Job description

Job title:Case Officer

Reporting to:CaseManager

Job Family:Regulatory Casework

Pay Level:C1

Role purpose

To ensureproportionate and efficient casework progression of fitness to practise cases in line with legislative requirements, operational standards and quality and performance indicatorsto enable the Nursing and Midwifery Council(NMC) to fulfil its statutory obligation to protect the public.

To ensure the management of cases maintains public confidence in the regulated system, including appropriate risk management;timely progression and delivery of high standards of customer care.

Key accountabilities

  • Deliver effective case management that is risk based and proportionate.
  • Comply with quality and performance indicators.
  • Deliverhigh quality customer service to NMC’s stakeholders.
  • Ensure continuous improvement of NMC’s Fitness to Practise(FtP) case management processes and operations.

Case management and progression

  • Assess and process an allocated caseload of individual cases in accordance with statutory processes ensuring they are managed effectively, efficiently to high standards of customer care and within agreed timescales.
  • Plan and manage the caseload identifying the appropriate scope and nature of the enquiries, ensuring discussions and progress are reported on the Case Management system and on a regular basis to your manager. Identify and escalate any problems to the Case Manager in a timely fashion.
  • Analyse information received on an ongoing basis and conduct timely and appropriate risk assessment of managed cases. Where appropriate ensure that interim orders are sought and reviewed in line with legislative timescales.
  • Identify complexities within the cases and ensure advice is taken from the appropriate professional i.e. legal team, midwifery unit, professional adviser etc.
  • Gathering relevant information and facts to further progress each case and carry out low level investigation work as directed.
  • Prepare each case for consideration by a fitness to practise committee, ensuring all parties are sent all relevant information in a timely fashion, to inform decisions in line with legislation and procedures.
  • Prepare reports and charges, where required, for consideration by a fitness to practise committee.
  • Ensure that all casework is handled effectively and appropriately, liaising with other colleagues and organisations as required.
  • Delegate administrative tasks to case administrators and ensure the quality of their work before it is dispatched.
  • Ensure that statutory notices are served in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions and that the administration staff have prepared materials for consideration by fitness to practise committees in accordance with the FtP standard operating procedures (SOPs).
  • Ensure the production of the case bundles for panels are accurate and sent to all relevant parties including representatives and are produced to FtP time standards.

Management information

  • Maintain databases and updates all required information within the CMS to allow a caseload to be monitored
  • Uses Management Information to inform and drive forward continuous improvement of the case management and investigations process.
  • Input and provide statistical information for analysis

Information Management

  • Ensure that case files both manual and electronic are set up, contain all relevant information relating to the case, kept up to date and accurate, including communication with all parties.
  • Record and maintain all actions taken and decisions made to ensure that the audit trail is clear and up to date using the FtP database and case tracker.
  • Ensures complex multi-handed cases are redacted in accordance with NMC data security and disclosure policies.
  • Disclose information on NMC cases in accordance with NMC data security and disclosure policies.

Customer care

  • Delivers a high quality service to all customers, both internal and external in line with NMC customer service standards through effective and efficient management of investigation processes.
  • Acts as a named point of contact for registrants, and other stakeholders during the relevant period.
  • Ensures all written and oral communication with external stakeholders is clear, consistent, sufficient, appropriate and relevant.
  • Write standard and non standard letters in house style, email and telephone notes
  • Liaise with all external and internal stakeholders by telephone, letters, email and face to face as necessary.

Communications and team membership

  • Liaises regularly and proactively with other members of the FtP directorate
  • Attends and participates in FtP and investigation team meetings
  • Assists in the training of colleagues as required and indicated by the manager
  • Attends and participates in development activities within FtP and cross NMC directorate activities as appropriate.
  • Participate as part of the team by supporting each other with sharing the workload and providing cover for colleagues during absence
  • Establish and maintain a close relationship with NMC media team in cases that attract media or political interest, in accordance with NMC disclosure policy.
  • Communicate and escalate any problems or potential problems in an open and honest way.

Fitness to practise directorate

  • Identifies opportunities for continuous improvement in the FtP directorate and proactively follows through
  • Identifies the need for and contributes to training updates within the FtP directorate
  • Adheres to FtP SOPs to support achievement of the key performance indicators
  • Assists in the development of the CMS and other IT systems/manuals in support of continuous improvement within the FtP directorate.
  • Participate as part of the team by supporting each other with sharing the workload and providing cover for colleagues during absence.
  • Keep informed of developments in regulatory law and best practice in case progression, directorate policies and procedures.
  • Attend and participate in development, cross directorate activities within FtP and NMC as appropriate.

Standard responsibilities

Other responsibilities

There are a number of standard duties and responsibilities that all employees, irrespective of their role and level of seniority within the NMC, are expected to be familiar with and adhere to.

  • Comply at all times with the requirements of health and safety regulations to ensure their own wellbeing and that of their colleagues.
  • Promote and comply with NMC policies on diversity and equality both in the delivery of services and treatment of others.
  • Ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and its amendments.
  • Comply with NMC protocols on the appropriate use of telephone, email and internet facilities.
  • Comply with the principles of risk management in relation to individual and corporate responsibilities.
  • Comply with NMC policies and procedures as compiled on the organisation’s intranet.

This job description is not exhaustive and as such the post holder is expected to be flexible. Any changes will only be made following a discussion with the post holder.

Person specification

Job title:Case Officer

Qualifications and experience

  • Qualified to degree level or equivalent or relevant substantive experience
  • Experience of managing caseload type activities
  • Experience of using case handling databases for logging cases.
  • Demonstrable investigative experience
  • Management/administrative experience in a regulatory body or similar organisation
  • Experience of working in a team and independently to deliver against targets and work to strict timescales

Skills, knowledge and abilities

  • Knowledge of the role and responsibilities of professional regulators, preferably in the health sector
  • High level correspondence, complaint handling and case management skills
  • Knowledge of quality assurance processes and performance indicators
  • Well-developed analytical skills
  • An understanding of the NMC’s statutory responsibility to protect the public through its fitness to practise procedures’
  • Able to understand and interpret current case law and complex legislation
  • Well-developed communication skills, demonstrable in written and verbal English
  • Proficient in the use of a range of IT programmes
  • Able to take accurate notes in meetings and have good drafting skills
  • Able to convey with credibility difficult messages to a wide range of stakeholders
  • Effective time management skills, including the ability to prioritise workloads and manage multiple competing priorities
  • Ability to travel within the UK, including occasional weekends and bank holidays
  • Awareness of the rules and regulations applicable to nursing and midwifery fitness to practise.

Personal qualities

  • Highly-motivated and able to work independently and as part of team
  • Well-organised and able to problem solve
  • Demonstrates a high level of integrity, patience, resilience, confidence and professionalism in dealing with pressured, unpredictable and sensitive situations and, at times, differing points of view
  • Committed to continuously improving the day to day operations of the investigation team, the FtP directorate and the wider NMC.

Fitness to PractiseApril 2014 Page 1 of 6