Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Outpatients Administrator to join the administrative team of The Somerset Community Pain Management Service which supports adults living with long-term pain.
The successful candidate will provide outpatient and administrative support to the multidisciplinary team ensuring appointments for the service are dealt with efficiently and within timescale.
This role is part time at 30 hours per week. Working days and hours to be discussed at interview but can be flexible, providing between Monday to Friday 08.00-17.00. The role will be a hybrid work model of remote and occasional office working at Dene Barton Community Hospital in Taunton. Occasional meeting attendance will be required in other areas of the county.
The ideal candidate will have previous NHS and outpatient experience.
If you would like to be part of a busy, small, friendly and supportive multidisciplinary team, we would encourage you to get in touch with any questions about the role. Please contact Elizabeth Ford, Service Admin Manager via Elizabeth.Ford@SomersetFT.nhs.uk.
Interviews will be face-to-face and held at Dene Barton Community Hospital.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for a variety of tasks including booking and monitoring of outpatient appointments, management of patient referrals, supervision of the supporting Outpatients Administrator, waiting list validation, clinic utilisation, quality customer care, and dealing with telephone and email enquiries from internal and external sources. There will also be the occasional need to cross-cover administrative tasks in times of absence.
The post holder will demonstrate a level of adaptability and a flexible approach to work. They must be passionate about high quality patient care, committed to team work, be efficient and motivated and able to work to a high standard of accuracy. Effective, empathetic and compassionate communication with patients, their carers/relatives, members of the multidisciplinary team and other health care professionals, whether face-to-face, over the telephone or electronically, is essential, alongside excellent IT skills. They will be expected to prioritise their own workload daily.
The post holder is required to adhere to Trust Policies and maintain the Trust's values and core standards.
About us
As an organisation, the NHS offers a wide range of benefits including flexible working, fantastic pension contributions, market leading annual leave allowance, career progression and regular conversations, not to mention our Blue Light Card and NHS exclusive discounts.The benefits of working in Somerset include the idyllic countryside, with our areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines. You will get to enjoy these perks whilst still only being a stone's throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London.There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable. You will to experience the best of both in Somerset, the countryside and the cosmopolitan -- there is truly something for everyone!
Job description
Job responsibilities
Communication and Key Working Relationships
- Communicate with patients, colleagues, internal and external contacts in a courteous, professional and timely manner at all times by various methods, i.e. telephone, written, face to face.
- Receive telephone calls and enquiries, taking appropriate action, or, where necessary, re-direct or accept a message on behalf of members of the team.
- Report any complaints/comments or requests to the Service Admin Manager. Have the knowledge and knowhow of when to refer to PALS.
- Dealing with queries from consultants and other Trust staff and to have the initiative to know when help from a more senior staff member is required.
- Have an excellent telephone manner; this is imperative to ensure that clear and concise information is exchanged to patients and staff.
- Monitoring and actioning the service shared email inbox on a rota basis.
- Because of the nature of the service, the need to be able to communicate effectively and efficiently is paramount.
Planning and Organisation
- Working within set work patterns, prioritise own work efficiently and effectively to ensure all administrative duties are met, highlighting any issues to the Service Admin Manager.
- Work flexibly across the department as required.
- Booking outpatient appointments according to the service's requirements booking rules and guidelines.
- Entering and retrieving data from hospital computer systems.
- Shredding of confidential waste.
- Keep an organised and tidy office environment.
- Monitoring referrals and assisting with managing worklists in e-Referrals.
- Assisting with cancellation/reinstating of clinics under the guidance of the Service specification and SOP.
- Data quality validation.
- Training of new staff in simple tasks where appropriate.
- Assist the Service Admin Manager with planning and implementing the rescheduling of workloads with the team during times of annual leave and sickness absences.
- To monitor and analyse levels of clinic cancellations and to alert the Service Admin Manager of the likely impact.
- To ensure that patients are selected in chronological order to ensure equality of access and that waiting times are equalised.
- Validate and track waiting lists, to ensure booking methods are carried out accurately.
- Assist the Service Admin Manager to lead a team on a daily basis to achieve high quality, efficient and effective outputs in line with Trust standards.
- Re-organising outpatient clinics in the event of cancellation ensuring outpatient waiting times are not breached, whilst keeping Service Admin Manager informed.
- Monitor patient access, e.g. ensure clinics are full to capacity, maintain published outpatient waiting list.
- Represent the service at specialty and Trust meetings in the Service Admin Manager absence or as part of personal development.
- Close monitoring of pending lists and clinics ensuring that the Trust meets Local and National targets, escalating to the Service Admin Manager when issues arise.
