Project Manager - Compassionate Communication in Cancer Care

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

An exciting secondment opportunity has arisen to work with the GSTT Personalised Cancer Care and Survivorship Programme and Guy's Cancer Academy to develop a new communication skills education and training course.

Main duties of the job

Effective communication is a crucial component of delivering healthcare. Without it, the quality of healthcare can be impaired and negative patient outcomes increase. There are multiple components to effective communication in a healthcare setting: healthcare literacy, cultural competency and overcoming language barriers. If any one of these components is compromised, effective communication does not occur.

Health care staff require education and training to communicate effectively and with compassion with people with cancer (and their families/carers) to support the person's whole experience of their cancer, treatment and care and also to specifically support self-efficacy and self-management of their care. We have, however, highlighted a gap between Sage & Thyme foundation level workshop and Advanced Communication Skills Training. Thus, a significant proportion of the health care workforce do not currently have access to education and training to develop their knowledge and skills in compassionate communication with people with cancer. This need has been further highlighted by the impact of Covid-19 and the shift to remote communication, which can cause greater communication challenges.

This is a 12 month project to work with a wide range of stakeholders to co-design and develop a new communication skills education and training course.

Please note: This is a 12 month fixed-term post on a 0.4 WTE secondment.

For further details contact:

About us

The post holder will establish and maintain close working relationship with the Guy's cancer Academy and Guy's Survivorship Teams.A collaborative approach with clinical and operational colleagues will be a key part of delivering a successful project to change and improve outcomes, efficiency and satisfaction of both patients and staff.The post holder will report to the Transformation Lead - Cancer Survivorship and work closely with the Head of Guy's Cancer Academy.O

Date posted

04 April 2022

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,154 to £52,936 a year inc HCA pro rata

Contract

Secondment

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

196-COF7585

Job locations

Guys and St Thomas's NHS Trust

Great Maze Pond Road

London

SE1 9RT


Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Curriculum development:Co-design a high-level curriculum, which maps to professional competence frameworks.Develop a co-designed blended learning course, including some online and some role-play workshop learning activity.Develop a curriculum that:Maps to communication knowledge and skills competences in existing professional frameworks such as; UKONS/RCN and Macmillan competency frameworks.Bridges the learning gap to build on the Sage & Thyme course and build towards Advanced Communication Skills Training.Enhances implementation of the personalised care programme and patient-initiated self-referral/follow-up.Improves the communication skills (verbal and non-verbal) of staff working in South East London who care for people with cancer and who have roles that require staff to engage in conversations with patients and their families about their cancer.Improves patient experience by ensuring that all patients are treated with sensitivity by all health care workers involved in their care.Reduces the volume and proportion of complaints about communication skills.Increases staff confidence and competence in conducting difficult conversations

Project Management:Establish a Project Steering Group of key project stakeholders to oversee the project delivery.Identity subject experts to contribute to the creation and development of learning content and delivery methods.Organise, plan and facilitate co-designed workshops with key learning and development stakeholders.Evaluate findings from co-designed workshops to develop a curriculum.Work with Guys Cancer Academy team to create learning content/materials to enable learners to achieve the learning outcomes in the agreed curriculum.Liaise with key stakeholders to ensure regular and iterative review of the learning content/materials as they are developed, to ensure fitness for purpose.Provide regular informal and formal reports to the Transformation Lead for Cancer Survivorship, the Head of Guys Cancer Academy, the Project Steering Group and the funder.

Plan a launch of the learning resource and create/deliver staff training (as required) to support implementation of the learning resource.Escalate risks to successful project completion to the Transformation Lead for Cancer Survivorship and the Head of Guys Cancer Academy, as and when they occur.Develop and manage project timelines and milestones.Generate data to support the application of ongoing project funding.

