Patient and Family Advisor

Job description

Job responsibilities

PHYLLIS TUCKWELL

JOB DESCRIPTION

POST: Patient and Family Advisor (Patient and Family Services)

Accountable to: Patient, Family, Carer Manager and Safeguarding Lead

Job purpose:

The Patient and Family Services Team delivers emotional, social, and practical support to patients and their families facing life-limiting illness and bereavement. They work in conjunction with the Phyllis Tuckwell (PT) multi-disciplinary team, to facilitate the provision of high quality compassionate and holistic care. The role involves coordinating and delivering social care for patients with advanced illnesses and their families, either at home or in care settings.

1.0 Key Areas of Responsibility:

1.1 Care Planning and Delivery: Develop and implement personalised care plans following best practices, focusing on advocacy, empowerment, and individual needs. Provide options for patients and carers affected by social, financial, or emotional challenges. Support patients and families in care planning, including guidance around sources of funding, care options, Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), and wills.

1.2 Care Coordination and Advocacy: Advocate on behalf of patients to ensure their preferences are central to care decisions. Act as a link between Phyllis Tuckwell (PT) and external agencies like Local Authorities, NHS, and other organisations. Connect patients and families with other internal services and signpost to external organisations (mental health, housing, legal services).

1.3 Family and Carer Support and Advice: Undertake holistic assessment and regular review of carer needs, exploring appropriate support options tailored to each situation. Provide individualised 1:1 support to carers, including emotional support, practical guidance, care alternatives, and funding advice, while signposting to other relevant agencies or services. Support carers through key transitions in a patients care journey such as hospital discharge, changes in care setting, or changes in care needs, offering emotional reassurance, practical information, and coordination to help them navigate these changes with confidence. Deliver training sessions and guidance to families to equip them for the challenges of caring at the end of life.

1.4 Emotional and Psychosocial Support: Provide immediate crisis intervention and emotional support for patients and families during times of distress or uncertainty. Monitor emotional wellbeing throughout a patients journey, identifying distress early and offering timely support or referral to counselling / psychological services.

1.5 Support for Children, Young People, and Families: Deliver age-appropriate support to children and young people experiencing anticipatory grief or bereavement. Facilitate group programs such as bereavement cafe or bereavement support groups for children and young people. Collaborate with schools, alongside the counselling team, to provide educational workshops and guidance on supporting bereaved students.

1.6 Team Collaboration: Work with multidisciplinary teams, including attendance to MDTs (multi-disciplinary meetings) and volunteers to reflect on and enhance patient care.

1.7 Community Engagement: Participate in local community initiatives to raise awareness of PT services. Build and maintain partnerships with external organisations (i.e. hospitals, schools, voluntary groups).

1.8 Safeguarding: Identify and escalate safeguarding concerns appropriately. Identify and escalate safeguarding concerns appropriately, in line with statutory guidance and organisational policy. Take a proactive approach to early intervention and prevention by recognising early signs of vulnerability, supporting individuals and families to navigate complex care situations, and helping to reduce risks before harm occurs.

1.9 Group Work: Lead and/or co-facilitate group work with patients and/or carers.

1.10 Diversity: Ensure sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

2.0 Managerial:

2.1 Effective time and workload management. Adherence to PT) policies (especially around patient safety and governance). Appropriate escalation of concerns or risks.

3.0 Training and Development

3.1 Contribution to staff and volunteer training, and to a collaborative learning environment. Participation in activities to share good practice. Attendance to multi-disciplinary meetings both internal and external as and when necessary. Engaging in relevant training activities and keeping current with professional developments. Review and commitment to developing own learning needs through the appraisal process.

4.0 Research

4.1 To be aware of key developments in policy, research and practice, participating in research projects should opportunities present themselves.

4.2 To actively contribute and take part in any quality measuring systems that Phyllis Tuckwell is involved with, relating to patient care.

5.0 Equality opportunities/diversity

5.1 Role holders are required to ensure the safeguarding of vulnerable adults and that all legal requirements relating to Mental Capacity Act 2005, Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007), and Liberty Protection Safeguards (2020) are considered and adhered to in relation to patient care.

5.2 Phyllis Tuckwell is committed to equal opportunities and inclusivity, valuing and respecting everyone as individuals, with diverse opinions, cultures, lifestyles, and circumstances. This job description is underpinned by Phyllis Tuckwells philosophy, culture, and core values, which actively embrace diversity and inclusion, and promotes total team spirit.

This job description is a broad reflection of current duties, but it is not exhaustive. It will be regularly reviewed to reflect priorities and developments during the year.

Person Specification

Managing Work

Essential

• Able to carry out holistic assessments that consider the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and practical needs of individuals and those important to them, ensuring care and support is person-centered and responsive to changing circumstances.
• Caseload management experience
• To be flexible in working to suit resource needs
• Car driver/owner

Team Working

Essential

• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team with a range of professions and show commitment to team-working.
• Ability to show interpersonal sensitivity to others

Using Information and Systems

Essential

• Be in possession of good IT skills word, outlook e-mail and internet usage

Relationships and Communications

Essential

• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work with patients and their families using highly developed communication skills
• Evidence of clear, concise recording of work

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths

Desirable

• Health and Social Care Qualification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working within hospice/ hospital/ clinical / social care setting
• Experience of working with adults with advanced illness / palliative care needs.

Risk Management

Essential

• Understanding of policies and procedures relevant to the post
• Understanding of the emotional demands of working in palliative care on self and team members and how to deal with complex situations.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Phyllis Tuckwell Memorial Hospice Ltd

Address

Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice

Crosby Way

Farnham

Surrey

GU9 7XG

Employer's website

https://www.pth.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)