- Ensure that outpatient scanning, including clinic notes are scanned in a timely manner.
- Ensuring that patient cancellations and DNAs are correctly recorded and RTT rules applied as necessary.
- Adding correspondence letters to EPRO or other systems as necessary.
- Regular updating of and creation of clinic templates and letters according to service requirements, and this will include liaising with Synertec.
- Booking and cancellation of clinic rooms on Bookwise.
- Prepare clinics as required in service spec.
Responsibility for Patient / Client Care, Treatment & Therapy
- Ensure the timely arrival of patient information to the appropriate destination to facilitate prompt patient care.
- Contribute towards ensuring that the department is complying with Referral to Treatment (RTT) targets including booking in chronological order, rescheduling patient appointments, ending pathways, liaising with clinicians and monitoring the weekly Incomplete PTL reports.
Policy, Service, Research & Development Responsibility
- Have relevant and up to date knowledge of the Trust's Standards Policies. Be responsible for updating own knowledge as and when necessary.
- Ensure patient identifiable information given, received or held in any form is processed and protected in accordance with Trust Policy.
- Follow relevant Trust policies.
- Follow Trust guidelines for administrative and clerical services.
- Ensure that staff are aware of and comply with the Trust's Policies and Procedures especially relating to Access and RTT.
Responsibility for Finance, Equipment & Other Resources
- Take ownership of equipment supplied to enable job role to be fulfilled.
Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership & Management
- The post holder is expected to provide cross cover for colleagues during periods of absence.
- Support with welcoming and induction of new staff into the team as required - including those helping on a short-term basis.
- Ensure staff, within the team are inducted, trained, and appraised in order to carry out their duties effectively.
- Assist and cover Service Admin Manager duties as agreed and if necessary.
- Shared responsibility for day-to-day duties, direction and guidance of the Outpatients Administrator, this includes answering queries, dealing with problems, planning and prioritising the team's workload.
- Undertaking appraisals including 6-month reviews, for members of staff, planning the individual's development and setting objectives, monitoring and reviewing performance against objectives. This is to be overseen by the Senior Service Manager.
- Carry out return to work interviews in the absence of the Service Admin Manager and escalate to next available manager if unable to carry out necessary tasks.
- Any Other Specific Tasks Required.
- Any other duties commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the necessary experience and/or training.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Communication and Key Working Relationships
- Communicate with patients, colleagues, internal and external contacts in a courteous, professional and timely manner at all times by various methods, i.e. telephone, written, face to face.
- Receive telephone calls and enquiries, taking appropriate action, or, where necessary, re-direct or accept a message on behalf of members of the team.
- Report any complaints/comments or requests to the Service Admin Manager. Have the knowledge and knowhow of when to refer to PALS.
- Dealing with queries from consultants and other Trust staff and to have the initiative to know when help from a more senior staff member is required.
- Have an excellent telephone manner; this is imperative to ensure that clear and concise information is exchanged to patients and staff.
- Monitoring and actioning the service shared email inbox on a rota basis.
- Because of the nature of the service, the need to be able to communicate effectively and efficiently is paramount.
Planning and Organisation
- Working within set work patterns, prioritise own work efficiently and effectively to ensure all administrative duties are met, highlighting any issues to the Service Admin Manager.
- Work flexibly across the department as required.
- Booking outpatient appointments according to the service's requirements booking rules and guidelines.
- Entering and retrieving data from hospital computer systems.
- Shredding of confidential waste.
- Keep an organised and tidy office environment.
- Monitoring referrals and assisting with managing worklists in e-Referrals.
- Assisting with cancellation/reinstating of clinics under the guidance of the Service specification and SOP.
- Data quality validation.
- Training of new staff in simple tasks where appropriate.
- Assist the Service Admin Manager with planning and implementing the rescheduling of workloads with the team during times of annual leave and sickness absences.
- To monitor and analyse levels of clinic cancellations and to alert the Service Admin Manager of the likely impact.
- To ensure that patients are selected in chronological order to ensure equality of access and that waiting times are equalised.
- Validate and track waiting lists, to ensure booking methods are carried out accurately.
- Assist the Service Admin Manager to lead a team on a daily basis to achieve high quality, efficient and effective outputs in line with Trust standards.
- Re-organising outpatient clinics in the event of cancellation ensuring outpatient waiting times are not breached, whilst keeping Service Admin Manager informed.
- Monitor patient access, e.g. ensure clinics are full to capacity, maintain published outpatient waiting list.
- Represent the service at specialty and Trust meetings in the Service Admin Manager absence or as part of personal development.
- Close monitoring of pending lists and clinics ensuring that the Trust meets Local and National targets, escalating to the Service Admin Manager when issues arise.
