Patient Support Worker

Visibility Scotland is now seeking to recruit a full-time (35 hours per week) Patient Support Worker to join a person-centred team covering NHS Edinburgh and the Lothians. The post-holder will be primarily based within Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh, but occasional cover at other NHSGGC hospitals may be required.

The role is offered on a fixed-term basis until 31 March 2025 (with possible extension for a further year). 

The post-holder will liaise with patients, family members, and professionals to ensure that people experiencing changes in their daily lives due to visual impairment receive the correct support at the right time. The post-holder must have excellent communication skills and the innate desire to provide inclusive support to all.

The post-holder will provide emotional support and information, along with practical advice, to patients who are experiencing significant sight loss. As and when required, the Patient Support Worker will introduce visual strategies and aids to help patients maximise their remaining vision and build their independence and sense of wellbeing.

Those accessing the Patient Support Service will be signposted to other services and opportunities as appropriate. A key element of this work is building strong working relationships with all eye department staff to encourage referrals, thereby supporting those seen in the hospital setting with direct and seamless access to a wide range of statutory and community-based support.

The post-holder will be technology-aware and or willing to learn about assistive and accessible technology. The post-holder will organise and deliver informative peer support courses that facilitate and nurture group learning.

The NHS Lothian Patient Support service provides a bridge between the clinic and the community. The Patient Support team enables seamless service provision, referring to other Visibility Scotland services and health and social care services within the community.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Patient Contact

• To actively listen and offer support to people attending hospital eye departments, both face-to-face and over the telephone.
• To provide emotional support, impartial information, guidance and practical support to people of all ages, their families and carers to help them with any difficulties that may arise following the diagnosis of an eye condition.
• To promote falls prevention with patients, families and carers.

Administration

• To ensure all referrals to the Patient Support Service are dealt with in a timely and effective manner.
• To act as a contact person to whom people can return for advice or help to facilitate onward referrals to services and support.
• To act as a key point of information and advisory link in the certification and registration process for blind and partially sighted people.
• To maintain patient records by following organisational processes and Data Protection rules.
• To provide regular reports and statistics as required by the management team.
• To research, maintain and update information to ensure accuracy.
• To provide information in an accessible format.

Team and partnership working

• To build good working relationships with hospital staff, social work staff and other appropriate agencies.
• To establish and maintain robust referral mechanisms to and from the service across statutory and voluntary agencies.
• To take an active role in engagement and consultation to evaluate and improve service provision.
• To travel between hospital sites to provide cover for planned and unplanned patient support worker absences as required.
• To promote the benefits of the Patient Support Service to health and social care professionals through feedback, presentations, talks and networking events.
• To attend relevant steering groups and forums.
• To proactively promote Visibility Scotland services to a wide range of agencies and organisations to foster good relationships and develop new partnerships.
• To participate in team meetings, actively communicate and share information with all colleagues.

Training delivery

• To promote and deliver training courses for health professionals and other agencies.
• To promote, organise and deliver the Positive Outlook course for patients, families and their carers.
• To demonstrate assistive technology and accessibility features on handheld devices.
• To undertake and complete yearly safeguarding and first aid training.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a motivated and ambitious organisation. The successful candidate will ideally have a proven track record in health and social care or the willingness and motivation to learn. The post-holder must have a ‘can do’ attitude and a positive team spirit.