Detailed job description and main responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Communication

The post holder will provide and receive highly complex, and sometimes sensitive information on aspects of patient care.   This may include diagnosis, results of scans or other investigations, management options and details of prognosis and life expectancy.   “Bad News” consultations will be common tasks for the post holder.

Persuasive, motivational, negotiating, training, empathic or re-assurance skills will be routinely utilised and they will be required to achieve consensus amongst themselves, the consultant medical colleagues and other members of the MDT. 

The post holder will lecture to radiographers, postgraduate scientists, doctors in training and others and assist in the organisation of the department’s teaching programmes.

They will consent patients for treatment and procedures as per hospital policy.

The post holder will accept and make appropriate referrals from/to other professional colleagues. Check and interpret referrals and take action as clinically indicated.

They will contribute to the coordination and effective management of the admission and discharge process as appropriate for disease group with reference to relevant policies.

They will educate patients and their carers on issues surrounding health promotion and illness prevention and promote and facilitate changes to lifestyle where appropriate.   They will prepare accurate and concise records and reports both verbal and written.    They will communicate with the patient’s referring specialist, GP and other community and hospice based services at regular intervals as appropriate.

They will ensure effective communication with patients, relatives and members of the multidisciplinary team and work with team members on issues relating to patient management and advocacy and will collaborate within the Cancer Network and offer clinical support to colleagues within cancer units, relating to individual patient management.

The post holder will participate in strategic review of the service including representing the service at internal and external strategy planning meetings, advisory boards and relevant working groups as appropriate.  

They will publish results in peer reviewed journals that are in the top quartile for their discipline and have an international impact.

Knowledge Training and Experience 

The post holder will have highly developed specialist knowledge across radiotherapeutic, chemotherapeutic, surgical, palliative and other medical aspects of patient care within Lower GI oncology.   This will be underpinned by theoretical knowledge and extensive relevant practical experience, acquired through a combination of in-depth experience and postgraduate post-registration study, such as that obtained through a master’s degree. They will have significant formal training in, or experience within Lower GI oncology.

They will maintain and develop this expertise and competence in order to enable collaboration with senior colleagues and medical staff, and to facilitate the management of patients.

They will exhibit the knowledge, skills and experience to allow them to act as an expert resource and provide advice and support to ward/departmental areas and to The Christie’s local, regional, national and international partners.

The post holder will maintain professional registration and practice through CPD including maintaining a professional portfolio to demonstrate competency in line with the trust competency framework so as to ensure that skills remain optimal and new elements can be added to the skills portfolio.  They will identify their own development needs in line with service requirements and participate in setting a personal development plan. To support this they will work with a named mentor from within the medical team.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

The post holder’s key function will be as an ACP (Lower GI Oncology) supervising critical elements of the patient pathway in patients under the care of a Clinical Oncologist who acts as the consultant of record.   As such they will act as part of a clinical team led by the oncologist.   They will assess complex facts and situations, using analytical skill, interpretation and comparison of a range of options using a wide variety of assessment methods.   In the clinical management of patients, competing, contradictory or unclear inputs are expected.   Owing to the nature of the post following the whole patient pathway, they may have competing expected outcomes from the patient, the Trust, and other healthcare partners.

The post holder will continually review and evaluate their own role and clinical practice informing the annual review process.   They will practice evidence based health care and by assessing clinical evidence, best practice guidelines and national policy statements will be responsible for defining developing, monitoring and updating Trust clinical policies in relation to their own area of practice.   They will analyse relevant national policies in specific tumour sites, advise on impact for service, and contribute to the implementation of changes and evaluation of processes in partnership with the MDT. 

Planning and Organisational Skills

The post holder will plan and organise complex clinical management plans.   Plans will be formulated and adjusted to respond with developments and changes in circumstances such as changes in the patient’s conditions.   This will involve developing, structuring and scheduling activities, including the allocation of tasks to colleagues, within the Trust or from partner organisations.   They will have responsibility to lead on translating developments within their specialist area for implementation in the clinical setting.

Please see attached Job description and person specification for full role description.