Job summary
ECHO is the nurse-led Single Point of Access for referral management, clinical triage, signposting and coordination of highly effective Community-based services within SCFT for patients registered with a Coastal West Sussex GP.
ECHO operates 24hr service, 7 days a week, including all bank holidays.
The post involves the handling of all calls to and from the ECHO service, supporting patient needs effectively and accessing or signposting to the appropriate community services wherever possible to prevent unnecessary hospital admission or where this is not possible, to facilitate admission to hospital. The role of the ECHO Senior Clinical Assessor is to support the patient's choice of preferred place of care and death.
The main focus for ECHO is to support patients towards the end of their life by using a co-ordinated approach, which is achieved through the use of effective call triage, communication, and a keen desire to compassionately meet the needs of patients and referrers.
The service receives approximately 200 calls per day and all calls need to be managed using a holistic approach with commitment, compassion and understanding. All calls need to be managed in a timely manner, whilst ensuring that the patients' needs are being met. The referral details will be accurately recorded onto the SystmOne Patient Record database. ECHO also receives many electronic referrals each day, which all staff should action effectively and respond to within an agreed timeframe.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for leading the shift, ensuring that all staff have the tools and support required to perform their role to the highest quality standards. To proactively seek resolutions to any issues observed or that arise and to take a forward-thinking, positive approach to the motivating the team, ensuring all aspects of clinical care are delivered in line with service needs and to lead by example.
To ensure that rotas are filled, staff are present at work and are supported throughout the shift, highlighting and resolving any upcoming rostering issues, sickness management and issues relating to the high quality delivery of the service.
Appropriately answering, handling, and actioning telephone calls to the ECHO service.
Effectively triaging the needs of patients and ensuring the clear and accurate documentation of all assessments undertaken, demonstrating a clear rationale of the outcomes achieved.
To use local pathways and protocols to process all referrals in a timely manner to the appropriate teams and/or to signpost service users effectively and appropriately to the correct service
Be able to respond to conflict situations whilst remaining calm and professional to ensure that a satisfactory outcome is achieved
Provide empathy to those using the service, being sensitive to their needs and ensuring that ReSPECT and Anticipatory Care Plans are clear appropriate.
About us
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.
Why work for us?o Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeingo Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussexo Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retiremento Excellent training, development, and research opportunitieso Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staffo Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brightono Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networkso Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.
We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To ensure all referrals are responded to in a safe and timely manner, to enable the patient to receive appropriate care and support the patients wishes within the community whenever it is safe to do so or, if appropriate, to arrange hospital admission if needs cannot be met within the community.
To resolve, where possible, and escalate in a timely manner any concerns the post holder has in terms of clinical, service or quality-related issues.
To work in compliance with the NMC or HCPC code of professional conduct and within ethical, legislation and organisational frameworks, working as an autonomous practitioner, the Senior Clinical Assessor will ensure that the privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of the patient is adhered to at all times.
The Senior Clinical Assessor will have an excellent all-round medical knowledge and in particular have experience with end of life care.
The post holder will be responsible for leading the shift and will be expected to respond to any issues as they arise, dealing with these promptly, effectively and by demonstrating good leadership qualities in every sense. They will also be expected to manage call answer performance and all call queues effectively and efficiently during their shift, escalating any concerns appropriately as they arise.
The post holder will be expected to identify gaps in knowledge and to assist in the development of appropriate educational resources to support junior staff within the team.
The Senior Clinical Assessors involvement in lifelong learning will be integral to maintaining and developing practice utilising CPD, self-directed learning, reflective practice methods, coaching, clinical supervision, and the principles of performance management in the interests of their self, their colleagues and the service.
The post holder will be expected to lead, influence, reflect on and participate in feedback from partner organisations, using this information as a development indicator to proactively identify areas of growth, service need and areas for personal development.
To prioritise own workload and organise and carry out work effectively, identifying and managing risks to quality.
The post holder does not have any financial responsibilities, including being a budget holder, a budget manager, responsibility for cash or valuables or responsibility for the maintenance of equipment, buildings, or other physical assets.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To ensure all referrals are responded to in a safe and timely manner, to enable the patient to receive appropriate care and support the patients wishes within the community whenever it is safe to do so or, if appropriate, to arrange hospital admission if needs cannot be met within the community.
To resolve, where possible, and escalate in a timely manner any concerns the post holder has in terms of clinical, service or quality-related issues.
To work in compliance with the NMC or HCPC code of professional conduct and within ethical, legislation and organisational frameworks, working as an autonomous practitioner, the Senior Clinical Assessor will ensure that the privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of the patient is adhered to at all times.
The Senior Clinical Assessor will have an excellent all-round medical knowledge and in particular have experience with end of life care.
The post holder will be responsible for leading the shift and will be expected to respond to any issues as they arise, dealing with these promptly, effectively and by demonstrating good leadership qualities in every sense. They will also be expected to manage call answer performance and all call queues effectively and efficiently during their shift, escalating any concerns appropriately as they arise.
The post holder will be expected to identify gaps in knowledge and to assist in the development of appropriate educational resources to support junior staff within the team.
The Senior Clinical Assessors involvement in lifelong learning will be integral to maintaining and developing practice utilising CPD, self-directed learning, reflective practice methods, coaching, clinical supervision, and the principles of performance management in the interests of their self, their colleagues and the service.
The post holder will be expected to lead, influence, reflect on and participate in feedback from partner organisations, using this information as a development indicator to proactively identify areas of growth, service need and areas for personal development.
To prioritise own workload and organise and carry out work effectively, identifying and managing risks to quality.
The post holder does not have any financial responsibilities, including being a budget holder, a budget manager, responsibility for cash or valuables or responsibility for the maintenance of equipment, buildings, or other physical assets.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse or Paramedic - NMC or HCPC
- Evidence of Post Registration Experience
- Mentorship course or ENB 998 or willing to undertake within 1 year
Desirable
- Postgraduate Qualification in health related subject
- Educated to degree level
Experience
Essential
- Triage experience
- Ability to manage a team
- Evidence of Palliative and End of Life Care experience
- Ability to deal with a wide range of people
- Demonstrates commitment to and recent evidence of further education and professional development
- Understanding of Multi disciplinary working in the care of adults
- Knowledge of clinical governance
Desirable
- Experience of unscheduled care
- Experience of clinical supervision
- Understanding of the Single Assessment Process
- Experience of supervising, coaching, supporting, and mentoring less experienced staff
Skills
Essential
- Computer Literate
- Demonstrate excellent communication skills
- Excellent organisational skills
- Excellent time management skills
Desirable
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse or Paramedic - NMC or HCPC
- Evidence of Post Registration Experience
- Mentorship course or ENB 998 or willing to undertake within 1 year
Desirable
- Postgraduate Qualification in health related subject
- Educated to degree level
Experience
Essential
- Triage experience
- Ability to manage a team
- Evidence of Palliative and End of Life Care experience
- Ability to deal with a wide range of people
- Demonstrates commitment to and recent evidence of further education and professional development
- Understanding of Multi disciplinary working in the care of adults
- Knowledge of clinical governance
Desirable
- Experience of unscheduled care
- Experience of clinical supervision
- Understanding of the Single Assessment Process
- Experience of supervising, coaching, supporting, and mentoring less experienced staff
Skills
Essential
- Computer Literate
- Demonstrate excellent communication skills
- Excellent organisational skills
- Excellent time management skills
Desirable
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
