This is an exciting opportunity for a Flow Coordinator to join our HART Team and support our virtual ward.The HART (Hospice Advice, Response and Team) is already a well-established and valued multidisciplinary service, delivering an advice line and rapid response service to support patients, families, and healthcare professionals.As we continue to grow, we are launching our newest service – the Virtual Ward.We’re looking for an enthusiastic and organised individual to play a key role in the coordination of patient flow in the virtual ward, with a focus on the day-to-day coordination of the Virtual Ward. This innovative service will help us support more people, quickly, in their own homes, ensuring timely access to specialist hospice care when it is needed most.Working closely with patients, families, and our multidisciplinary team, you will support the coordination of referrals, admissions, patient monitoring, and communication across services, helping to provide a seamless and responsive pathway for those accessing our care.The HART Service works alongside our established Hospice at Home and Community Services, creating an integrated approach to community-based hospice care. In addition to supporting the Virtual Ward, the role offers opportunities to work alongside and support our Hospice at Home team.
Main duties of the job
- Support the coordination of patient contact and workflow using clinical systems
- Manage and monitor team emails, tasks and telephone activity
- Provide telephone and face-to-face support to patients and families, including bereavement calls
- Observe, report and escalate changes in patient condition appropriately
- Liaise with GPs, District Nurses and other external professionals
- Support referrals and audits to enable holistic patient care
- Maintain accurate, timely and confidential patient records
- Work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary community team
- Attend mandatory training and palliative care education
About us
Dougie Mac provides compassionate care and support for adults, young adults, and children with life-limiting conditions across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. As a values-driven organisation, we strive to deliver high-quality, person-led, and inclusive care across our inpatient, community, and supportive care services. Following our merger with Approach Dementia Support and expansion into children and young adult services, Dougie Mac now supports more people than ever before across all age groups and diagnoses.Our team is made up of dedicated, skilled professionals who are committed to delivering responsive and meaningful care in line with our hospice values. We offer a collaborative working environment with access to professional development, reflective practice, and staff wellbeing support.Dougie Mac is proud to be a financially independent local charity, offering a competitive salary and benefits package including generous annual leave, contributory pension scheme, funded study opportunities, hospice-paid healthcare cash plan, and free on-site parking.Dougie Macs Community Services team supports patients to remain at home, surrounded by loved ones, for as long as possible. Our team of nurses, support workers, and therapists deliver high-quality palliative care across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire offering symptom management, emotional support, and practical care, working closely with GPs and District Nurses.
Job responsibilities
- Effectively manage and action all referrals received in a timely manner.
- Ensure accurate and timely recording of all patient, carer, and professional contacts within SystmOne.
- Take a central role in the day-to-day co-ordination of patient contact using our clinical noting system ensuring deadlines are met.
- Coordinate seamless patient transitions from admission through to discharge within the Virtual Ward.
- Maintain strong working relationships with internal teams, external partners, and relevant agencies.
- Identify patients requiring complex discharge planning at an early stage and facilitate appropriate pathways.
- Communicate clearly and compassionately with patients, families, carers, colleagues, and members of the public.
- Develop and maintain an advanced working knowledge of SystmOne, supporting system improvements, reporting, and efficiency initiatives (including KPIs and activity reports).
- Support audit processes and act as a Tendable champion for the service.
- Manage general enquiries, escalating clinical or operational concerns appropriately.
- Promote a positive, collaborative team culture that encourages continuous learning and service improvement.
- To carry out noncomplex telephone contact with patients and families. This may include bereavement calls.
- Using various methods of observation, report any change in the patients condition to the appropriate Health Care Professional.
- Support in monitoring the lone working within the team.
- Undertake additional duties to broaden skills and knowledge, as agreed with the line manager.
- Assist the Clinical Nurse Specialists or Specialist Paramedics with joint visits as necessary and carry out independent home visits if required.
- To ensure patient confidentiality is always maintained and information obtained during the course of employment is not released to anyone other than those acting in an official capacity.
- Attend mandatory training on principles and core elements of palliative care.
- To recognise and manage the potentially distressing effects of working with terminal illness, maintaining personal resilience while accessing the support, guidance, and resources available through the hospice.
Qualifications
- NVQ/QCF Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent experience (A)
- Valid Full Driving Licence with access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes (A)
- Certificate in Palliative Care (Accredited post 2008) (A)
Experience
- Experience working in healthcare (minimum 2 years) (A/I)
- Experience of working indirectly supervised (A/I)
- Experience of working autonomously and confidently in lone-working situations (I)
- Experience of supporting patients and families during uncertainty (I)
- Experience of supporting patients/families during palliative crisis and at the end of life (I)
- Experience of using organisational data management systems (A/I)
- Community Healthcare experience (A)
- Experience of working in a care co-ordination or patient flow role (A/I)
Additional Criteria
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (both written & verbal) (A/I)
- Good Organisational skills (I)
- IT skills including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint) (A)
- Ability to establish and maintain good relationships with patients, carers and members of the multi-disciplinary team within the Hospice and with external agencies (A/I)
- To be able to meet the requirements of the post
- Flexible working to meet shift requirements
- Present a professional appearance appropriate to the role
- Assertive and collaborative approach (A/I)
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.
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