Cancer Counsellor

NHS

  • Ipswich, Suffolk Colchester, Essex
  • £47,810-54,710 per year
  • Permanent
  • Part-time
  • 14 hours ago
An exciting opportunity has arisen, for someone to join our team of cancer counsellors at ESNEFT. We are looking for a motivated and experienced counsellor with the skills to offer therapeutic support to cancer patients and their relatives.As part of a cross site collaborative counselling service, you will work 34 hours per week across 4 or 5 days, based in the Cancer Wellbeing and Information Centre at Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals. Subject to room availability and needs of the service you will work at least 2 days at Colchester (Monday and Tuesday) and 1 day in Ipswich (Wednesday or Friday). Other time can be worked from home. Regular outreach clinics are held in Clacton and counsellors also provide telephone support from home.You are required to have previous experience of working as a counsellor, ideally in a secondary care setting. You will be BACP accredited or working towards accreditation with substantial experience of counselling clients and time-limited work. You will support cancer patients and their loved ones who may present with a range of needs, such as trauma, grief and loss to effectively manage the challenges and ethical dilemmas presented in this area of work.Macmillan supports learning, development and networking, through access to education grants, events/ conferences and an online learning platform.If you have the expertise and passion, we look forward to hearing from you!Main duties of the jobYou will work as part of an integrated multi-disciplinary team, including counsellors, clinical nurse specialists, doctors, information staff and volunteers. Part of the role will be to facilitate education, clinical supervision and reflective practice to cancer services staff, as well as raise the awareness of the benefits of counselling to other health professionals.You will have the ability to be flexible, have good organisational and problem-solving skills; prioritising workload effectively and working collaboratively to continually evaluate and improve services. Working independently you will be responsible for the administrative duties, record keeping and data collection and analysis associated with the role. You will lead on the bookings of the clients referred and liaise with the Wellbeing centre staff regarding room bookings. You will be confident in multi-tasking and able to demonstrate excellent IT and telephone skills.About usWe are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8ADetailsDate posted03 September 2025Pay schemeAgenda for changeBandBand 7Salary£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum pro rataContractPermanentWorking patternPart-timeReference number432-HR659-25Job locationsColchester and Ipswich hospitalsColchester and IpswichCO4 5JLJob descriptionJob responsibilitiesFor full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description. Job descriptionJob responsibilitiesFor full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.Person SpecificationExperienceEssential
  • Significant demonstrable post qualification experience as a counsellor.
  • Experience of working in a healthcare environment
Desirable
  • Previous experience of counselling in a cancer care
QualificationsEssential
  • BACP / UKCP accredited counsellor or working towards accreditation
  • Qualified Counsellor who has completed a BACP accredited or equivalent course.
Desirable
  • Supervision qualification
KnowledgeEssential
  • Proven ability to use a range of therapeutic interventions and techniques.
  • Knowledge of specialist therapeutic techniques acquired through continual professional development.
Desirable
  • Specialist training in therapeutic techniques used in loss/bereavement or cancer care.
Person SpecificationExperienceEssential
  • Significant demonstrable post qualification experience as a counsellor.
  • Experience of working in a healthcare environment
Desirable
  • Previous experience of counselling in a cancer care
QualificationsEssential
  • BACP / UKCP accredited counsellor or working towards accreditation
  • Qualified Counsellor who has completed a BACP accredited or equivalent course.
Desirable
  • Supervision qualification
KnowledgeEssential
  • Proven ability to use a range of therapeutic interventions and techniques.
  • Knowledge of specialist therapeutic techniques acquired through continual professional development.
Desirable
  • Specialist training in therapeutic techniques used in loss/bereavement or cancer care.

NHS