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Job summary

Main area
MECFS specialist
Grade
Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 18.5 hours per week
Job ref
362-A-24-6322367-A
Employer
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
4th Floor Beckwith House
Town
Stockport
Salary
£35,392 - £42,618 pro rata pre annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
09/07/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust logo

MECFS Specialist

Band 6

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

There are lots of good reasons to choose to come and work at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust. A dynamic integrated Trust with integrity and vision. Exactly the same qualities you’ll see in yourself. Stockport NHS Foundation Trust aims to be the organisation of choice for patients and an employer of choice for staff. In order to continually improve all aspects of our patient experience, we rely upon having a highly skilled, motivated, diverse, productive and patient focused workforce.

Stockport Foundation Trust is one of four ‘specialist’ hospital sites in Greater Manchester. Being a ‘specialist’ hospital will enhance our general surgery, anaesthetics, critical care and emergency medicine for the benefit of people in Stockport, High Peak, Cheshire and across Greater Manchester.

Our values ‘We Care, We Respect, We Listen’ are at the heart of everything we do, and come from our promise:  ‘Making a difference every day.’ They drive the behaviour and actions for everyone in our organisation.

In your application for this post, please describe how your experience and skills align with 'Our values-based behaviours' ( see additional documentation) and provide examples.

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

As well as recognising previous NHS service, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust is a member of the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. If you are currently employed by Greater Manchester Local Authority, Combined Authority, GMFRS, TfGM as well as other public service organisations, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust will recognise your previous service for sickness and maternity/paternity/adoption entitlement and also for annual leave purposes (providing there has been no break in service).  If you currently work for one of the above organisations and successfully apply for a post with Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, please ensure the Recruitment team are aware so that this service is reflected in your contract of employment.

Our Values:

We Care

About each other

Our patients and their families

The communities we serve

The environment

We support them and deliver on their promises

We Respect

Each other

Our patients and their families

Our partners

We are kind and helpful, and we expect the same in return

We Listen to

Each other

Our patients and their families

Our partners

We act and learn from what we hear


 

Job overview

The Role of the Specialist CFS/ME Practitioner:

Professional Qualification: Nurse (RN), Health Care Professional: OT or Physiotherapist

Using the Stockport Primary Care Trust Job Description and local service knowledge the role of a ME/CFS specialist is to deliver a patient centred , biopsychosocial model of management and  treatment to support the patient living with ME/CFS.

Main duties of the job

·

  • Perform advanced holistic triage and assessment of patients with multi-system symptom presentations, with a complexity of physical, emotional and psychological health
  • To develop and deliver an individualised treatment programme
  • Work collaboratively with primary and secondary health care services, third sector services and social prescribing, education and social services, to ensure the delivery of a seamless and  high quality service
  • To be responsible for a caseload and work without direct supervision. 
  • Provide  support to MDT and cover for absent colleagues 
  • Promote a holistic, supportive and patient centred service that facilitates an intervention approach to promote change, acceptance and promotes self-management aiming to optimises functional improvement
  • Undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner
  • Act as an advocate for patients and their families when necessary
  • Carry-out risk assessment in line with Trust/National Protocol
  • Anticipate care needs and develop individual patient lifestyle management plans to include pacing and grading activity, equipment prescription or home modification recommendations
  • Ensure patient care and planned interventions are supported by available evidence base and experiential knowledge and are in accordance with Code of Professional conduct
  • Keep up to date with professional standards and relevant literature related to ME/CFS

·      

Working for our organisation

We hold a unique position in the Stockport community as the provider of healthcare and we are one of its largest employers.

We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We are therefore seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce to make it truly representative of our local population.

We actively encourage applications irrespective of race, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. Recognising those communities that are underrepresented within our workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from you.

If you require support with your application please contact a member of the recruitment team, who can discuss alternative application methods.

We recognise that flexible working is important. We take requests for flexible working seriously, consider any request we receive and try to work with you, so we can explore if your request may fit with the needs of the service.

Benefits we offer to you:

  • Between 27-33 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
  • NHS pension scheme membership
  • Salary sacrifice schemes for lease cars, home electronics and more, to make your salary go further
  • NHS Staff discounts
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • Salary finance – for loans, savings, budget planning and tips on managing debt
  • Stockport Credit Union– for local financial advice

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·       Work with patients, carers and families, and other statutory health related services

·       Work autonomously and within a team

·       Be flexible in their approach to therapy and management of symptoms

·       Have advance communication skills

·       To have expert knowledge and understanding of the ME/CFS diagnosis, symptoms, and potential prognosis

·       Manage a patient through the entirety of their care episode in relation to ME/CFS, assessment, symptom management, support, and discharge. Referring on to other agencies where support out of their skill set is required, e.g. physiotherapy

·       Have a broad skill set which can include advanced skills in delivering advice on PACING, sleep management, relaxation, stress management. The specialist will also have rudimentary knowledge and skills in pain management, CBT or counselling, exercise , diet and healthy living advice

·       Manage severe and complex, house bound patients. The Stockport service offers a domiciliary service to patients, this is not a national standard and quite exceptional. This places the specialist in the role of key-worker, requiring collaborative working with social services and other attending care agencies

·       Be able to recognise non-ME/CFS symptoms, and know when and where to report these

·       Be an advocate for the patient, which may involve supporting with work adjustments, benefit claims, education, through reports or MDT meetings

·       Know where to sign-post patients for CFS/ME support, e.g. local or national support groups

 

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and promote safeguarding by implementing the Trust’s policies and procedures, acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively and sharing information appropriately.

 

If successful this vacancy will require an enhanced DBS check at a cost of £41.90. This cost will be deducted from your first Trust salary

In addition to this it will be a condition of your employment that you will join the DBS update service and pay the annual subscription fee of £13.

 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy/ Physiotherapy/ Nursing
  • State Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council/Nursing and Midwifery Council
  • Membership of Professional body RCOT/CSP/RCN

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge of current best practice in physical and psychological interventions in ME/CFS
  • Awareness of relevant specialist interest groups e.g. Action for ME
  • Knowledge of Nice Guidance in ME/CFS
  • Knowledge of best practice in management and treatment of ME/CFS
Desirable criteria
  • Understanding of post exertional malaise, and implications when advising activity programmes
  • Be able to explain post exertional symptom exacerbation in the contex of ME/CFS

Work related skills

Essential criteria
  • Car Driver
  • Hold valid UK driving licence, and car owner with insurance for business use

Equality and diversity

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge of Neurodiversity and the implications around communication and treatment approaches
Desirable criteria
  • Be able to discuss how a therapy intervention may be modified when working with an individual living with neurodiversity

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience triaging GP referrals, and reading and interpreting investigation results, including blood results
  • Understanding of the diagnostic process for ME/CFS
Desirable criteria
  • Multidisciplinary Team sharing of triage findings and investigation results, to provide reasoning to accepting or rejecting referrals

Skills and experience

Essential criteria
  • Ability to work autonomously and set own priorities.
  • Ability to process and record complex information and respond effectively
  • Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance.
  • Apply health, safety and risk management processes, especially towards loan working
Desirable criteria
  • Post registration experience in community services
  • Knowledge of intermediate care and community/support services.

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Excellent communication skill
  • Ability to build effective working relationships.
  • Positive attitude to disability and problem solving
  • Remain professional, calm and polite in difficult situations

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyMenopause Friendly EmployerAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldImproving working livesMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Cristina Betts
Job title
Service Lead for ME/CFS and Long COVID
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01618356684
Additional information

Please be encouraged to contact the service by email of telephone call for further information, or to arrange an informal visit.

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