Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services. Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions. Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients. In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research. We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit. Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’. The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients. We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS. Job overview The post holders will provide support to children with complex needs and their families; particularly children who have a physical neurodisability and are aged under 5. These are two posts one full time and one part time post within the Community Services Directorate. The post holder(s) will be an integral member of the Community team, working particularly closely with those who deliver the Movement Assessment Clinics (MAC) – such as community paediatricians and allied health professionals, and the specialist health visitors for children with complex needs. These roles are being recruited to as part of a time-limited research trial, so we would like the post holder(s) to start in post as soon as possible, following pre-employment checks. Please Note: Vacancy may close early due to high numbers of applications Main duties of the job The literature shows there is a high financial and psychosocial burden experienced by children requiring complex medical care and their families. There is a clear need for family support accessing the required social and financial help to improve the experience of these children and their families. The post holders will identify the bio-psycho-social needs of those families, and help them to access support – from health services, social services, education and the voluntary sector. The post holders will signpost parents and carers to appropriate support for social, financial, benefits and housing advice, and behavioural advice. The post holders will also be expected to connect with other family support workers, the specialist health visitors, and assist with information sharing with other teams. The post holder will be accountable to the Community Matron within Community Services. The posts are fixed term ending March 2025. There may a possibility of extending these fixed term roles beyond then. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted will be invited to undertake a test, followed by an interview. Closing date: 24 June 2024. Interviews will be on the 9 July 2024. Working for our organisation Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation. We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and – as part of King’s Health Partners – we are one of England’s eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research’s biomedical research centres, established with King’s College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities. As part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Evelina London is there for children, young people and women from London to South East England and provides specialist care for families around the UK and across the world. Every year, the number of children and young people Evelina London cares for, in our hospitals and throughout our local community, continues to grow. We support families from pre-conception, before birth, throughout childhood and into adult life. Right in the heart of vibrant London, we benefit from excellent transport links, we have staff working here from the local areas, spanning across London, and further afield into the home counties. Detailed job description and main responsibilities Hold and support a caseload of children and their caregivers/families, including: Offering support around the time of diagnosis, and time-bound support as part of the child's care and support plan as required, particularly in key periods of change or transition. Collaborating with the patient/caregiver/family to develop and implement a patient-centred service plan to meet their social, emotional and developmental needs. Facilitating access and referral to appropriate services for additional support that may be required, including social, financial, education, parenting and wellbeing support, benefits and housing advice. Working with the patients/ families and carers in their homes or at community or hospital sites as appropriate in order to provide a productive and flexible service. Communicating and building relationships with children, families and professional partners to ensure the child’s care is focused and managed effectively. Delivering support to parents that will enable and empower them in accessing relevant local support services. Ensuring that the service is child focused, effective, and consistent with the requirements of policy and statutory guidance. Working with partners: Maintain an awareness of community resources and services, including health care, social, economic, recreational, employment and educational. Establish and maintain coordinated working relationships with community social services departments, other professionals and service providers involved with children and families. Assist caregivers/families to access and utilise these services. Team working As appropriate, participate in team meetings, attend clinics, follow safeguarding policies and undertake quality improvement initiatives. Working autonomously with minimal direct supervision, prioritising tasks and working within set parameters and understanding operating procedures. Works in a variety of settings including service users’ homes. Maintains accurate records of all contacts, using the Trust electronic database systems. Person specification Skills/ Knowledge/ Ability Essential criteria An awareness of how families can access appropriate support, such as benefits and housing advice. Good interpersonal skills and ability to communicate verbally and in writing. Time management and ability to prioritise & meet deadlines to support family needs Qualifications Essential criteria Equivalent to GCSE in Maths and English grade C or above Experience Essential criteria Experience of working face to face with families to deliver advice and support Experience of building effective relationships with families and partner organisations Ability to work within a team and independently Ability to prioritise and manage own workload, demonstrating initiative Good record keeping Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership. Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy. As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends. Flexible working We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking in to account the individual’s personal circumstances as well the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process. Your e-mail address is important to us - We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis. Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now." Applicant requirements This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Further details / informal visits contact Name Gosia Bastek Job title Transformation Lead Email address [email protected]