Treatment Navigator

**Main purpose of the job**:

- To provide individualised support for patients newly initiated on ART after the first month on ART and those already on ART, including follow up contacts to ensure retention of clients into HIV services at their allocated facility or community cluster

**Location**:

- **Pretoria - Tshwane - Gauteng**

**Key performance areas**:

- Work together with the Counselling linkage officers to identify patients newly tested HIV and TB positive and initiated TB treatment within 2 weeks in their allocated facility and catchment area and enrol them into treatment navigator care
- Provide individualised support for patients newly initiated on TB treatment after 2 weeks and beyond, including follow up contact through regular meetings, phone calls and SMS, linking them to ART within 2 weeks after starting TB treatment
- Remind the patients about their next visit appointments for first and subsequent to follow up visits for the first 12 months through SMS, phone call and home visits
- Send SMS and make telephonic call reminders to the patient about the next appointment date,1st SMS and call at 7 days prior the appointment date and the 2nd SMS and call to be at 2 days prior the next appointment date)
- Liaise with the TB focal Nurse to identify patients due for conversion and discharge sputa and those who are due for TB outcomes
- Identify contacts of index TB patients, link them to HIV and TB screening and testing
- Trace all clients who missed appointments within 24 to 72 hours to avoid early, late, and unconfirmed missed appointments (SMS, call and home visits)
- Conduct physical tracing of the patients who missed their appointments within 7 days of missing the appointments
- Track patients who are transferred between facilities and link them to care and treatment within 7 days
- Submit weekly feedback report on outcomes of tracking and tracing to the manager and data clerks
- Liaise with the clinicians and data clerks to ensure documenting and capturing of tracing outcomes both on clinical stationery and TIER.Net
- Refer all TB/HIV co-infected clients with different needs to multi-disciplinary teams (psychosocial, nutrition etc.)
- Always maintain patient confidentiality
- Manage the tracking and tracing data for TB and ART initiation or follow-up visits for HIV/TB patients at facility and community level, including source documents and database updates
- Daily data capturing of lost to care patients from relevant paper-based systems
- Liaise with the data clerk weekly for generation of late missed appointments, waiting for ART and TB treatment, and uLTFU lists from TIER.net
- Together with the data clerk and admin officer, retrieve files of patients appearing on the lists above to confirm missed appointments
- Compile weekly data of patients lost to initiation / follow up and submit data to relevant personnel for telephonic tracing
- Compile a list of patients traced telephonically and not linked to care, and submit to the community tracing team, WBPHCOTs leader and facility manager for further tracing
- Compile reports of activities and patient outcomes and submit to TB Project Manager timeously
- Provide health talks on HIV, TB, Sexual Reproductive Health topics and other related health services
- Participate in health promotion campaigns, including holiday programmes and youth events, these will occasionally occur on the weekend
- Distribute condoms and IEC material within the community
- Recruit clients for TB screening and testing, and other health screening services in the community
- Motivate individuals and groups to bring their partners and children for HIV/TB and other health services
- Organise community awareness, screening, mop up and tracing campaigns on a quarterly basis to improve the management of TB/HIV clients and retention into care activities
- Educate patients about side effects and what to do when experiencing such, disclosure and reporting any change in contact details including relocation
- Educate patients about the importance of ensuring that their conversion and discharge sputa are collected
- Compile daily and weekly reports of activities and patient outcomes
- Keep a record of daily activities
- Take ownership, responsibility, and accountability for tasks and demonstrates effective self-management
- Follow through to ensure that quality and productivity standards of own work are consistently and accurately maintained
- Maintain a positive attitude and respond openly to feedback
- Take ownership for driving own career development by participating in ongoing training and development activities such as conferences, workshops, etc.

**Required minimum education and training**:

- **Grade 12/Matric**

**Required minimum work experience**:

- **6 months’ experience in HIV Testing Services (HTS)**:

- **Experience with Contraceptive and Adherence Counselling would be advantageous**
***Desirable additional education, work experience and personal abilities**:

- E