Senior Cancer Pathway Navigator

Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; East Grinstead; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust seeks a Senior Cancer Pathway Navigator to oversee cancer pathway coordination, ensuring timely diagnosis and treatment while meeting national waiting time standards. You will manage the Oncology Booking Hub and lead a team to deliver safe, high-quality cancer care across pathways.

You will collaborate with clinicians, MDTs, diagnostic services and operational teams to maintain data quality, communicate clearly with patients, and drive service

Qualifications

• Experience in cancer pathway management and integrated care.
• Proven ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong data quality and patient communication focus.

Responsibilities

• Support early diagnostic pathways for suspected head and neck cancer to achieve diagnosis by day 28.
• Lead Oncology Booking Hub, ensuring efficient appointment booking and patient flow.
• Escalate risks and drive service improvements across cancer pathways.

Skills

Pathway management

Leadership

Cancer services

Data quality

Stakeholder collaboration

Tools

Booking systems

Job description

The Senior Cancer Pathway Navigator is a key leadership role within the Cancer Services Team, responsible for overseeing the effective coordination and management of patients across cancer pathways to ensure timely diagnosis, treatment and compliance with national cancer waiting time standards. The post holder provides expert pathway management, proactively identifying and resolving delays, escalating risks, and working collaboratively with clinicians, MDTs, diagnostic services and operational teams to support the delivery of safe, high-quality cancer care.

The role also provides day-to-day management and oversight of the Oncology Booking Hub, ensuring first outpatient appointment are coordinated efficiently and patients receive timely access to care. The post holder will lead and support the team; driving service improvements, maintaining data quality, and ensuring patients receive clear communication and a seamless experience throughout their cancer journey.

Through effective leadership, pathway oversight and performance management, the Senior Cancer Pathway Navigator plays a critical role in supporting patient safety, improving patient experience, achieving cancer waiting time standards, and delivering the Trust's cancer performance and strategic objectives.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will support the clinical team in implementing early diagnostic pathways for patients with a suspected head & neck cancer to achieve definitive diagnosis by day 28.

The post holder will improve patient experience by providing an accessible, friendly non-clinical contact for patients and their families. You will provide support and information throughout the diagnostic patient journey, thus reducing anxiety and providing reassurance. You will provide information on interventions/tests, ensuring the patient arrives fully prepared.

The role provides day-to-day management and leadership of the Oncology Booking Hub, ensuring services are delivered efficiently and consistently. This includes overseeing the appointment booking processes, managing workload allocation, supporting staff development, and ensuring appropriate administrative systems and processes are in place to meet service demands.

Rated GOOD overall with outstanding care by the CQC. A specialist NHS hospital providing life-changing reconstructive surgery, burns care and rehabilitation services across the South of England and beyond.

We specialise in conditions of the eyes (corneoplastics), hands, head & neck cancer and skin cancer, reconstructive breast surgery, maxillofacial surgery and prosthetics, providing regional and national services in these areas of clinical expertise.Our world-leading clinical teams also treat more common conditions of the eyes, hands, skin, and teeth for the people of East Grinstead and the surrounding areas. In addition, QVH provides a minor injuries unit, expert therapies, a sleep service, and a growing portfolio of community-based services.Patients consistently rate QVH amongst the top hospitals in the country for quality of care.

Our success is underpinned by the skills and enthusiasm of our staff and a strong culture of partnership. We are fully committed to training and development of the workforce with support for continuing education and learning.