Job summary

Salary : £30,550 per annum Hours : 35 hours Type of contract : Permanent Locations : Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle and West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven

• Do you want to make a difference?
• Are you self-motivated, organised and a great communicator?
• Are you flexible and adaptable to changing work environments and processes?

If yes, this could bethe job for you!

Were the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and were here for everyone affected by sight loss. Working for us means working for one of the UKs biggest charities, supporting almost two million people living with sight loss in the UK.

RNIB is leading the creation of a world where there are no barriers for people with sight loss. One of our key priorities is to ask people to see sight loss differently, reversing inaccurate perceptions and changing public behaviours so everyone expects equal participation from people with sight loss and the creation of a fully accessible society.

RNIB is pleased to announce this exciting opportunity to join our Eye Care Support Service delivering support in North Cumbria.

This is a rewarding role providing the right individual the opportunity to make a difference every day working with people affected by sight loss.

Main duties of the job

You will provide critical emotional support, information and guidance face to face within a hospital setting, remotely via digital platforms and in community locations, as required.

Each day you will support people affected by sight loss to identify their needs, access information and make informed choices which enable and empower them to maintain their independence.

Admin tasks are a large part of this role, you will create and input accurate patient records into a variety of databases and use Microsoft 365 each day.

What we are looking for

You will have proven experience of delivering information and advice services working directly with the people you are supporting as well as maintaining professional relationships.

Key to this role will be your excellent communication and relationship building skills with patients, colleagues, clinicians and a wide range of RNIB and cross sector partners.

Good communication and teamwork are vital to ensure seamless patient support.

You will have the ability to work in different hospital locations as required.

You should be confident to work on your own initiative, have excellent organisational skills and be a confident user of IT systems.

About us

As an RNIB ECLO, you will also complete the RNIB & City University Eye Clinic Support Studies qualification : essential for the role, access to Clinical Supervision, peer support and the opportunity to support RNIBs priority of no diagnosis without support.

What We Offer

RNIB prides itself on being a great place to work with a positive, progressive culture. We offer a wide range of benefits including 26 days of holiday per year (plus bank holidays) which rises with service, enhanced family friendly benefits, a contributory pension scheme with an employer contribution of up to 11% and a rewards platform with employee discounts across over 800 retailers.

For more information on our available benefits, please visit ourBenefits of Working at RNIB page.

How to Apply

To be considered, you must respond to the questions in our short application form and submit your CV. If youre having difficulty applying, please

Additional Information

Appointment is subject to an enhanced DBS check for engaging in regulated work with children and adults with sight loss.

Closing date for applications : 15thMay 2024

Interviews will be held : 24thMay 2024

How to apply

Please use the attached link. If you choose to apply through the NHS website, please ensure you submit your responses to the 6 questions in the attached document as part of your application.

This is what's used to score how you meet the criteria.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Position Details

Job Title : ECLO (Eye Care Liaison Officer)

Job Level : M3

Directorate : Services

Department : Eye Care Support Service

Location : North Cumbria Integrated Care NHSFoundation Trust (across ophthalmology sites at Carlisle and Whitehaven)

Type of Contract : Permanent

Hours : 35

Reports to : Service Manager

Purpose of Job :

This is anexciting opportunity to join RNIB flagship Eye Care Support Service at CumberlandInfirmary and its related Ophthalmology site at West Cumberland Hospital.

In this role,you will be working directly with people diagnosed with conditions causingsight loss, their family members and carers.

You willprovide critical emotional support, information and guidance face to facewithin hospital settings, in community locations and via telephone or digitalplatforms as required.

Each day youwill support people affected by sight loss to identify their needs, accessinformation and make informed choices which enable and empower them to maintaintheir independence.

You will be critical in developing referralpathways and partnerships with Statutory and Third Sector partners, NHS EyeCare Services, and community-based partners to establish secure referralroutes, relationships and partnership working to support the needs of peopleliving with a sight condition in the North Cumbria region.

You will be the first ECLO for NorthCumbria, developing and establishing a new Eye Care Support Service.

Impact :

Line ManagementResponsibility

No Linemanagement responsibility

Financial Responsibility :

No budget responsibility.

Decision Making Responsibility :

Required to make judgements and to solve problemswithin discipline and within defined area

Main Accountabilities :

1.Provide advice, information, practical andemotional support, to people of all ages affected by sight loss.

2.Provide a person-centred screening of needs bytelephone, in person and via digital platforms, ensuring those affected bysight loss feel more confident about where and how to get support, advice andguidance, signposting and referring patients to a wide range of services andorganisations, as identified in the screening of needs.

