Job Description

Psychosocial Support to patients of Cancercare and their families



Casework, group work, limited community intervention, administration of OSW processes as part of the multidisciplinary oncology team



Implementation of

Interpersonal Factor

in all aspects of service delivery to all stakeholder's, including staff, patients and families


OSW maintains high standards in all services delivered, in line with the Cancercare Values, of CARE. Each task always needs to be consistently executed while displaying a positive influence on all stakeholders and within the general working environment. It is expected from the employee to deliver all the tasks reflecting a willingness to operate outside the scope of the job description as per operational requirements. The factors below cannot therefore be reviewed and assessed in isolation. To display the company values: C - Compassion, A - Accountability, R - Respect, E - Ethics (CARE) This describes the behaviour and attitude of the OSW in delivering their work within the MDT

Individual psycho social interventions with patients & families

Motivates and promotes the role of OSW in the unit to maximize utilization of the service within the MDT context of care. Continuous evaluation of a unit-specific process for referral of new patients to OSW Implements contact for 70% of all new patients and assessment for 70% of patients with a score of above 7 on the NCCN Distress tool Plan and implement psycho-therapeutic interventions with patients and families along the trajectory of care (diagnosis, treatment, reoccurrence, end of treatment, palliative care, survivorship) Assess 70% of patients with a score of above 7 on the NCCN Distress tool (contact with as 70 % of total no of NP per month) Provides and implements discharge planning as a billed service to hospitalized patients (see KPA 4) Implement knowledge of legislative requirements, professional guidelines and osw codes of conduct Effective multi-disciplinary team referral process in place. OSW to provide a critical assessment of client and community needs to show evidence of using the baseline information in planning client services. 100 % of patients are informed about the OSW service Unit and OSW stats show 70% of all new patients contacted. Notes for 100% of all appointments in daily diary, indicating intervention & planning Plan appropriate clinical and practical interventions to address patient needs in line with the assessment outcome. Process notes indicate the implementation of at least 3 different therapeutic models in counselling, but within the context of brief therapy (4- 6 sessions max) Unit and OSW stats show 70% of all new patients contacted. Continued growth of the OSW private practice in line with needs of patients and families. Documented proof of all discharge planning done Hospital admissions for palliative patients do not exceed 3x per patient on the average Interventions and patient interaction is of a high ethical standard

Group work and community work

Implement group work in line with identified unit & patient needs Implement at least 2 and a maximum of 6 community outreach projects per (This includes community talks given) OSW to provide rationale of choice of service delivery - re groupwork and community work in relation to client needs. Proof of group attendance list and evaluation forms completed by group members Proof of community projects that OSW were involved with during the year Community involvement should newer compromise individual psychosocial support to patients and families

Active participation in OSW private practice

Evidence of implementation of structured discharge planning for all ward patients across all units. Only hospitalized patients will be billed (until further review) Patients of outside oncologists seen in our units will be billed Comprehensive process notes for every billed session on EMR All hospital patients seen by the OSW are billed (even if on a R 0 value) Proof of HO accounts dept show OSW contribution to the year on year growth of the OSW private practice, ( in line with the needs of patients and families ) All billing to be sent to HO by the 7th of each month.

OSW to coordinate and drive unit specific Patient Centered initiatives

OSW to coordinate and drive the Patient'" centeredness initiative in each unit. Increase focus and involvement of all occupational groups to improve patient cantered care Involve UBM, supervisors and different committees in each unit. Ensure completion of biannual patient centered reports to be send to head office in January and August of each year. Provide proof of the implementation of the initiatives discussed in the report.

Administrative responsibilities

Ensure that all patient contacts, meetings, community involvement, groups work sessions, etc. are indicated in the OSW diary All interventions to have corresponding EMR notes on patient interaction and planned follow up care where applicable. All appointments in diary to have corresponding notes on patient interaction and planned follow up care if applicable. OSW is responsible for booking planned leave on ESS OSW to show evidence of administrative accountably on a daily basis. To be assessed by annual audit of profdoc / mosaic files.

Professional development & research

Each social worker will be required to provide their own CPD Portfolio of evidence in order to meet SACSSP registration requirements: training attended, own reading, group supervision and case discussion as well as participation and preparation for individual group supervision. Evidence of acquired CPD points Evidence of professional growth as indicated through OSW's own therapeutic work with patients and families To be assessed by the HOD and supervisor to in supervision and group supervision.




Cancercare, is an equal opportunity employer committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity and creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and disability status. By submitting your application, you are giving The Cancercare implicit consent to the storage and processing of your personal information

Required minimum education:

BA Hons / 4-year BA degree, both in Social Work

Required minimum experience:

5 years clinical social work experience, preferably in medical social work

Required minimum work-related experience:

5 years clinical social work experience, preferably in medical social work