Family Liaison Officer Lead | Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 22 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £43,742 - £50,056 per annum |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 22 May 2024 |
| Location: | Wickford, SS11 7XX |
| Company: | Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 6233383/364-A-7638 |
Summary
This is an opportunity to join Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust as Family Liaison Officer Lead.
The Director of Safety and Patient Safety Specialist is seeking an enthusiastic, value driven, exceptional individual who is passionate about improving safety, service user experience and staff engagement and development.
The role of the Family Liaison Officer Lead is to identify those affected by patient safety incidents and provide them with timely and accessible information, advice and support. This role is integral to the delivery of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework and is a conduit between patients/families/carers and the patient safety incident investigators or reviewers.
The purpose of the role is to ensure families and carers are treated with compassion and professionalism in respect to their individual needs. The role requires the highest degree of sensitivity, communication and integrity and will include the provision of support to newly bereaved individuals some of whom may be deeply distressed.
They will be the main point of contact for individual families, carers or significant others and will work closely with the learning response lead assigned to the incident. This will include agreeing methods and timing of communication with family members which may include face to face meetings, telephone calls and email correspondence. This will ensure that the family’s needs are met with regard to the provision of timely and accurate information during the review process, openness and transparency and to reflect the level of involvement they wish to have in the process.
They will provide support and information through what can be a difficult process for families. If the family requires professional support the FLO Lead will signpost the family to relevant qualified services.
A key aspect of the role will be to develop and present anonymised case studies, training programmes, learning tools, events, workshops and best practice guidance in partnership with families where appropriate. Enabling clinical services to learn and improve their communication and engagement with families and carers.
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.
To be the main point of contact for families, significant others and carers during patient safety incident learning response related to a service user. Identifying and establishing relationships with families and carers as soon as possible.
Establishing communications with affected families, guide and support them through the investigation process to the conclusion as required; to meet the needs of each family/ carers as is reasonably possible. Being culturally aware and informed about the specific needs of the patient, their family and carers.
Work alongside the learning response leads about the progress of the investigation / review to ensure that relevant information is conveyed to the family in accordance with the communication plan.
Create a professional relationship of trust and honesty that will enable families to ask the questions that they wish to be answered as part of the investigation / review process.
Listen and manage queries in a proactive manner, signposting individuals to other services when necessary including bereavement and other types of counselling. It may be necessary to establish the first contact with these services on behalf of the individuals.
Contribute to formal reports to Trust meetings including the Trust wide Quality and Safety Group and Learning Collaborative Partnership. Reports may include case studies, identification of learning and arrangements for sharing lessons, activity data and analysis of the effectiveness of the family liaison services offered by the Trust.
Become a Trust expert resource in relation to understanding, interpretation and implementation of Duty of Candour obligations as required by the NHS Standard Contract and the Care Quality Commission regulation 20. Assist with the audit of the Trust wide compliance to regulation 20.
Attend Coroners courts when required as a representative of the Trust in coordination with the investigating officers.
Work closely with colleagues in the psychology directorate, when required.
Has the ability to risk assess and escalate concerns to the most appropriate person.
Design and deliver family liaison and duty of candour communication skills training to Trust staff. Engage bereaved families and carers in delivering training where appropriate in either a group of one to one session. Being prepared and flexible to short time scale requests for training.
Provide supervision to Family Liaison Officers that are assigned a FLO case, ensuring the cases are discussed and emotional support is provided.
Stay updated on national best practice and initiatives relating to family and carer liaison support.
Work with bereaved families and carers to develop services in association with Trust clinical services and external partners, such as the Samaritans and other organisations. Support the Trust commitment to a zero suicide ambition.
On an on-going basis, assess risks relevant to the role and raise any concerns to the most appropriate person.
Lead officer for developing, reviewing and updating Trust policies and guidelines relevant to their remit in accordance with best practice and national guidance.
Responsible for benchmarking exercises and developing external networks in order to stay updated with family engagement activities and practice in other organisations including private and voluntary sectors.
To be responsible for horizon scanning through detection of early trends and themes in incidents and cases.
Contribute towards the decision-making situations, requiring analysis and comparison of a range of options. There will be complex situations and facts which will require analysis and assessment and may be conflicting. To provide analytical summary relating to clinical information.
Provide reports and briefings for the Head of Patient Safety Incident Management on Duty of Candour compliance, FLO activity, potential risks and identified learning.
Draw up clear guidelines for Family Liaison Officers, highlighting expectations in terms of formulating communication plans with families, liaising with patient safety incident investigators, recording information and attending meetings as part of the patient safety incident response process.
Ensure the role of Family Liaison Officer is fully equipped with skills, knowledge, situational and behavioural awareness to provide compassionate and professional support following a patient safety incident.
Arrange and chair bi-monthly Family Liaison Officers peer supervision sessions, ensuring there is an agreed agenda, action points are followed up and appropriate speakers are invited to the meetings. Engage in live events and teaching sessions for Family Liaison Officer Role to promote and encourage attendance at group training opportunities.
Contribute to the development and improvement of a systems learning approach and cultural changes associated with the introduction of the patient safety incident response framework and lead on allocated improvement and innovation projects.
o undertake/lead patient safety incident reviews in line with defined requirements ensuring that these are completed within the required timeframe in a robust and unbiased manner when there are capacity issues with the patient safety incident management team.
To undertake Quality Assurance Peer Review of Learning Response Reports that have taken place, using the Peer Review Tool.
To have supervisory responsibility for junior staff within the team
Responsible for monitoring Family Liaison expenditure against budget spend.
This advert closes on Tuesday 7 May 2024