3.Develop positive working relationships to establish and maintain referral routes with a range of health,statutory and third sector organisations.

4.Provide basic visual awareness training to eyeclinic staff and others as required.

5.To provide informationand guidance on the certification and registration process for people withsight loss. To support eye clinic staff with the processing of the Certificateof Visual Impairment (CVI)

6.Maintain an up-to-date and comprehensive informationresource relating to services available for people with sight loss.

7.Support patient's, family and carers with advice onfalls prevention and refer to available services where appropriate.

8.When needed, act as an advocate for patients tonavigate the complexities of the sight loss pathway to ensure they receiveappropriate services.

9.Collate and maintain accurate patient records andinput quality data using multiple IT systems. Undertaking high-quality caserecording in line with the highest standards and best practice principles andensuring compliance with all GDPR and information governance policies andprocedures.

10. Engage patients,their family members or carers to gather feedback on the ECLO service.Positively contribute to RNIB evaluation, monitoring and continuous improvementof the service.

11. Attend clinicalaudit meetings, steering groups, forums and other events to promote thebenefits of the service.

12. Positivelycontribute to a range of local and national ECLO team meetings, networks,training and information events. Attend mandatory ECLO seminars and takeresponsibility for own CPD.

13. Ensure thatspecific safeguarding risks, GDPR and regulatory requirements are understood,applied and managed in line with relevant NHS and RNIB policies.

14. Support volunteerswithin the ECLO service and wider RNIB activities, where appropriate

General :

1. Undertake any other duties commensurate with thepost

2. Adhere to all RNIBpolicies and procedures

3. In addition to the safeguarding inductioninformation, you will receive when you join RNIB, you are required to completemandatory safeguarding training

General

The following points are common to all jobdescriptions :

1.Undertake any other duties commensurate with thepost

2.Adhere to all RNIB policies and procedures

3.In addition to the safeguarding inductioninformation, you will receive when you join RNIB you are required to completesafeguarding training, this must be completed within four weeks of joining RNIB.

4.Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults

To complete training on Safeguarding of VulnerableAdults and be able to understand and implement the training accordance withSafeguarding policies and procedures.

Taking responsibility for reporting any safeguardingconcerns to the Safeguarding Team and Line Manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Person Specification
• 1Specialist Knowledge, Skills and Experience
• 1.1Proven experience of delivering information and advice services, preferably within a health, social care or community setting.
• 1.2Demonstrable experience of delivering person-centred support to customers and their family and carers.
• 1.3Demonstrable experience of working in health, social care or community support services and understanding the functions of their practitioners.
• 1.4Proven advanced communication skills, including positively influencing other professionals across health, social care or community services.
• 1.5Demonstrable IT literacy with proven experience of working with Office 365 and bespoke systems whilst adhering to GDPR Information Governance Policies and maintaining appropriate customer records.
• 2Planning and Organisational skills
• 2.1Ability to organise and manage time effectively and to prioritise workload in order to meet deadlines.
• 2.2Flexibility and adaptability in order to meet the demands of the role and to work within varying locations and different settings.
• and an ability to work independently and on own initiative.
• 3Communication skills
• 3.1Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in a structured way and with a range of individuals, both verbally and in writing.
• 3.2Experience of the preparation and delivery of presentations to varied audiences in a manner which meets their needs.
• 3.3Ability to listen to and have empathy with patients whilst remaining impartial and non-judgemental.
• ECLOs working in Wales the ability to speak Welsh is desirable but not essential.
• 4Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• RNIB expects an understanding of and demonstrated commitment to its Equality Diversity and Policy and to ensure all activities and behaviours are consistent with the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

This includes all staff activities and their interface with all employees, customers and service users.

5Special Conditions

City University Eye Clinic Support Studies qualification, or a willingness to undertake and obtain the qualification is essential

• 5.2Adhering to the RNIB ECLO Services Quality Framework and Practice Guidelines.
• be prepared to travel and attend meetings and training as required which may involve occasional overnight stays.
• 5.4Appointment is subject to an Enhanced DBS check / PVG checks, as appropriate.
• Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Safeguarding is about preventing and stopping both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure we promote people's wellbeing.
• It is fundamental to high quality health and social care services. You must always be vigilant in your role and if you are concerned about a child or vulnerable adult report your concerns immediately following the processes set out in the RNIB child and adult protection procedures.

Last updated : 2024-05-10