Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland
CRSS Local Co-ordinator (Inverness & North
East Highland)
Job Description
Position:
Cardiac & Respiratory Support Service Local Co-ordinator
Location:
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Regional Office Inverness
Responsible to:
Cardiac & Respiratory Support Service Lead
Contacts:
(internal)
Cardiac & User Development Manager
Director of Advice & Support
Volunteer Development Manager
Advice & Support Department
Community Stroke Services Department
Fundraising Manager (North of Scotland)
Contacts:
(external)
Managed Clinical Networks
Highland Heart Failure Nurse Service
Respiratory Nurse Service
Befriending Networks
Volunteer Centres
Local Statutory and Voluntary Organisations
Patients, carers, volunteers and the general public
Main purpose of job:
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland improves the quality of life for people in Scotland affected by
chest, heart and stroke illness, through medical research, influencing public policy, advice
and information and support in the community.
The Heart Failure Support Service (now known as the Cardiac & Respiratory Support
Service – CRSS) was formed in 2004 and was recommended for national roll-out in the
Scottish Government Better Heart Disease & Stroke Care Action Plan 2009. Current project
sites are Lothian, Lanarkshire, Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Western Isles and Highland.
The main role of the CRSS Local Coordinator is to directly coordinate service provision and
manage a volunteer and client caseload in and around Inverness and the North East;
working in partnership with NHS Highland.
Most challenging parts of the post:

Recruitment and retention of volunteers

Co-ordinating service provision in a geographically diverse area
1
Key responsibilities:
To lead the delivery of the Cardiac & Respiratory Support Service within Highland, in
collaboration with the CRSS Lead.
To ensure links are developed and maintained with local public/voluntary sector
organisations, Highland Cardiac and Respiratory Managed Clinical Networks (and
associated sub-groups) and volunteer centres, across Highland.
To lead the promotion of the Highland CRSS, in collaboration with the CRSS Lead.
To contribute to the updating of relevant sections of the CHSS website, in collaboration with
the CRSS Lead.
To ensure the maintenance of up to date records across the Highland service.
To provide monitoring and evaluation/annual reports as required, in collaboration with the
CRSS Lead.
To provide line management for the Highland Advice & Support Administrator.
Volunteers
To share information with the CHSS Volunteer Development Manager via the CRSS Lead.
To recruit, manage and develop a team of up to 30-35 volunteers within the Highland
service.
To undertake a matching process with volunteers and clients in a befriending relationship
and monitor standards across the Highland service.
To uphold our high standards of volunteer management and ‘Investing in Volunteers’
accreditation, across the Highland service.
To deliver training packages to a defined team of volunteers as devised by Befriending
Networks and CHSS.
To contribute to the development and review of training across the service, in collaboration
with the CRSS Lead.
To co-ordinate and monitor the CHSS system of reimbursing volunteer expenses, across the
Highland service.
To provide both formal and informal support to volunteers as directed by CHSS policies and
procedures, ensuring that quality assurance measures are adhered to across the Highland
service.
To collate and provide local monthly reports and statistical information, with respect to clients
and volunteers, and submit on time for internal reporting.
2
Clients
To co-ordinate referrals, ensuring appropriate matching and support and monitor the
effectiveness of referral systems across the Highland service.
To maintain confidentiality of clients’ personal and medical information and ensure that
protection of sensitive data is maintained across the Highland service.
To support the needs of clients and their families through the provision of the service within
Highland.
Patient and Carer meetings, Small Peer Groups and Newsletter
To plan, organise and deliver: patient and carer meetings/groups in partnership with local
NHS staff within Highland:
-
To secure speakers and presenters for meetings/groups
To co-ordinate venue bookings
To co-ordinate the meeting/group on the day
To undertake a process of continual review and evaluation
To utilise the role of the group volunteer
To co-ordinate the production and dissemination of a quarterly Highland cardiac newsletter
in partnership with NHS Highland cardiac service and the CRSS team.
To support the production and dissemination of a quarterly Highland respiratory e-newsletter
in partnership with the CHSS Respiratory Coordinator, CRSS lead and NHS Highland
respiratory service.
To evaluate patient/carer experiences of: meetings, groups and newsletters and compile
reports as required by the CRSS Lead.
CHSS
To work to agreed service targets and personal objectives.
