Skin Cancer Support Worker

NHS; Northampton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Part-time work

Job share

Flexible working

Job summary

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group in Northamptonshire is recruiting a Skin Cancer Support Worker (Band 4) on a fixed-term basis for 12 months. The role supports patients and carers living with and beyond skin cancer under the Macmillan Skin Cancer CNS team.

The post involves information provision, practical support, signposting, and coordinating care to help patients navigate their pathway. Applicants should have relevant cancer care experience and good communication skills.

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE level in English and Maths or equivalent level of education, training or experience.
• Communication Skills Training.
• Vocational Qualification Level 4.
• Foundations in Cancer Care.

Responsibilities

• Support the Macmillan Skin Cancer CNS team in delivering high-quality, person-centred care to patients and carers affected by skin cancer.
• Assist with holistic needs assessments and personalised care planning, information and signposting.
• Be a key point of contact for patients and carers, handling telephone enquiries and signposting appropriately.
• Coordinate aspects of the patient pathway including appointments and follow-up with wider MDT.
• Communicate with hospital teams, primary care and voluntary services to ensure timely access to information and support.

Skills

Good communication and interpersonal

Observation and assessment

Teamwork and autonomy

Working under pressure

Organisational skills

Education

GCSE English & Maths

Communication Skills Training

Vocational Qualification Level 4

Foundations in Cancer Care

Job description

Main area Dermatology Grade Band 4 Contract 12 months (Fixed term, 12 months from commencement of contract.) Hours

• Part time
• Job share
• Flexible working

28.5 hours per week Job ref 265-8231428-MED

Site University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Town Northamptonshire Salary £28,392 - £31,157 Pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 29/09/2026 23:59 Interview date 08/10/2026

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and compassionate Skin Cancer Support Worker to join the Dermatology team at Northampton General Hospital, part of University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, on a fixed-term basis for 12 months.

The post holder will work under the direction of the Macmillan Skin Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist team to support patients and carers living with and beyond skin cancer. The role will involve providing general information, practical support, signposting, and coordination of care to help patients navigate their pathway and access the right support at the right time.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will support the Macmillan Skin Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist team in delivering high-quality, person-centred care to patients and carers affected by skin cancer.

The role will include supporting holistic needs assessments and personalised care planning, providing general information and practical support, and helping patients to access appropriate services and resources. The post holder will act as a key point of contact for patients and carers, responding to telephone enquiries, signposting appropriately, and escalating any complex clinical concerns to the registered nurse.

The successful candidate will help coordinate aspects of the patient pathway, including appointments, investigations, follow-up activity and communication with the wider multidisciplinary team. They will liaise with hospital teams, primary care, statutory and voluntary services to support seamless care and timely access to advice and support.

We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.

Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The role will also involve maintaining accurate records, documenting patient contacts on relevant cancer information systems, supporting audit and service development, and contributing to the ongoing improvement of the skin cancer nursing service.

The post holder will work within agreed competencies and boundaries of practice, recognising when to seek advice or escalation concerns. They will be expected to demonstrate excellent communication and organisational skills, compassion, flexibility, and a commitment to supporting patients living with and beyond cancer.

Contribute to the holistic needs assessment and the development of an individual care
plan under the direction of the registered nurse.
Implement, monitor and review aspects of the care plan with the patient and carer,
reporting any changes in the patient's condition to the registered nurse.
Evaluate the outcome of care delivery with the registered nurse.
To review patients on the ward under the direction of the registered nurse.

Person specification

Educations, Training and Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE level in English and Mathamatics or equivalent level of education, training or experience
• Communication Skills Training
• Vocational Qualification Level 4
• Foundations in Cancer Care

Knowledge and Experience

• Considerable experience in caring for people diagnosed with a skin cancer
• Relevant healthcare experience at Band 3
• Experience of using the Somerset Cancer Register
• Knowledge of the National Personalised Care Agenda

Key Competencies/Personal Qualities and Attributes

• Passionate and committed to bring our Dedicated to Excellence values to life, improving the way we work with each other, particularly focusing on empowerment, equality diversity and inclusion of our staff, patients and service users
• Flexible, motivated and hard working

Skills

• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Good observation, assessment and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as autonomously
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise own workload
• Good organisation skills

At Northampton General Hospital we provide general acute services and hyper-acute stroke, vascular and renal services to people living in Northamptonshire. As well as this we are an accredited cancer centre and provide cancer services to a wider population of Northamptonshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.

We are proud to be the first hospital in the UK to have obtained Pathway to Excellence designated accreditation from the American nurses credentialing centre (ANCC).

We celebrate staff achievements and value the importance of working as one big team. That's why we talk about Team NGH. It's all about working together to provide the best possible care for our patients and supporting each other to grow and develop our skills. We are driven to helping you to be the best you can be.

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone’s full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities. The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative. We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds.This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Our Excellence Values:

• Compassion
• Respect
• Integrity
• Courageous
• Accountable

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust recognises that staff of differing backgrounds and life experiences enrich our workforce and bring different skills and knowledge. We therefore encourage and welcome applications for our vacancies from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE VACANCIES PRIOR TO THE ADVERTISED CLOSING DATE WHEN WE ARE IN RECEIPT OF SUFFICIENT APPLICATIONS

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Name Hayley Masters Job title Dermatology MacMillan Skin Cancer Specialist nurse Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01604 545025