Patient Support Officer
40 hours per week, part-time will be considered for right candidate. Salary – up to £36000 (pro rata for part time).
Role
Do you want a role helping people at the most difficult time in their lives and truly making a difference?
HASAG Asbestos Disease Support is a charity which aims to provide support and guidance to people suffering from asbestos-related lung diseases by offering, and delivering, personalised, tailored practical support. We are a well-established charity that provides a vital service to our community.
Owing to our continued growth, we are seeking to employ a permanent, full-time Patient Support Officer (part-time will be considered for the right candidate), to ensure that people affected by asbestos-related disease receive relevant help and support. In this role, you will provide practical and emotional support, ensuring all appropriate benefits are applied for, assisting with mandatory reconsiderations, and appeals, where necessary.
We are committed to delivering services that support the management of our clients’ health and wellbeing, ensuring access to high quality services across the South of England. As well as helping clients to access crucial welfare benefits services, you will be responsible for guiding them through one of the most traumatic times in their lives – providing support, empathy and forging close, fulfilling relationships in the process.
The focus of the role is to provide advice and assistance with a range of welfare benefits to people with terminal and chronic asbestos related disease, their families and carers, whilst also ensuring a holistic approach to the client’s circumstances and ongoing support. This may include assistance with reconsiderations of decisions, and representation at Tribunal appeals, the provision of support and assistance for families at Coroner inquests, if required, and assistance with the delivery of support groups.
In joining the team, you will also have the opportunity to make your mark on the role, as well as the flexibility to get involved in other areas of the charity’s work, providing exciting opportunities for development. Training will be made available for the successful candidate, to enable them to specialise as an advisor for people with asbestos-related disease. If appointed, an enhanced DBS check will be required prior to employment commencing.
This position is based at our office in Southampton.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Communicate with patients, either face to face, on the telephone or by home visits, providing advice and assistance on benefits, access to compensation and other areas of support.
- Effectively communicate with clients, in order to gather facts to advise them accordingly.
- Carry out calculations to work out entitlement to particular benefits.
- Explain the range of choices available to them and what they mean.
- Consider options and identify the best possible course of action.
- Carry out research where necessary to find out more in-depth information.
- Provide practical help such as completing benefit applications, writing letters, making phone calls.
- Signpost/refer clients to other services and sources of help where appropriate, for example to a health care worker or solicitor.
- Attend our support groups to provide advice/information around benefits, if required.
- Represent the patient where necessary – this may include at Tribunal and Coroner’s court.
- Be organised and able to prioritise and manage a caseload.
- Keep timely, accurate records of client cases.
- Promote the services on offer and distribute publicity materials.
- Liaise internally with the team of Benefits Advisors and external organisations.
- Maintain confidential case records through use of a database.
- Undertake any other duties that are deemed appropriate to be commensurate with the needs and overall aims of the organisation.
We are looking for someone who…
- Has experience with the welfare benefits system.
- Is an enthusiastic individual with, patience and empathy for others; someone who can take a holistic approach to a patient’s circumstances, and signpost or refer to other relevant organisations and agencies for matters when necessary.
- Can work independently, and as part of a team at a fast pace, whilst remaining calm, professional, and dedicated to helping patients and their families.
- Has good ICT skills and able to use multiple platforms and packages.
If the above resonates, and helping people is important to you, we want you to apply for this post. To do so, please send us your CV and a covering letter to lynne@hasag.co.uk. Applications will close on 13th June 2024.