- Ensure that outpatient scanning, including clinic notes are scanned in a timely manner.
- Ensuring that patient cancellations and DNAs are correctly recorded and RTT rules applied as necessary.
- Adding correspondence letters to EPRO or other systems as necessary.
- Regular updating of and creation of clinic templates and letters according to service requirements, and this will include liaising with Synertec.
- Booking and cancellation of clinic rooms on Bookwise.
- Prepare clinics as required in service spec.
Responsibility for Patient / Client Care, Treatment & Therapy
- Ensure the timely arrival of patient information to the appropriate destination to facilitate prompt patient care.
- Contribute towards ensuring that the department is complying with Referral to Treatment (RTT) targets including booking in chronological order, rescheduling patient appointments, ending pathways, liaising with clinicians and monitoring the weekly Incomplete PTL reports.
Policy, Service, Research & Development Responsibility
- Have relevant and up to date knowledge of the Trust's Standards Policies. Be responsible for updating own knowledge as and when necessary.
- Ensure patient identifiable information given, received or held in any form is processed and protected in accordance with Trust Policy.
- Follow relevant Trust policies.
- Follow Trust guidelines for administrative and clerical services.
- Ensure that staff are aware of and comply with the Trust's Policies and Procedures especially relating to Access and RTT.
Responsibility for Finance, Equipment & Other Resources
- Take ownership of equipment supplied to enable job role to be fulfilled.
Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership & Management
- The post holder is expected to provide cross cover for colleagues during periods of absence.
- Support with welcoming and induction of new staff into the team as required - including those helping on a short-term basis.
- Ensure staff, within the team are inducted, trained, and appraised in order to carry out their duties effectively.
- Assist and cover Service Admin Manager duties as agreed and if necessary.
- Shared responsibility for day-to-day duties, direction and guidance of the Outpatients Administrator, this includes answering queries, dealing with problems, planning and prioritising the team's workload.
- Undertaking appraisals including 6-month reviews, for members of staff, planning the individual's development and setting objectives, monitoring and reviewing performance against objectives. This is to be overseen by the Senior Service Manager.
- Carry out return to work interviews in the absence of the Service Admin Manager and escalate to next available manager if unable to carry out necessary tasks.
- Any Other Specific Tasks Required.
- Any other duties commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the necessary experience and/or training.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Minimum of 3 GSCEs including English Language and Maths or functional skills
Desirable
- Level 2 qualifications or equivalent level of experience
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting/previous experience of NHS administration processes
- Experience of dealing with patients/customers
- Evidence of prioritising workloads/good time management
- Proven experience of working well as part of a team
Desirable
- Minimum 1 year office experience within last 5 years
- Experience of high volume contacts with patients/customers using the telephone
- Supervisory/HR experience
- Planning & Organisational Skills including allocation of workload to a team, prioritising workload for self and others.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- IT literate; including recent experience of using Microsoft packages such as Word, Outlook and Excel
- Must be able to communicate in English Language, both written and verbally appropriate
- Excellent communication skills, able to communicate effectively at all levels
- Ability to maintain good quality professional relationships even when dealing with contentious matters
- Polite and professional at all times
- Ability to communicate, allocate and delegate where required
- Ability to multi task
- Ability to organise own time
- Willing to take steps to ensure the patient has a smooth pathway
- Maintain a smart and professional appearance at all times
Desirable
- Knowledge of medical terminology
- Working knowledge of in-house hospital systems
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Minimum of 3 GSCEs including English Language and Maths or functional skills
Desirable
- Level 2 qualifications or equivalent level of experience
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working in a healthcare setting/previous experience of NHS administration processes
- Experience of dealing with patients/customers
- Evidence of prioritising workloads/good time management
- Proven experience of working well as part of a team
Desirable
- Minimum 1 year office experience within last 5 years
- Experience of high volume contacts with patients/customers using the telephone
- Supervisory/HR experience
- Planning & Organisational Skills including allocation of workload to a team, prioritising workload for self and others.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- IT literate; including recent experience of using Microsoft packages such as Word, Outlook and Excel
- Must be able to communicate in English Language, both written and verbally appropriate
- Excellent communication skills, able to communicate effectively at all levels
- Ability to maintain good quality professional relationships even when dealing with contentious matters
- Polite and professional at all times
- Ability to communicate, allocate and delegate where required
- Ability to multi task
- Ability to organise own time
- Willing to take steps to ensure the patient has a smooth pathway
- Maintain a smart and professional appearance at all times
Desirable
- Knowledge of medical terminology
- Working knowledge of in-house hospital systems
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
