Job Title:Community Navigator

Location:GP surgeries within Havens area; occasionally other surgeries in the High Weald, Lewes area

Responsible to:Interim Service Manager

Directly ResponsibleCommunity NavigatorVolunteers

for:

Purpose of the post:1.To developand deliver the Community Navigator Service (CNS)in partnership with GP surgeries which will enableover 50 year old people to improve their health and wellbeing and reduce their demand on statutory health services.The focus in CNS is on non-medical needs affecting wellbeing i.e.psycho-social-economic needs of the patient.

2. Tolead and support Community Navigator Volunteers.

Hours:17.5 hours per week

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Receive referrals from GP practices and arrange to contact patients, assess their needs, identify goals and appropriate action for support, and draw up a flexibleperson-centred plan. Whenappropriate to the case allocate patients to volunteers.

Offer patients direct support and/or refer to appropriate agencies, including Adult Social Care or primary care services.

Assist patients to access community care assessments and medical appointments.

Identify when there is a need for urgent action or for a step-up in care and communicate with the relevant professionals.

Maintain database records of interventions with patients and outcomes of referrals/signposting and communicate as required with health professionals.

Conclude action plans after a defined number of episodes of contact. Evaluate and record client outcomes. Provide regular reports on activity and outcomes and case studies as required.

Ensure carers are identified and supported as appropriate, including signposting for carers’ assessments.

Develop comprehensive knowledge of local available services from the community, voluntary and statutory sectors.

Support and advise Community Navigator Volunteers to work within the team, including them giving regular supervision, case management support, debriefings and group meetings when needed.

Be aware of the policies and procedures affecting volunteering and contribute to recruitment, induction and training programmes.

Work collaboratively with other community navigators and manager to ensure the sharing of best practice and the covering of the service during times of staff absence.

Foster positive relationships with GP practice staff and other medical and community healthcare professionals.

Attend team meetings, induction events, training, staff conferences etc and be aware of AUKES services and products.

Work within all the policies and procedures of AUKES and apply consistent principles of diversity and equal opportunities throughout the work of the team.

Quality processes

Comply with the AUKES’s quality standard ISO 9001 and other quality standards such as Investing in Volunteers, as necessary.

Ensure that the service templates (standard documents) are used for administration.

Undertake regular patientfeedback forms and provide monitoring information as required by the manager.

Log all external complaints and instances of non-compliance with contacts and undertake action as required by the manager according to the complaints procedure.

General

Work within all the policies and procedures of AUKES and apply consistent principles of diversity and equal opportunities throughout the work of the team.

Participate in fundraising activities.

Undertake any other duties and responsibilities as requested by the manager, as appropriate to the grade of the post.

Other

To work constructively with other staff members and teams at AUKES and contribute towards a happy work environment.

To work within the policies and procedures adopted by Age UK East Sussex with particular attention to equal opportunities, confidentiality, safeguarding, at risk and health and safety requirements.

To be prepared to alter agreed weekly working arrangements and on occasions to be able to attend meetings and events and/or to cover other team members' sickness or annual leave.

To cross promote all AUKES services, products and commercial activities.

Training

To complete relevant training as agreed with your line manager.

To be committed to your professional development.

Changes to this document

Age UK East Sussex intends to review this document on an annual basis to best suit the changing nature of the role as the service develops. Any changes will be made by mutual agreement.

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