Clinical Helpline Professional

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our innovative and award-winning relative helpline team for a 12-month maternity cover. The helpline supporting the trust to provide high quality experience of care and improve communication with loved ones.
During the coronavirus pandemic we had the opportunity to gather nurses, AHPs and doctors to form a relative update helpline; providing loved ones with support, compassion and information about their family member’s condition. Despite restrictions easing, this service has proven invaluable for relatives, patients and staff and has therefore been agreed to become a permanent fixture within West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. The helpline initiative has even been celebrated with awards nationally:
Winners in ‘Support to Caregivers, Family and Friends’ in the Patient Experience Network National Awards (PENNA)
Runners up in ‘Staff Engagement and Improving Staff Experience’ in PENNA
Finalists in ‘Patient Safety Team of the Year 2021’ in the HSJ Awards
This role will involve working remotely and on-site on a split basis so you must have an appropriate environment to work from when not on-site.
Essential to this role is also building strong, trusting relationships with colleagues across the Trust to ensure the helpline is integrated into the way the organisation works, recognising that you are also a link team member of wards as well as the helpline team.
You will join our experienced team of Helpline Professionals who cover calls 7 days a week. The service runs 9.45am-6pm daily.
We are looking for an experienced professional to cover the Clinical Helpline phone service. Families and carers use the helpline to be provided with accurate and up-to-date information on their loved ones currently admitted at the West Suffolk Hospital Foundation Trust and community assessment beds. You will be required access patients’ information using electronic records used within the trust. This information will then need to be interpreted and effectively communicated for the caller to understand.
The Clinical Helpline team have the opportunity to tailor conversations so they are bespoke to the callers. They engage with the next of kin and families to support engagement with the care of their loved ones. They are given the time to express concerns and worries and the team draw on their experiences to help navigate families through an often-stressful time during their loved ones admission.
If you are an innovative and eager person, and meet the following essential criteria, we would love to hear from you:
NMC or HCPC registered
Evidence of ongoing continued professional development
Good IT skills
Excellent communication skills, verbally and in writing
Able to remain calm under pressure
Kind, compassionate and empathetic
Good team player
#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community
We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.
The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.
Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.
We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.
With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.
We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.
Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?
Please see job description for full details.
Provide clinical updates to relatives of inpatients who contact the helpline
Conduct GDPR checks in line with standard operating procedure (SOP) and use own initiative to identify any concerns with patient confidentiality
Give emotional support to relatives who may be worried, distressed or anxious
Adapt to changeable pressures throughout shift, handling calls and responding to service needs
Work closely with ward staff and other support mechanisms to ensure a holistic approach
Be aware of safeguarding issues and escalate concerns where appropriate to ensure the safety of patients and relatives
Assesses nursing care delivered. Plans, prioritises and supervises helpline support within an allocated time frame. Delegate activities to team members appropriately
Organises and deploys staff according to workload, ensuring appropriate staff cover and reporting any deficiencies to Manager
Supervises the delivery of service to maintain agreed standards
Identifies problems and risks, decides on appropriate actions via a structured approach and report promptly to other staff on matters requiring their input