required
• Encourage and support active and healthy lifestyle choices
• To form a link with all health and well‑being events, referring patients as appropriate
• To encourage patients to enroll in prehab recommendations to optimise outcomes where appropriate
• Deliver patient‑centered, self‑management support and education as necessary to non‑complex patients, including how to self‑assess
• 3. Mental and Emotional Effort
• Make sure that people affected by cancer are aware that they are interacting with a healthcare professional and know about the full range of resources and services available
• Understand that there will be frequent exposure to distressing/highly distressing situations and when to seek appropriate support/advice
• Demonstrate an awareness of the limits of own practice and knowledge and when to seek appropriate support/advice
• To receive regular clinical supervision as required
• 4. Most Challenging Part of the Role
• Frequent exposure to emotional challenges when dealing with relatives and/or carers coping with uncertainty, loss of status/role, grief and physical change
• Frequent use of IT equipment, e.g., laptops
• Occasional exposure to aggressive or abusive patients or relatives
• To utilise the appropriate skills to communicate and assess patients being or having been treated for cancer or receiving supportive care.
• Assisting patients to contribute to the development of their own care plan, empowering them to make decisions at times where there may be anxiety and uncertainty.
• To encourage patients to enroll in prehab recommendations to optimise outcomes.
• To motivate patients to enroll in rehabilitation and other lifestyle changes, when there may be reluctance or communication difficulties.
• To provide high quality care in a fast paced, ever changing working environment within the resources available. To contribute to the delivery of Trust Targets and National cancer initiatives.
• To manage an unpredictable workload additional to a scheduled timetable.
• To manage own stresses and emotional wellbeing within an emotionally challenging cancer group

Person specification

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

• Computer literate, use of Microsoft products
• Previous NHS experience in patient care
• Experience of multi professional working
• Able to use own initiative and work without supervision
• English and Math’s GCSE (A- C grade or grade 5 or above)
• Relevant Health or social care experience at AFC band 3 or equivalent
• Experience of coordinating a patient workload
• Knowledge of cancer treatments/interventions

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.If you require sponsorshipfor a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Rebecca Preston Job title Lung Cancer Specialist Nurse Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 03004222379 Additional information