Quality Assurance:To develop a process to roll out the training across the Clinical Group and externally through the South East London Cancer Alliance.Use practice experience, current best evidence and tacit knowledge to develop an in-depth understanding of the communication needs of people affected by cancer.Maintain and develop professional expertise and registration requirements with an appropriate professional body under the guidance of a senior colleague to ensure competence and credibility.Participate in the Academic Quality Assurance and Standards Committee to ensure learning resources meet the standards for high-quality education and training provision.Lead on stakeholder engagement for the project to ensure that learners needs are met.Plan, develop and critically review education and training to meet the project aims.Work with the Head of Guys Cancer Academy UK to develop forms, procedural protocols and/or any governance processes required to provide formative and summative feedback to learners.Work with Guys Cancer Academy team to develop and apply innovative and relevant teaching, learning and assessment techniques.Disseminate innovative education and training across the cancer alliance to promote good practice.Demonstrate first-class written and verbal reporting skills, e.g. through publications and presentations, to coherently communicate developments to a wide range of stakeholders, including patients, carers and funders.

Finance Management:Monitor the project budget monthly ensuring it meets the budget plan and report to the Academy Business Manager with remedial plans if required.Work with the Head of Guys Cancer Academy to ensure the project is delivered in the most cost-effective manner to achieve best quality, capitalising on opportunities to share the learning resource across the organisation.Utilise the Guys Cancer Academy funding model for external key deliverables.Deliver against organisational objectives, achieving quality outcomes, prioritising own workload and working to tight deadlines

Key relationships:GSTT Guys CancerNCPES Action GroupGuys Cancer Academy TeamMultidisciplinary Education and Training Leads within the Cancer and Surgery Clinical GroupGSTT College of Healthcare Team/ GSTT Education, Training and Development TeamGSTT Nightingale Academy TeamGuys Cancer Survivorship Programme Guys cancer User GroupSELCA External patient advocate and support groupsPatient Safety and Quality Managers within the Cancer and Surgery Clinical GroupTrust Head of Patient Experience.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Curriculum development:Co-design a high-level curriculum, which maps to professional competence frameworks.Develop a co-designed blended learning course, including some online and some role-play workshop learning activity.Develop a curriculum that:Maps to communication knowledge and skills competences in existing professional frameworks such as; UKONS/RCN and Macmillan competency frameworks.Bridges the learning gap to build on the Sage & Thyme course and build towards Advanced Communication Skills Training.Enhances implementation of the personalised care programme and patient-initiated self-referral/follow-up.Improves the communication skills (verbal and non-verbal) of staff working in South East London who care for people with cancer and who have roles that require staff to engage in conversations with patients and their families about their cancer.Improves patient experience by ensuring that all patients are treated with sensitivity by all health care workers involved in their care.Reduces the volume and proportion of complaints about communication skills.Increases staff confidence and competence in conducting difficult conversations

Project Management:Establish a Project Steering Group of key project stakeholders to oversee the project delivery.Identity subject experts to contribute to the creation and development of learning content and delivery methods.Organise, plan and facilitate co-designed workshops with key learning and development stakeholders.Evaluate findings from co-designed workshops to develop a curriculum.Work with Guys Cancer Academy team to create learning content/materials to enable learners to achieve the learning outcomes in the agreed curriculum.Liaise with key stakeholders to ensure regular and iterative review of the learning content/materials as they are developed, to ensure fitness for purpose.Provide regular informal and formal reports to the Transformation Lead for Cancer Survivorship, the Head of Guys Cancer Academy, the Project Steering Group and the funder.

Plan a launch of the learning resource and create/deliver staff training (as required) to support implementation of the learning resource.Escalate risks to successful project completion to the Transformation Lead for Cancer Survivorship and the Head of Guys Cancer Academy, as and when they occur.Develop and manage project timelines and milestones.Generate data to support the application of ongoing project funding.

Quality Assurance:To develop a process to roll out the training across the Clinical Group and externally through the South East London Cancer Alliance.Use practice experience, current best evidence and tacit knowledge to develop an in-depth understanding of the communication needs of people affected by cancer.Maintain and develop professional expertise and registration requirements with an appropriate professional body under the guidance of a senior colleague to ensure competence and credibility.Participate in the Academic Quality Assurance and Standards Committee to ensure learning resources meet the standards for high-quality education and training provision.Lead on stakeholder engagement for the project to ensure that learners needs are met.Plan, develop and critically review education and training to meet the project aims.Work with the Head of Guys Cancer Academy UK to develop forms, procedural protocols and/or any governance processes required to provide formative and summative feedback to learners.Work with Guys Cancer Academy team to develop and apply innovative and relevant teaching, learning and assessment techniques.Disseminate innovative education and training across the cancer alliance to promote good practice.Demonstrate first-class written and verbal reporting skills, e.g. through publications and presentations, to coherently communicate developments to a wide range of stakeholders, including patients, carers and funders.

