Clinical Triage Clinician

Job responsibilities

Main Functions

To signpost, refer and support access to out of hospital services, primary and secondary care.

To clearly identify urgent and non-urgent referrals and allocate patient to the appropriate pathway as appropriate.

To interrogate the Trusts Information systems with the purpose of eliciting patient information to support the decision-making process.

To liaise with relevant Health Care Professionals and Carers (with appropriate consent) to elicit relevant patient information which supports the decision making process.

To work collaboratively with colleagues to provide a high-quality clinical triage service to the Trusts other Health care Professionals.

To build close working relationships with the referral sources by assisting in the development of pathways from the Clinical Triage team to other providers and agencies to ensure that effective sign posting, and pathways are maintained.

Act in accordance with current local Warwickshire Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Trust guidelines/policy to protect vulnerable adults.

Act within the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and/or another Professional Group.

Communication

Develop and maintain effective communication networks including within complex situations, with service users, health care professionals and other statutory and voluntary organisations.

Receives highly sensitive information on a daily basis from a variety of referral sources both external and internal.

The post holder will communicate effectively by telephone, letter, email and fax.

Communicates effectively at all levels.

Clinician is responsible for gathering and imparting information at all levels.

Use effective communication skills, both oral and in written format, to communicate complex, sensitive and often contentious information to a wide range of people including, clinical and non-clinical staff.

Analysis and Judgement

Promotes and maintains accurate record keeping and conforms to SWFT policy, professional group policy and data protection legislation.

Uses resources effectively and being aware of budgetary constraints including ordering of equipment.

Planning and Organisational Skills

Supervise and direct work undertaken by other members of the skill mix team on a daily basis.

Direct responsibility for the day to day peer supervision and performance of the clinical triage team.

Responsibility for Patient Care

Acts as patients advocate where appropriate.

Be proactive in offering health promotion and participate in health promotion activities where appropriate.

Policy and Service Development

Understanding of national policy and guidance with the ability to interpret and implement at service level.

Participate in and contribute to service redesign and policy development to benefit patient care.

Responsibility for Human Resources

To identify workforce planning issues and actively participate in the recruitment, selection and retention of clinical staff.

Ensure team members are up to date with mandatory and statutory training.

Responsible for Performance Development Reviews for staff within the team.

Professional Responsibilities and Freedom to Act

The post holder will be expected to undertake Clinical Triage and make decisions based on good Information and thus will be responsible for information gathering.

The post holder will be expected to make complex decisions on the information gathered.

The post holder will have sole responsibility within agreed guidance regarding decision.

The post holder will be supervised by a designated Team Manager.

The post holder will be advised by the Team Manager.

The post holder is an autonomous clinician and will work within the local and national guidelines expected for the position.

Undertakes clinical assessments.

Interpret national guidance on NMC guidelines and/or other Professional Groups.

Promote and participate in clinical supervision.

Maintain clinical and professional competencies in accordance with relevant statutory legislation and guidance relevant to health professionals and their services.

Responsibility for Research & Development

Ensure standards, protocols and policies are evidence based and applied to practice.

Keep abreast of current clinical issues thus always promoting best practice.

Critique and use research to inform practice.

Participates and leads when appropriate in clinical audits.

General

The Trust endorses the principle of whether people smoke or not is a matter of personal choice but where they smoke is a matter of public concern. The policy on smoking and health protects non-smokers and requires that all Trust premises are smoke free.

Physical and Mental Effort

The post holder may be required to operate as a lone worker in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

The post holder will be required to concentrate for prolonged periods of time.

The post holder will be required to work at a pace to manage periods of high volume of calls as required.

The post holder will be required to complete clinical triage process with the ability to focus on multiple computer systems in tandem.

Organisational Responsibilities

Information Security and Confidentiality

During the course of your employment you may have access to, see or hear information of a confidential nature and you are required not to disclose such information, particularly relating to patients or staff. All person identifiable information must be held in the strictest confidence and should be disclosed only to authorised people in accordance with NHS Confidentiality Guidelines and the Data Protection Act 1998 unless explicit written consent has been give by the person identified, or where information sharing protocols exist.

Standards for Better Health

The Standards for Better Health works as a framework for continuous improvement in quality of the care that people receive. As an employee you will be expected to work within this framework and assist with the process of ensuring that the Trust offers effective and high-quality services.

Risk Management

Staff at all levels has a responsibility for ensuring that risks are managed at work group and local level. This process will include the assessment and effective control of all acceptable risk situations.

As an employee you will be expected to maintain a high level of awareness and assist in the process of reporting incidents, assessing risks and reporting unsafe occurrences and co-operate with any investigations undertaken.

Employees will be required to adhere to all Trust policies and procedures and attend statutory and mandatory training.

Equality & Diversity Aims

As a member of staff at the Trust you have a personal responsibility to ensure you do not discriminate, harass or bully or contribute to the discrimination, harassment or bullying of any colleague(s), patients, carers or visitors or condone discrimination, harassment or bullying by others.

Standards of Business Conduct & Conflict of Interest

The NHS Code of Conduct and Standards of Business conduct for NHS Staff require all employees to declare all situations where you or a close relative or associate has a controlling interest in a business [such as a private company, public organisation or other NHS or voluntary organisation] or in any activity which may compete for any NHS contracts to supply goods or services to the Trust. All such interests must be declared in WCHs register of interests either on appointment or when such interests are gained.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse (1st Level)/ physiotherapist/Occupational therapist
• Specialist Practitioner Qualification or equivalent (cert/dip/degree) or working towards
• Evidence of relevant post graduate training and CPD
• Telephone triage training (or willingness to complete on appointment)
• Leadership Qualification or willing to work towards
• Teaching Qualification (7307, 998 or Mentor and Assessing)

Desirable

• Nurse Prescribing

Experience

Essential

• Relevant Clinical Experience
• Therapy - Significant postgraduate experience covering a broad range of rotations to include Orthopaedics, Respiratory, MSK, Neurology, Medical (therapy) within both inpatient and community settings
• Broad range of clinical experience
• Experience of working in a team environment
• Experience of current developments in the NHS

Desirable

• Experience in telephone triage skills
• Community Nursing
• Experience of working within a leadership and management role

Skills

Essential

• Clear vision of role and commitment to speciality
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (including active listening skills)
• Must be able to work within multiple computer systems
• Ability to provide supervision and support staff
• Must be able to demonstrate an understanding of equal opportunities
• Must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the need for confidentiality in all aspects of the work of the department
• Must have critical analysis skills
• Must be able to organise and prioritise workload
• Ability to work collaboratively across and within professional and organisational boundaries
• Demonstrate ability to work independently and autonomously
• Committed to personal and team development
• Ability to maintain judgement under pressure and demonstrate forward thinking
• Able to demonstrate flexibility and reliability

Desirable

• Must have knowledge of clinical supervision
• Teaching, presentation and facilitation skills

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Motivation, drive and enthusiasm
• Confident and assertive
• Ability to work as part of the team
• Ability to be an effective communicator
• Excellent role model

Desirable

• Ability to manage a team
• Ability to influence and persuade
• Ability to be self-motivated

Other

Essential

• Car Driver / Owner with full licence
• Must be a non-smoker during working hours
• Must be willing to undertake Criminal records Bureau Disclosure to Enhanced / Standard level
• Must be legally entitled to work in this country

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).