Welfare Officer in Mitochondrial diseases

at  Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Applications are invited for a Welfare Officer, with a special interest in mitochondrial diseases, to join the NHS
Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Diseases at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust (OUHFT). The vacancy has arisen due to the expanding local clinical service and the need for further
welfare rights support for this national service.
Oxford has a large tertiary neurosciences centre, with a busy Clinical Genetics department, and a Centre for
Enablement, offering a wide range of clinical and academic interests. Oxford is renowned for its expertise in
neuromuscular diseases, and is a member of the European Reference Network and has recently opened the
Muscular Dystrophy UK centre for neuromuscular disorders. We are looking for an enthusiastic person, ideally
with a background in nursing / therapist / social work, to develop the role of welfare officer within the
mitochondrial service, together with a well-established group of colleagues from paediatrics, clinical genetics,
adult neurology and other disciplines. The post will include support for patients and carers applying for support
in housing, benefits, education and employment and provide liaison for the nationally commissioned Highly
Specialised Service in Mitochondrial Diseases. There is an expectation to attend a twice monthly mitochondrial clinic and MDT.
Applications are invited for a Welfare Officer, with a special interest in mitochondrial diseases, to join the NHS
Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Diseases at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust (OUHFT). The vacancy has arisen due to the expanding local clinical service and the need for further
welfare rights support for this national service.
Oxford has a large tertiary neurosciences centre, with a busy Clinical Genetics department, and a Centre for
Enablement, offering a wide range of clinical and academic interests. Oxford is renowned for its expertise in
neuromuscular diseases, and is a member of the European Reference Network and has recently opened the
Muscular Dystrophy UK centre for neuromuscular disorders. We are looking for an enthusiastic person, ideally
with a background in nursing / therapist / social work, to develop the role of welfare officer within the
mitochondrial service, together with a well-established group of colleagues from paediatrics, clinical genetics,
adult neurology and other disciplines. The post will include support for patients and carers applying for support
in housing, benefits, education and employment and provide liaison for the nationally commissioned Highly
Specialised Service in Mitochondrial Diseases. There is an expectation to attend a twice monthly mitochondrial clinic and MDT.
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
The post-holder’s duties will be primarily at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre but it is a condition of the appointment that the postholder will be willing to work in any of the Trust’s locations and community locations as required. A proportion of this post will be working from home.
Clinical
It is preferable that the post-holder will have expertise in welfare rights including, but not limited to, state welfare benefits, education health care plans and access to work schemes. The post-holder should have previous experience of working within a multidisciplinary team. The post-holder will preferably have knowledge of the management of mitochondrial disorders.
The Welfare Officer will provide holistic support to patients with mitochondrial disease and work within a multi-disciplinary team. The post-holder will be expected to support clinical activities, including, but not limited to, out-patient clinics and patient information events under the supervision of the medical consultants and family care advisors for the team. The Welfare Officer will be expected to assist patients in completing paperwork for state benefits, housing, education health care plans and access to work schemes under the supervision of the Family Care Advisors.
The post-holder will meet with patients at their time of diagnosis, listening to their needs and referring to resources as required. They will be expected to liaise with schools, the workplace and community services to support the needs of the patient as required.
The welfare officer is required to be aware of local and national referral systems for voluntary and statutory services. They should establish links with patient support groups and other local resources that can provide help and support to patients and families affected by mitochondrial diseases. The welfare officer will also be expected to maintenance of social media and websites.
Teaching/Research
OUHFT is a teaching hospital trust, and the post-holder will be required to participate in programmes for teaching students and taking part in public engagement events. Research experience in muscular diseases and/or genetic disorders will be welcome and be supporting evidence of a sub-specialist interest in this field.
Clinical Governance
The post-holder will participate in all clinical governance activities, including clinical audit, clinical effectiveness, risk management, quality improvement activities as required by the Trust, and external accrediting bodies.
Personal and Professional Development
The post-holder will be required to keep him-/herself fully up-to-date with their relevant area of practice, and will have to be able to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of the Trust. Professional or study leave will be granted at the discretion of the Trust, in line with the prevailing Terms and Conditions of Service, to support appropriate study, postgraduate training activities, relevant CME courses and other appropriate personal development needs. The Trust is committed to supporting the appointee for the continued process of revalidation.
Management
The post-holder will be required to work within the Trust’s management policies and procedures, both statutory and internal, accepting that the resources available to the Trust are finite and that all changes in clinical practice or workload, or developments requiring additional resources must have prior agreement with the Trust. He/she will undertake the administrative duties associated with the care of their patients, and the running of their clinical service under the direction of the lead clinician and matron. Administrative support for the post holder is provided in the form of secretarial support (band 3 /4) that the department receives

Please refer the Job description for details