Finance Management:Monitor the project budget monthly ensuring it meets the budget plan and report to the Academy Business Manager with remedial plans if required.Work with the Head of Guys Cancer Academy to ensure the project is delivered in the most cost-effective manner to achieve best quality, capitalising on opportunities to share the learning resource across the organisation.Utilise the Guys Cancer Academy funding model for external key deliverables.Deliver against organisational objectives, achieving quality outcomes, prioritising own workload and working to tight deadlines

Key relationships:GSTT Guys CancerNCPES Action GroupGuys Cancer Academy TeamMultidisciplinary Education and Training Leads within the Cancer and Surgery Clinical GroupGSTT College of Healthcare Team/ GSTT Education, Training and Development TeamGSTT Nightingale Academy TeamGuys Cancer Survivorship Programme Guys cancer User GroupSELCA External patient advocate and support groupsPatient Safety and Quality Managers within the Cancer and Surgery Clinical GroupTrust Head of Patient Experience.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Health Care Professional
  • Educated to Master's degree level or equivalent experience
  • Evidence of continual CPD

Desirable

  • PRINCE 2, Agile or MPS project management qualification
  • Teaching qualification

Previous experience

Essential

  • Recent experience of working in the NHS
  • Experience in developing learning outcomes/ competences
  • Experience teaching health professionals
  • Experience of delivering, teaching or training of communication skills in an NHS setting

Desirable

  • Experience working in cancer care
  • Experience developing education and training curricula
  • Experience teaching multidisciplinary learners
  • Experience of developing education resources with a wide range of stakeholders

Skills/ Knowledge/ Ability

Essential

  • Knowledge of education theory, adult learning and curriculum development
  • Knowledge of competency frameworks , effective teaching and learning assessment strategies
  • Proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders and facilitate consultation
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Desirable

  • Change management within complex organisations
  • Proficient skills using e-learning software
  • Ability to develop quality indicators/ criteria and methods of evaluation/analysis for reporting
Person Specification

Education/ Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Health Care Professional
  • Educated to Master's degree level or equivalent experience
  • Evidence of continual CPD

Desirable

  • PRINCE 2, Agile or MPS project management qualification
  • Teaching qualification

Previous experience

Essential

  • Recent experience of working in the NHS
  • Experience in developing learning outcomes/ competences
  • Experience teaching health professionals
  • Experience of delivering, teaching or training of communication skills in an NHS setting

Desirable

  • Experience working in cancer care
  • Experience developing education and training curricula
  • Experience teaching multidisciplinary learners
  • Experience of developing education resources with a wide range of stakeholders

Skills/ Knowledge/ Ability

Essential

  • Knowledge of education theory, adult learning and curriculum development
  • Knowledge of competency frameworks , effective teaching and learning assessment strategies
  • Proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders and facilitate consultation
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Desirable

  • Change management within complex organisations
  • Proficient skills using e-learning software
  • Ability to develop quality indicators/ criteria and methods of evaluation/analysis for reporting

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Guys and St Thomas's NHS Trust

Great Maze Pond Road

London

SE1 9RT


Employer's website

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Guys and St Thomas's NHS Trust

Great Maze Pond Road

London

SE1 9RT


Employer's website

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)


For questions about the job, contact:

Transformation Lead Personalised Care

Nikki Cannon

Nikki.cannon@gstt.nhs.uk

Date posted

04 April 2022

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,154 to £52,936 a year inc HCA pro rata

Contract

Secondment

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

196-COF7585

Job locations

Guys and St Thomas's NHS Trust

Great Maze Pond Road

London

SE1 9RT


Supporting documents

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