Senior Clinical Support Worker

at  The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

The post-holder is responsible for the provision of high quality and comprehensive day-to-day clinical, administrative, and clerical support within the Radiotherapy department. He/she is expected to carry out delegated clinical, administrative, and clerical support and to ensure appropriate care, information and support is given to all patients. To provide comprehensive support for treatment machines and clinics held within The Christie network through the efficient management of workload to achieve a high standard of patient care. Provide reception cover for the department as well as collation, input, and analysis of relevant patient data. Working under the direction of the medical team to undertake routine and specifically identified tasks. The post holder must contribute to the efficient running of the service, and work within The Christie NHS Foundation Trust policies and Health & Safety legislation
Supporting and deputising for the Radiotherapy Administration Manager in their absence
Being a point of escalation for clinical support workers -including the overseeing of induction and training of new staff
Holding the bleep for clinics and delegating tasks to clinical support workers.
We are currently looking for an enthusiastic, motivated individual who is a team player and can work on their own initiative when required, excellent administration skills, experience in computer skills and a willingness to undertake clinical training is essential.
The post entails direct contact with patients, providing administrative support to the department including reception services, booking, and arranging appointments and transport services and it also requires liaison with all levels of staff including Consultants, Radiographers and Medical Secretaries. Clinical work including phlebotomy / cannulation and supporting the treatment machines and pre- treatment area but relevant training and supervision will be provided.
The support team works closely with the radiographers and medical team providing administration, practical and clinical support.
Vocational healthcare Qualification at level 3 will be required for this post, however, it may be available as an apprenticeship for those willing to undertake training. Apprenticeships will be candidate specific based on skills and qualifications relevant to this post.
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.
We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.
We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Communication Skills
To be a point of contact for Radiotherapy staff, e.g. therapeutic radiographers, nurses, clinicians and to lead on supporting these staff with admission queries.
Ensuring all Radiotherapy booklets are stocked and ordered, delegating the ordering of new stock to relevant clinical support workers.
Providing support to the department by ensuring accurate recording of treatment and planning data, organising and scheduling patient appointments, greeting and escorting patients and assisting patients with appointment queries.
Providing and receiving complex information and uses empathetic skills to resolve service-related issues, as well as patient matters.
Liaising with the multi-disciplinary team to ensure that adequate information and support is available to patients.
Assisting and supporting Radiotherapy staff in supporting the patients’ physical, clinical and emotional needs whilst attending the department.
Communicating with patients by phone regarding appointments and queries.
Knowledge, Training and Experience
Using knowledge and experience to support the management team with relevant tasks and projects.
Undertaking clinical tasks once training and competencies have been completed. Although, not an exhaustive list, this will include; patient physiological observations, phlebotomy, venepuncture, cannulation, capillary blood glucose readings, obtain venous blood gas collections, obtaining blood cultures, ECGs and changing simple dressings.
Providing support to radiographers by ensuring accurate recording of treatment and planning data, organising and scheduling patient appointments, greeting and escorting patients and assisting patients with queries regarding appointments.
Covering clinical support workers and receptionists during breaks, annual leave and/or absences in clinics and on reception desks.
Booking patient transport where applicable and deal with transport queries.
Supporting the Administration Manager in the appropriate allocation of resources to manage capacity within the department.
Supporting the team to deliver a safe and effective service that is managed through a culture of clinical and organisational governance.
Daily use of the CareFlow and MOSAIQ systems to locate case notes for patients attending clinics or treatment within Radiotherapy.
Complying with policies, procedures, rules, regulations and department protocols.
Data inputting and radiotherapy completion tasks.
Supporting the radiotherapy review team with unwell patients in the department under their guidance and leadership.
Contacting Critical Care Outreach team as appropriate in urgent clinical situations.
Delegating duties to the support team where appropriate when supporting with acutely unwell patients.
Planning and Organisation
Holding the bleep for clinics and delegating tasks to clinical support workers.
Supporting with the organisation and rearranging of clinics and transport on bank holidays.
Working alongside the Administration Management team to keep a log of the clinical support workers and receptionists’ competencies and updating logs with relevant information.
Producing daily clinic lists from patient management system to cover all clinics held in radiotherapy areas.
Using patient management system, ensure all radiotherapy appointments are recorded on Medway.
Responsibilities
Being a point of escalation for clinical support workers.
Supporting and deputising for the Radiotherapy Administration Manager in their absence.
Supporting the Radiotherapy Administration Manager with the management of clinical support workers and receptionists, including professional development reviews.
Supporting the Radiotherapy Administration Manager with the staffing rota.
Responsible for overseeing delegated duties of stock control in areas of work.
Providing continuity of support during the absence of clinical support workers.
Supporting the Radiotherapy Administration Manager with keeping clinical support worker and receptionists’ competencies, training and ESR up-to-date where appropriate.
Contributing to service development and improving practices.
Maintaining accurate patient details in the Christie patient systems, following the correct procedures for recording of information to ensure information is up to date for future reference and complies with the data protection act.
Supporting clinical support workers with producing and processing completion and follow up appointment letters.
Supporting the review team with patient admissions and prioritise unwell patients in the department, including delegation of tasks and duties as required.
Manual handling tasks as required, such as patient transfer, transporting patients using wheelchairs and stretchers, PAT sliding and hoists.
Freedom to Act
Complies with policies, procedures, rules, regulations and departmental protocols.
Can work autonomously within own scope of practice.
Working Conditions
Working hours must be flexible to meet the needs of the service, this may include working weekends.
Expectation to participate equally in all shift patterns.
Teaching/Training
Reviewing clinical support workers and receptionists’ competencies and support them in the completion of administrative and clinical duties.
Supporting new starters by assisting with the implementation of inductions, training and conducting departmental tours and introductions with key contacts.
Attend all mandatory training courses.
Participating in training and meetings at The Christie and other centres within the network as required.
Ensuring own personal and professional development is prioritised.
Ensuring identification and access to appropriate training for radiotherapy clinical support workers.
Assessing training needs of radiotherapy clinical support workers and receptionists.
Demonstrating tasks and duties to new and less experienced members of the team.
Completing the Christie Care Certificate as mandated by the Trust.
Supporting the clinical support workers in completion of aims and objectives towards The Christie Care Certificate