Suspected Cancer Pathway Navigator

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Oxford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a registered healthcare professional to work as a SCAN Navigator in the Radiology Department at the Churchill Hospital on a 1-year fixed term contract. You will support patients through the diagnostic process, coordinate care across complex pathways and contribute to service development. The role suits any registered healthcare practitioner seeking a patient-focused, pathway-coordination position within a dedicated team.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate NHS experience and advanced communication skills.
• Confidence to work in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to assess patients and take medical histories.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate all aspects of the SCAN pathway across appointments and investigations.
• Support patients through the diagnostic process and provide information and guidance.
• Contribute to development of the service and pathways in collaboration with the MDC.

Skills

Communication

Post-graduate NHS experience

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Patient assessment

Job description

We are looking for a registered healthcare professional (e.g. Nurse, Radiographer, Physician Associate or equivalent) to work as a Suspected Cancer Pathway (SCAN) Navigator on a 1-year fixed term contract (or secondment, if applicable) based in the Radiology Department at the Churchill Hospital.

You will need post-graduate NHS experience, advanced communication skills, patient assessment and history taking, and the confidence to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering the SCAN pathway. You will support patients through the diagnostic process, coordinate their care across complex diagnostic pathways and contribute positively to the ongoing development of the service.

This role is suitable for any registered healthcare practitioner who wants to work in a patient-focused, pathway coordination role within a dedicated team.

The SCAN (Suspected CANcer) Pathway

Many patients visit their GP with 'vague' symptoms such as weight loss and tiredness. These symptoms are called 'non-specific' as they affect the whole person.

Often the cause of these symptoms remains unclear after GP assessment. There is commonly a minor cause for such symptoms. However, there is a small chance that they could be the signs of a serious illness, such as cancer. Therefore, these symptoms are often called 'low-risk but not no-risk' symptoms.

The SCAN Pathway provides GP’s with access to rapid investigations for patients with 'non-specific' symptoms. This avoids patients can go back and forth between their GP and the hospital many times until a diagnosis is made; this takes time with diagnoses and treatment potentially delayed. Although the risk of serious disease is low, a delay in diagnosis and treatment may have a negative effect on the patients' health and overall wellbeing.

Dependent on these results, an appointment with a Doctor working in a Multi Diagnostic Clinic (MDC) is arranged. The aim is to reach a diagnosis and begin treatment as quickly as possible.

Navigators co-ordinate all aspects of the SCAN pathway, both face to face and virtually; organising appointments, acting as a support and information role for others within the service and undertaking clinical duties.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. Find out more here www.ouh.nhs.uk

The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Avi Laws Job title: Operations Manager Email address: [e-mail]