Oncology Counsellor - Kent and Medway ICS Only
Posted 22 hours ago by NHS
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our dynamic and progressive Oncology counselling service at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Hospital.The Oncology Counsellors are an established team working in collaboration with the clinical psychology team to provide excellent psychological support and care to our patients.
We are looking for a candidate who is motivated, enthusiastic with excellent communication skills and the ability to work both autonomously and as part of a wider multi professional team.
A key aspect of the role is to provide a comprehensive support and counselling service for patients and their families who are being treated under the Kent Oncology Centre (based at Maidstone Hospital) within Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
The post holder will work as part of a multi professional team and will act as a resource to staff within the Oncology Centre and Cancer Services Division. The post holder will be expected to work closely with the Line Manager to develop the counselling service to reflect the changing needs of the clients, the service and ensuring consistency with national guidance and best practice.
This post provides an exciting, challenging and rewarding opportunity for candidates to work within a supportive and committed team.
The successful candidate will have yearly appraisal and objective setting as well as excellent professional development opportunities.
Main duties of the jobTo provide a comprehensive support and counselling service for patients and their families who are being treated under the Kent Oncology Centre ,within Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.The post holder will be expected to work closely with the Line Manager todevelop the counselling service to reflect the changing needs of the clients, the service and ensuring consistency with national guidance and best practice.Key Areas of Responsibility:1. Provide a confidential counselling service (assessment and therapeuticintervention) for people with cancer and their families, under the care ofthe Kent Oncology Centre, as required.2. To work to the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapists(BACP) code of ethics and practice accordingly.3. To maintain accurate records of referrals and provide monthly statics to the line manager.4. To offer a range of therapeutic strategies to meet the need of thepopulation which include patients, relatives and staff 5 Work collaboratively with other providers of counselling services toensure a collaborative approach to the development of the service.6. Participate in clinical audit to evaluate the counselling service
About usMaidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 and 2024 NHS Staff Survey.
We are a large acute hospital trust in south east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.
Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day care beds, diagnostic services (X ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.
Looking for flexible working?We are a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it's adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.
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Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:
- At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro ratio for part time staff).
- Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a 20.6% employer contribution and life assurance benefits
- Blue Light card eligibility
- And more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below
Weve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children). If a role involves regulated activity and requires a DBS check with a barred list check, you cannot apply if you are on the barred list.
All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.
Person Specification Qualifications- Counselling qualification
- Understanding of safeguarding vulnerable adults and children
- Minimum of two years counselling experience.
- Awareness of national initiatives and guidance in counselling
- Understanding of bereavement, grief and loss
- Experience of family and couples' therapy
- Mindfulness training
- Able to work independently in a stressful environment
- Possess requisite skills to undertake an assessment and plan the appropriate therapeutic intervention
- IT literate
- Effective communication skills, written and verbal
- Possess skills to provide support to staff.
- Possesses skills to teach and provide training
- Team worker, able to work effectively with the multi professional teams in both hospital and community professional teams in both hospital and community
- Ability to deal with distressing circumstances
- Ability to identify personal situations which may affect practice and manage these appropriately
- Demonstrates an empathetic disposition/team player
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.
£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum pro rata