Referral Officer

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to people affected by war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home. The IRC has been present in Nigeria since 2012 when the organization responded to flooding in Kogi state. In February 2014 the IRC moved into Adamawa State in NE Nigeria to provide humanitarian interventions through a multi-sectoral, integrated approach for conflict-affected populations. IRC Nigeria now operates a country office in Abuja and field offices in Mubi and Yola of Adamawa State, Maiduguri, Monguno, and Gwoza of Borno state, Damaturu of Yobe State, and a current extension to Zamfara and Katsina states, northwest Nigeria. Currently, IRC Nigeria implements programs for primary health care, nutrition, environmental health, women’s protection and empowerment, protection, child protection, education, economic recovery, and development.IRC aim to provide the best possible impact for some of the most vulnerable children, women, and men. In all that we do, IRC strives to deliver through IRC’s core values of Integrity, Accountability, Service and Equality.

Project Overview:

The Integrated emergency response to the displaced population in Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina States NW Nigeria project is a consortium project led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in partnership with ALIMA, COOPI, GISCOR and LHI.  The project is funded by Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). USAID aims to provide integrated multi-sectoral lifesaving assistance in Health, Nutrition, WASH, Protection and Multi-purpose Cash to the displaced populations in Zamfara State (Anka & Gusau LGAs), Sokoto State (Goronyo & Rabah LGAs) and Katsina State (Batagarawa & Katsina LGAs) in NW Nigeria.

Job Overview/Summary

The Referral Officer will work closely with the health manager to ensure that referral support activities of the project are implemented according to the project deliverables across the targeted locations. She/he will directly lead, manage and coordinate the activities of two-way referral system of patients and establish contact with facility-based healthcare workers, health outreach officers, referral paramedics, MoH seconded staff and responsible for implementation of timely in referral and patient safety in our service locations.  The Referral Officer reports to the Health Manager.

Major Responsibilities:

Program Management, Technical Quality, and Strategy

• Lead and support to ensure implementation of a focused two-way referral system and patient safety activities within the catchment locations of the supported health facilities in Gusa’u, Zamfara state.
• Oversee appropriate use of patient screening, triaging, first aid algorithms and IPC.
• Ensure effective routine patient movement, and timely laboratory sample collection and investigations especially for the vulnerable groups in any phase of expansion of new and existing medical care.
• The Referral Officer will support the health manager to manage and train facility-based healthcare workers, health outreach staff, referral paramedics, MoH seconded staff on patient safety, strengthening of 2-ways referral and basic life support skills in referral ambulance.
• Initiate referrals SOPs and ensure adherence to the referral criteria, protocol, SOPs among stakeholders, HWs, paramedics referral personnel, patients and patient relatives.
• Promote positive behavioral change and patient education.
• Oversee the follow up of referred patients in terms of their safety, received prescribed expertized management, obtained necessary laboratory investigation and help patients to cope with their activities for daily living while referred and on admission care.
• Promote and ensure adequate infection prevention and control standards are always maintained in the ambulance vehicle and surrounding in which patient is referred to for further management.
• Follow up with the activities of health MoH seconded -referral staff to ensure that patient referred to any secondary and tertiary health institution received appropriate care including meal source.
• Support the health manager to ensure a planned and well forecast medical bills, patient meal plan and timely payment and reimbursement of the referral centers.
• Keep a good track of all the referral documents.
• Support health manager to follow up with the IRC pharmacy store for timely store release of additional medications and medical supplies that facilitate patient care.
• Support health facilities with information, education, and communication (IEC) materials (billboards, posters, roll-up banners, wall painting, flex banner), registers, printed clinical algorithms, clinical job aids and guidelines booklets/protocols and ensure IEC materials are displayed and put into use needed in patient referral system.
• Ensure beneficiary participation, feedback, and accountability in all aspects of the project.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of referral activities to the health manager.
• Ensure proper communication of field-based data tools to the HWs at the supported facilities.
• Coordinate and follow up with the IRC clinical team in facilitating referral process, provide screening/triage for emergency cases from the camps, mobile clinics and PHCs to the referral centers.
• Support in conducting regular field visits to ensure successful application of referral system.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Human Resource Management

• Oversee the general referral service system and work closely with the senior health officer, health outreach officers, referral paramedics, HWs at supported health facilities.
• Motivate good use of referral criteria, first aid, SOPs, screening, triage system and basic life support.

Operations:

• Ensure proper follow up with the referral centers and timely submission of referral bills to finance.
• Submit weekly work plans and ensure timely implementation of the project activities.

 Communication and Reporting:

• Ensure compilation of statistical reports from the supported patients, health facilities and communities for weekly, monthly and annual reports.
• Ensure adequate flow of information for all supervises with constant feedback as may be required.
• Carry out additional relevant or requested duties as may be required by the supervisor.

Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development:

• Supervises and monitor the MoH seconded referral staff to ensure that work is done properly and efficiently in accordance with the national guidelines.

Research, Learning and Analysis

• Monitor closely the morbidity and mortality trends together with all the other health indicators to ensure that prompt actions are taken.
• Provide weekly activity reports to the health manager.
• In conjunction with the technical managers, conduct a mortality review meeting with the referral centers, supported facilities and mobile clinics staff.

Coordination & Representation

• Attend all relevant meetings in relation to referrals as may be required and feed in the IRC priorities during meetings.

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to:Health Manager.

Indirect/Technical Reporting: The position will indirectly be reporting to the Nutrition Manager

Position directly Supervises: MoH seconded referral staff.

Key Internal Contacts:

• Country Program: Finance Manager, Supply chain Manager, WPE manager, PROL Manager and Child Protection Manager.

Key External Contacts:

• INGO Partner
• FMC Gusau
• Anka General Hospital
• King Fahad women and children Hospital