To participate in departmental, regional, organisational meetings and associated groups, as
required.
To represent CHSS at Managed Clinical Network meetings and associated groups, as
required by the CRSS Lead and/or Cardiac & User Development Manager.
To contribute to the work of the CHSS Public Relations.
To ensure the well being, health & safety of people visiting CHSS.
To comply fully with CHSS Policies and Procedures.
To participate in CHSS appraisal and support and development processes.
3
To directly line manage the Highland Advice & Support Administrator with support from the
CRSS lead, liaising as appropriate with the A&S Director and Regional Fundraising
Manager, based in the Inverness Office.
To undertake training as and when required.
To liaise regularly with the CRSS Lead, other CRSS Co-ordinators and Cardiac & User
Development Manager.
To undertake additional duties as directed by the CRSS Lead and the Cardiac & User
Development Manager.
Director of Advice
& Support
Cardiac & User
Development
Manager
CRSS Lead
(Includes Lothian
HFSS)
CRSS Co-ordinator
Lanarkshire
CRSS Co-ordinator
Highland (this
post)
HFSS/COPD Coordinator
GG& C
HFSS Co-ordinator
Western Isles
Highland Advice &
Support
Administrator
The holder of this position will have unsupervised one to one contact as part of their
normal duties with adults at risk; therefore this position is subject to membership of
the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme.
The above job description is not exhaustive and is clarified to include broad duties inherent
in the post. Evaluation and development of this post may, in time, indicate a need to revise
duties herein.
June 2014
4
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland
CRSS Local Co-ordinator (Inverness & North
East Highland)
Person Specification
Essential
Aptitudes
Abilities
Skills
Desirable
Excellent communication skills
(written and verbal)
Interest in health related
issues
Good organisational skills
Newsletter composition
Good time management skills
Support and development
of a defined team
Ability to work on own initiative
and as part of a team
Ability to maintain confidentiality
Education and
Knowledge
Computer literate; confident with
Word/Internet/E-mail
Full Driving Licence – access to a
car
Confident with Excel,
Publisher and Access
programmes
Understanding of the social
issues encountered by
those living with a longterm condition
Knowledge of the Highland
area
Previous
Experience
Management of volunteers in a
community setting
Event organisation
Project evaluation
Line management
Training delivery
Values/
Attitudes
Commitment to the values of the
voluntary sector
Commitment to equal
opportunities
Belief in the potential
positive impacts that
befriending can have on
quality of life
5
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland
CRSS Local Co-ordinator (Inverness & North
East Highland)
Further Details
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland comprises several departments: Finance including Accounting and IT,
Administration, Public Relations, Fundraising, Advice and Support and Community Services. The
Finance Department is actively involved with all other departments.
Summary of Terms and Conditions of Employment
Location:
The CRSS Local Co-ordinator will be primarily office-based within the
CHSS regional office in Inverness. Occasional travel to CHSS Head
Office (Edinburgh) will be required.
Term:
Permanent
Salary:
On a scale of £19,871 - £23,629 per annum
Grade 4, NJC Scale Points 20 - 26
New appointments are normally placed at the base of the salary
scale unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Hours of work:
32.5 hours per week. The working hours are Monday to Friday with
some flexibility and evening / weekend work will be required on
occasion.
Flexible working under a system of managed time will be required.
Review of Work:
The postholder is subject to the CHSS objective setting, supervision
and appraisal process.
Annual Leave:
24-30 days per annum, dependent on length of service, plus 12 public
and local holidays.
Travel:
You will be required to use your own car on CHSS business which is
reimbursed at a rate of 45p per mile. All other reasonable travel,
subsistence and other necessary expenses are reimbursed.
Pension scheme:
CHSS operates a contributory Group Personal Pension scheme,
which all employees are eligible to join; contributions are on an agerelated scale of 1% to 5%. There are also schemes which provides
death-in-service benefit and permanent health insurance.
Equal
opportunities:
CHSS is committed to equality of opportunity and to non
discrimination on the grounds of race, religion or belief, age, sex,
marital or civil partnership status, disability, sexual orientation,
transgender status, pregnancy or maternity.
Closing date for
applications: Wednesday 23 July 2014
Interviews: will be held in Inverness on Tuesday 5 August 2014
6