About this role
Job summary
Step into a vital support role within the Lower GI Cancer Service at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, where your contribution will help shape the experience and journey of patients undergoing urgent suspected cancer investigations and treatment. As a Support Worker, you will work alongside the Lower GI Clinical Nurse Specialists and wider Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), providing compassionate, patient-centred support across the colorectal cancer pathway.
This role offers the opportunity to develop specialist knowledge within a fast-paced and rewarding environment, supporting the coordination of care, patient communication, and smooth running of clinical pathways. You will play an important part in the "straight to test" diagnostic pathway, helping ensure patients receive timely investigations, information, and reassurance throughout their care.
Working closely with nursing, medical, and administrative colleagues, you will assist with patient assessments, pathway tracking, wellbeing calls, follow-up of DNAs, clinic and MDT preparation, virtual review processes, data management, and service coordination, helping to deliver safe, effective, and seamless care.
If you are a motivated, compassionate, and adaptable individual looking to make a meaningful difference within cancer and surgical services, this is an exciting opportunity to grow and thrive within a highly valued support role.
Main duties of the job
To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.
About us
We are an award-winning NHS Foundation Trust working alongside health and social care colleagues across the county to provide acute and community healthcare services to more than 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.
We put the patient at the heart of everything that we do and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other. We believe that we are truly a clinically-led organisation.
We are proud that our Trust colleagues have voted us the best acute Trust to work for in the East Midlands for seven years running in the National NHS Staff Survey, while the Care Quality Commission has rated our Trust as 'outstanding' for care and our King's Mill Hospital as the only 'outstanding' NHS-run hospital in the East Midlands.
Not all of our roles are eligible for visa sponsorship. To find out which roles are eligible, please refer to the shortage occupation list found here:
Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs - GOV.UK
Home Office guidance has changed as of 9th April. Anyone that requires switching visa type may not be eligible for sponsorship even if the role is on the shortage occupation list.
Job description Job responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.
Person Specification
Knowledge Requirements Essential
Understand person-centred care Understand the health and social care environment Effective team player able to work with people at all levels within the trust Self motivated but also able to motivate others Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times Knowledge of multidisciplinary team meetings
Desirable
Offers appropriate help and advice with sensitivity Seeks ways to improve systems and efficiency An understanding of clinical audit and data collection methodology Knowledge of cancer waiting times policies and procedures Knowledge of Cancer Pathways, cancer care, national initiatives Personalised information agenda including information prescriptions Knowledge of relevant cancer treatments, interventions and terminology
Qualifications/Academic/Craft/Professional Essential
GCSE Maths and English or equivalent Care Certificate Apprenticeship Level 3 in Care or equivalent vocational experience
Further Training Essential
Ability to attend 3 day clinical induction Committed to attending further training and development as identified
Experience Essential
Able to demonstrate clear and robust verbal and written English communication skills Experience of working as a team Previous care work experience Previous face-to-face customer care experience
Desirable
Previous experience in a hospital setting
Contractual Requirements Essential
Flexible approach Able to work flexibly on a varied shift pattern according to the roster including nights and weekends.
Skills and Effort Required Essential
Possess effective listening skills Negotiation and influencing skills Ability to deal tactfully with patients and relatives Excellent communicator who can communicate with a wide range of different professional groups (both clinical and non-clinical) High degree of concentration Effective judgment skills for decision making Ability to prioritise tasks, work to deadlines and manage own time effectively Ability to deal with difficult emotional situations Ability to show empathy and understand the difficulties faced by people affected by cancer Work with those affected by cancer on a regular basis Effective organisational skills Practical problem solving skills Good observation and assessment skills IT skills including data entry Ability to work as part of a team as we use own initiative Effective organisational skills Practical problem solving skills Ability to show empathy and understand the difficulties faced by people affected by cancer Ability to prioritise own workload
Qualifications Essential
GCSE English Language and Mathematics (Grade A-C) or equivalent NVQ3 or equivalent through short courses European Computer Driving Licence or equivalent NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience
Desirable
NVQ Level 4 or equivalent experience
Experience Essential
Relevant health or social care experience Experience of multi professional working Experience of coaching/teaching patients carers Experience of using Microsoft Office and web-based systems Hospital computer systems e.g PAS, case note tracking, ORION
Desirable
Research experience IT Skills
Contractual Requirements Essential
Flexible approach to work Full UK Driving Licence
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 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address King's Mill Hospital
Mansfield Road
Sutton in Ashfield
NG17 4JL
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)