Job overview

The post holder will be expected to provide primary administrative support to the consultants and clinicians, including booking follow up appointments, correspondence support and other administrative duties as required and as directed by the Team leader/ASM on a day-to-day basis according to service.

Patient administration underpins the patient journey and supports clinical teams in delivering high quality patient care and can make a real difference to the patient experience. Effective and efficient patient administration supports management through ensuring a high standard of data quality and by making the best use of capacity and resources.

The post holder is required to assist in the provision of a professional, comprehensive, and efficient administrative service, which is effectively delivered to all patients and members of the department. This will be through supporting the clinical and administrative teams in the delivery of a comprehensive administrative service. This will involve waiting list management and validation of pathways for a speciality, in accordance with the Elective Access Policy, current RTT targets, communicating appointment and admission related information to patients and carers and/or typing correspondence as appropriate.

Main duties of the job

• Demonstrate high levels of customer care and be an ambassador for customer care within the Trust.
• Provide a robust administration function that underpins the delivery of a high quality service and maintain effective working relationships with clinical, nursing and administrative staff.
• Answer all telephone calls in a timely manner and action as appropriate.
• Maintain patient confidentiality at all times.
• Be flexible in your approach to work, such as covering other job roles at an appropriate grade or site, and to include varying working hours to ensure the service maintains a minimum level of cover during its core hours of 08:00 to 18:00.
• Support the Team Leader, Assistant Service Manager and Service Manager in the investigation and resolution of patient queries and complaints received direct to the service or via PALS / Complaints Department.
• Book interpreters for patients prior to appointments and admissions as and when required.
• Liaise with Clinical coders to ensure patient notes are available so that all patient episodes are coded accurately and promptly.
• To support and contribute to on-going and future service development projects supporting continuous improvement of the services we provide.
• Any other duties at the request of the Team Leader / Assistant Service Manager / Service Manager, which may be needed to fulfil the objectives of the post, which are appropriate to the grade

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Ensure appropriate follow up appointments are booked and escalate to Team Leader and consultant if patient cannot be booked within required time scales.
• Respond to telephone queries coming into the department, taking clear messages to pass to relevant staff to ensure requests are actioned promptly.
• Using Scan IT ensure that electronic health records filing is maintained at an extremely high standard, with timely scanning of paper records on to EPR as required.
• Ensure accurate filing of paper notes and records is maintained as required.
• Follow the tracking procedure for the movement of all patient notes (Case Note Tracking).
• On an as and when required basis, update patient details on EPR to include ensuring patients that require discharge are processed accordingly.
• Actively use and manage the work lists in Revenue Cycle to manage Patients Missing Follow Up and Deferred patient lists
• Act as the first point of contact for patients coming into the department.
• Ensure there is adequate cover on the reception desks
• If required, admit and discharge patients to the ward.
• Act upon queries from referrers, patients, and other relevant parties in liaison with clinical staff. Take relevant action to provide reassurance and support to patients and their families by finding appropriate solutions to problems, which requires the ability to understand and explain basic medical procedures and terminology.
• Book interpreters for patients prior to appointments and admissions as and when required.
• Actively review patient DNAs, liaising with the appropriate clinical staff and reschedule patient appointments in line with agreed local processes.
• Adding additional list capacity on EPR as directed by management.
• Book patients as required. Pathway Tracking
• To have an excellent working knowledge of the 18 weeks referral to treatment (RTT) rules / Cancer waiting targets / Screening wait times, as required for the job, and use them in conjunction with the OUH Elective Access Policy to proactively manage all patient pathways.
• Undertake validation of the 18 week RTT PTLs and contribute to the validation of the cancer PTL where appropriate. Investigate and take appropriate action where pathways are incomplete to ensure that patients are treated in clinical priority and breach date order and that reporting on performance and waiting times is robust.
• Escalate pathway issues if required to the Patient Pathway Team Leader and Assistant Service Manager.
• Book in clinical priority and breach date order, whilst monitoring the 18 week / Cancer PTLs or screening list to ensure any late additions are identified and processed appropriately. In doing so, take the necessary steps to avoid target breaches and resolve any issues i.e. 28 day theatre cancellations.
• Recognise when patients are on cancer care pathways and proactively link with the MDT Coordinator and MDT Tracker to ensure these patients are actively managed through their diagnosis and treatment.
• Ensure Trust systems are updated with patient pathway status information and that data quality is maintained.
• Liaise with internal and external colleagues to share patient pathway information and diagnostic information, and expedite patient journeys where needed.
• Ensure inter-provider transfers are timely and that the appropriate paperwork has been completed and sent or received.
• Liaise with clinical coders to ensure patient notes are available so that all patient episodes are coded accurately and promptly.
• Co-ordinate appointments and procedures at others hospitals and organisations, where the pathway requires input from these.
• Ensure accurate information is added to EPR / Infoflex and other internal and external IT systems and databases, as required.
• Liaise with external commissioners if required Patient Pathway
• Actively review patient DNAs, liaising with the appropriate clinical staff and reschedule patient appointments in line with agreed local processes.
• Raising clinic capacity issue to management via the Patient Pathway Team Leader and ASM
• Adding additional list capacity on EPR as directed by management.
• Book patients as required.

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Person specification:

Skills

Essential

• Accurate data entry, typing and checking skills
• Manages and interprets data correctly to inform decision making
• Good communication - both written and verbal
• Maintains high standards and quality of work
• Contributes to service improvements and is solution focused
• Follows instructions, adheres to organisational policies, protocols, and procedure
• Organising, planning a prioritising skill

Desirable

• Evidence of good team working
• Evidence of interacting with a wide range of people
• Appropriate assertiveness skills
• Basic conflict resolution skills
• Willingness to develop computer technology skills

Experience

Essential

• Previous NHS experience
• Previous experience in a similar role
• Good knowledge of patient pathways
• An understanding of the Trust’s Elective Access Policy / Cancer waiting targets / Screening Programme targets as appropriate to the role

Desirable

• In-depth understanding of Medical Terminology appropriate to specialism
• EPR Experience
• Understanding of patient priorities and performance targets
• Thorough knowledge of healthcare administrative systems and processes
• Experience of effective waiting list management

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE or equivalent in English and Maths, grades A-C

Desirable

• NVQ or Apprenticeship in Customer Care or Business Administration