Job Description

TB Clinical Support Worker, Fixed term 12 months to cover Maternity leave



An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic person looking for a diverse role to join our established community TB service. You will be working alongside our specialised TB nurses as part of the multi-disciplinary team providing high quality TB care in collaboration with other services to provide a seamless service for people receiving TB treatment, their contacts and the wider community in accordance with nationally and locally agreed guidelines.



The post holder will be trained in phlebotomy and participate in large incident TB screening and screening of New Entrant to the UK. The post holder will support patients with their treatment through directly observed therapy and will assist in locating and encouraging patients to engage with the TB service. The post holder will become knowledge about TB signs and symptoms and participate in activities to raise awareness of TB locally.



A car driver with a full UK license and access to a car with business insurance is essential for this role. Please note that an international driving license is not accepted.

Closing Date:

Please be advised that this job advert will close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Please apply for this job as soon as you can, if interested.



Successful applicants will be required to provide an immunisation and vaccination report, from either their current UK occupational health provider or their UK GP.



We are looking for someone with good interpersonal and communication skills, good organisational ability, enthusiasm and the ability to work on your own initiative. You will need to enjoy working in a small team and be able to prioritise your own workload and be confident in working with patients with complex and challenging needs. You must have reasonable PC skills, including using Microsoft Office packages (particularly Excell), e-mail, Outlook and use of databases.



The post holder will predominantly provide specialised, comprehensive & confidential clinical support for the Coventry & Warwickshire Community TB Service working closely with the TB specialist nurses and act as a source of advice and guidance regarding the TB Service.



The post holder will be trained in phlebotomy and participate in large incident TB screening and screening of New Entrant to the UK. The post holder will support patients with their treatment through directly observed therapy and will assist in locating and encouraging patients to engage with the TB service. The post holder will become knowledge about TB signs and symptoms and participate in activities to raise awareness of TB locally.



The post holder will also be responsible for arranging, monitoring, reporting and recording TB screening and treatment outcomes in accordance with Service, Trust and National standards, policies and procedures. The post holder will also be expected to provide support for the TB admin team when required.



University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.



We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.



Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.



We are proud to be recognised as a Pathway to Excellence designated organisation - please click the link for further details about this prestigious award. Pathway To Excellence - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (uhcw.nhs.uk)



By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.



The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.



This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.



To support the community TB team with outbreak management in the identified cohort, liaising with the case manager for individual patients and wider TB team members; to be guided by them and be available to provide support with other patients as requested.



To support TB nurse specialists in collecting prescriptions and liaising with pharmacies, informing patients when to collect medicines or delivering them as part of the agreed care package.



To have a basic level of knowledge about TB and the standard medication/treatment programme so they are able to recognise deviation from this and inform the TB case manager as soon as possible, or other appropriate delegated health professional in their absence.



To provide on-going support to patients to encourage effective adherence and completion of treatment as directed by the TB Nurse Specialists and in line with agreed protocols. In particular, to assist the TB nurse specialists with the delivery of adherence strategies such as daily or otherwise planned Directly Observed Therapies (DOT).



To observe patient taking medicines and record this observation in the patient's notes and to report concerns e.g. patient concerns raised about drug side effects and any concerns noted around adherence with therapy.



To work with the patient to understand the reasons for treatment non-compliance and to work to overcome the barriers to treatment non-compliance.



To ensure accurate and up to date documentation made in a timely fashion in patient records and problems communicated to the TB Nurse Specialists at the next available opportunity.



To visit non-compliant patients at home or in a location they frequent following discussion and risk assessment with case manager and encourage the patient to comply with treatment.



Plan and organise own work including planning home visits, clinics and DOTs



To act as a first point of contact for dealing with enquiries and take action as necessary liaising with clinical and non-clinical staff, effectively communicating at all levels using written, oral and electronic methods.



To 'input information onto TB databases' assisting case managers by ensuring all necessary patient data, demographics and screening results are collated and entered on local database for quarterly statistics, activities and reports as required by Lead TB Nurse.



To look up patient sensitive information and patient results for case managers to action and record actions generated by case managers on local database; Prolonged concentration maybe required to ensure accuracy of data inputting and VDU required.



To participate in the development and contribute to the implementation of service changes as required. This will require undertaking any project work as directed, including obtaining information from the Internet, collation and reporting of data in order to produce reports and spreadsheets utilising relevant Trust IT systems, as determined by the role, ensuring all relevant patient data is collected and input accurately in line with Trust guidelines. These systems may include iPM, CRRS. Share ideas for potential service improvement.



To carry out tasks in delivering and supporting patients care delegated by and supervised by the patient's case manager. This will involve supporting patients with treatment, attending appointments, locating patients who fail to attend appointments encouraging them to attend for ongoing care and treatment.



Become skilled on phlebotomy and assist in TB screening incidents, contact tracing and New Entrant TB screening.



Assist in the delivery of TB awareness campaigns & be a source of information regarding the signs and symptoms pf tuberculosis.



When required be flexible and provide administrative support for the Community TB Nursing Team as directed using own judgement and with the ability to manage and prioritise own work load. Assist TB administrator in the ordering and restocking of supplies and maintenance of equipment and general office duties, handling post, photocopying etc.

For further details/informal visit contact:

Kam Hallett, TB lead and CNS Nurse: 02476964169



For further details of the role please see the attached job description.