Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA) Latest Recruitment

Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA) is a national organisation operating in all nine provinces in South Africa with 134 members and affiliated hospices countrywide.

Job Title: Testing, Linkage and Retention Officers 

Job Location: 

• Free State
• Mofutsanyane District KZN
• King Cetshwayo District

The purpose of this position is to provide technical support to staff, CBOs, WBPHCOTs and government structures in day to day roll out of HIV Testing Services, Referral Systems, Linkage and Retention in Care, Adherence Clubs and viral load suppression on APACE Community interventions.

Responsibilities:

Coordinate Targeted Community HIV Testing Services

• Create an enabling environment for the provision of community based HIV Testing Services, provide technical assistance to WBPHCOTs/ CBOs to strengthen HTS in the community
• Implement targeted community strategies to enhance update of community HTS and linkage to care among children, AGYW, men and key population
• Support door to door index HIV testing in targeted high HIV prevalence and hard to reach areas, coordinate targeted, integrated community outreach interventions to increase Early Infant Diagnosis and Paediatric HIV testing
• Create demand for HIV self-testing in the community, Leverage critical entry points for HIV cases, ensure quality and proficiency testing of HIV test kits in the communities>

Active Referral and Linkage to Care

• Support active referral of HIV positive clients from community to facilities for linkage to care and treatment initiation, Leverage community, facility sensitisation and mobilisation to increase acceptability of community HTS results and foster early linkage to care and treatment initiation
• Improve communication, coordination to ensure coverage and update of HTS and linkage is achieved
• Interface with Department of Health to strengthen commodity supply chain for community based testing
• Support community ART initiation and linkage to rapid initiation of ART
• Strengthen facility linkage to community care and support services
• Improve bi-directional referral systems between community and facility-based services
• Improve utilisation of community-based health information systems to track community/facility referral

Adherence Support and Retention in Care

• Collaborate with CBOs and CSOs to mobilise demand for HIV treatment services
• Deploy staff to trace Pre-ART patients and ART defaulters
• Support community-based HIV services for new ART patients
• Differentiate HIV treatment services for priority populations with age-appropriate and targeted approaches for children, AGYW and men
• Expand Central Chronic Medicine Disease Dispensing and Distribution Programme to improve access to medicines in communities
• Integrate NACS into Adherence Clubs
• Support Linkage and retention officers and WBPHCOTs / CBOs to trace patients LTFU and those with virologic failure

Requirements:

• National Diploma / Bachelor’s in Project Management or related field
• Minimum of five to seven years’ experience in HIV/AIDS or Public Health field
• Three to five years’ experience in HIV Testing Services and application testing of modalities
• Three to five years’ experience in Referral Systems and pathways, linkage and retention
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Technical, professional knowledge and expertise including analysis, documentation and dissemination of results
• Customer centric focused
• Communication skills including report writing and analysis
• Building and leading a high-performance team
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Conflict handling
• Innovative thinking
• Compassion

To apply, submit a detailed CV, covering letter and names of three contactable references including email contact to [email protected]. Applicants must reside in the work district.

Preference will be given to suitably qualified candidates from the designated groups in line with the provisions of the Employment Equity Act, No. 55 of 1998 (and any amendments thereto), the relevant internal recruitment policy as well as the organisation’s employment equity plan.

Application Deadline: 12th Feb, 2019