Dementia And Delirium Practitioner

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and compassionate Dementia and Delirium Practitioner to join the Geriatric Oncology team at The Christie. This specialist role will support older people living with dementia, cognitive frailty and delirium throughout their cancer pathway, helping to ensure they receive personalised, high-quality care that meets their physical, psychological and social needs.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will provide specialist assessment, support and care coordination for patients and their families from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. You will work collaboratively with cancer teams, geriatricians, allied health professionals, community services and carers to improve patient experience, optimise outcomes and promote continuity of care across organisational boundaries.

The successful candidate will act as a key resource for dementia and delirium care across the Trust, providing specialist advice, supporting service development and delivering education to staff. This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated practitioner who is passionate about improving care for older people affected by cancer and driving improvements in dementia and delirium care within a specialist cancer centre.

The Dementia and Delirium Practitioner will provide specialist assessment, advice and support to patients with dementia, cognitive frailty and delirium throughout their cancer pathway. You will undertake holistic assessments, contribute to personalised care and support plans and help patients and families navigate complex treatment and care decisions.

Working closely with the Geriatric Oncology team and wider multidisciplinary teams, you will coordinate care, support outpatient clinics and MDT discussions, and ensure patients receive timely access to appropriate services and support. You will provide ongoing advice, symptom management and emotional support, promoting person-centred care and continuity throughout the cancer journey.

The role includes delivering education and training on dementia and delirium across the Trust, supporting staff to develop confidence and competence in caring for patients with cognitive impairment. You will contribute to quality improvement, audit, research and service development activities, helping to ensure services are evidence-based, responsive and aligned with national cancer and dementia priorities.

The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery.

We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder will build and maintain effective working relationships with:

• Lead Dementia and Frailty Practitioner
• Members of the geriatric oncology team.
• Clinical cancer teams, particularly the Cancer Care and Support Coordinators, Clinical Nurse Specialists and MDT Co-ordinators.
• Cancer clinicians including medical colleagues and Allied Health Professionals.
• Operational and managerial teams…