Job Advert
NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.
We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.
NHS Scotland is reducing their full-time working week from 37.5 to 37 hours per week from 1 April 2024 but with no change in pay. This reduction will also be applied pro rata for part time staff. This advert and any subsequent offer/contract of employment therefore reflects the new working hours. However, as not all service areas will be able to adopt the 37 hour working week immediately from 1 April 2024, you may be required to work up to an additional 30 minutes per week for a temporary period for which you would be paid until the service you are working in changes rosters or working patterns to accommodate the new reduced working week. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Recruiting Board.
This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/ record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.
A pilot in NHS Lothian to test the Bridge Builder model in Scotland and to evaluate its impact. The pilot will maintain the fidelity of the model from Denmark to understand how this will apply in a Scottish context.
Bridge-builders are volunteers who accompany people who need extra support to attend appointments in the healthcare system. The model was developed by Social Health in Denmark in 2013 and by 2023 it has expanded nationwide.
The ways in which a bridge-builder volunteer will provide support will differ from person to person, but broadly speaking can:
- Support those who may not feel safe and secure enough to travel to and from appointments on their own.
- Help people to get to their appointment, and to navigate any obstacles that they might encounter on the way.
- Act as an ‘extra pair of ears’ to listen during the appointment, helping to translate medical terms and checking that the person understands what is being said and feels able to ask questions.
- Spend time after the appointment discussing what was said during the consultation and what it means for the person. Ensuring that the person is clear what was agreed on, including follow up appointments.
Working in partnership with universities and colleges, recruiting volunteers from the student body who are studying for a career in healthcare provides opportunities for practice based learning in ‘real life’ making them more knowledgeable health professionals in future.
Volunteers can be recruited from a range of disciplines such as medicine, nursing, allied health professions, psychology, psychiatry, public health.
Is the bridge builder model feasible in Scotland?
To fully understand the bridge builder model Social Health have offered observation of the model as delivered in Denmark, understand the core values / components of the scheme and have an opportunity to talk about issues that might not translate to another health system.
Core components of the model – our understanding so far
Based on what we have learnt so far from conversations and from the published research papers, the following are considered core to the success of the model:
Strategic |
A well-structured organisation, with effective leadership |
Dialogue with policymakers |
Funding |
Plans to develop evidence of impact from the outset |
Strong collaboration with universities / college / FE establishments |
Stakeholder support and engagement |
Operational |
Paid staff member with a background in health or social care with skills in communication, relationship building, and stakeholder engagement. |
Training programme which covers - social determinants of health, communication, boundary setting, lived experience input. Training programme delivered through a combination of theory, practical (case-based) and experiential (role-play) learning. |
Outreach into communities to raise awareness. |
Briefings for volunteers before and after each interaction with a patient by the coordinator. |
Dedicated telephone line for referral / self-referral. |
Group supervision for volunteers. |
Fixed Term - 18 Months
Hybrid with Lothian Wide Travel
For further information on what is included in the role and what skills/experience are being looked for, click on the links at the bottom of the screen to the job description and person specification. If after reading this information you have any questions please contact at Rachael.Honeyman@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk