Job responsibilities
Communication
1. Contact patients, arrange and manage appointments system for the screening programme. This will include negotiating re-arrangement of admissions / appointments over the telephone. Overcome any barriers to understanding that will arise in these circumstances.
2. To contact patients who fail to attend appointments and eliciting reasons for their non-attendance.
3. To contact patients who are on annual and quarterly surveillance with the screening programme to remind them of their appointments and ascertain if they are planning to attend, or need their appointments re-arranging.
4. Deal with anxious patients and their relatives with tact, patience, persuasion, and discretion. Contact patients when there is a need to provide improved understanding of the implications of a case. Ensure that communications are accurately recorded in the office message book.
5. Deal with messages from clinicians and GPs as required, ensuring that the Manager is kept informed. Ensure that communications are accurately recorded in the office message book.
6. Deal with sensitive/confidential information such as patient records, staff personal/academic information or professional development of staff members, details of new developments for the department in a professional manner.
7. Communicate a variety of complex and sensitive information effectively and to a high standard both orally and in writing. This may include, but is not limited to; hospital and National AAA Screening protocols and procedures, National and local AAA screening targets, clinic information and details and Vascular Lab & surgery referral information.
8. Keep the screening Manager informed of the progress of work and any difficulties arising. Take action on complaints, seeking advice where necessary.
Planning & Organisation
1. Provide a comprehensive service for arranging appointments for the screening programme without supervision.
2. Re-arrange admissions/appointments for patients where these have to be cancelled or postponed either by the screening programme or when the patient phones to re-arrange.
3. Be responsible for optimal utilisation of screening clinics and staff time. Check patient and participant lists and data for accuracy, and contact GPs to resolve anomalies if required.
4. There may be a requirement to send abnormal ultrasound results to the consultant radiologist for reporting on a regular basis, and check that any outstanding reports are returned within a reasonable period, notifying the Manager when delays arise.
5. Circulate result letters to the appropriate GPs, alerting them to abnormal measurements and to patients who failed to attend appointments.
6. File results and copy correspondence appropriately in patients records. Maintain an accurate filing system.
7. Organise and monitor staff rotas and venues for screening and Vascular Nurse Practitioner clinics, in association with the screening Manager. Check current availability, book venues and rearrange staff rotas accordingly. This also extends Prison clinics and all associated security arrangements for a Prison Clinic.
8. Organise and monitor surveillance patients screening clinics, appointments and aneurysm growth rates alongside the Vascular Nurse Practitioner Clinics. Highlighting to the Programme Manager, Clinic Lead and Vascular Nurse Practitioner where patients fall into the high growth rate and require clinical attention sooner than planned.
9. Make patient referrals to the Vascular Lab for further medical imaging when a non-visualised result has been recorded by the screening programme, this also includes updating patient details with their results.
10. Make patient referrals to Vascular Surgery when they arise and in the absence of the Programme Manager to make the referral.
11. Manage the screening clinic frequencies according to patient numbers remaining to be screened and work with local practice managers to flexi clinic numbers up and down according to the programmes needs and in order to make sure all patients are seen within the correct screening year. Keep the screening Manager informed of progress and any issues.
12. Maintain the screening programmes failsafe trackers to a high standard in conjunction with the Programme Manager.
13. Monitor the screening programmes generic patient email address and respond to any queries from patients or local screening locations/venues.
Operational Management
Physical Skills
The post holder will require a high level of skills and accuracy in tabulating, entering and manipulating data using spread sheets. They will require advanced keyboard skills to an RSA3 level.
Patient Care
There will be frequent regular contact with patients in respect of their appointments with the screening programme. The post holder will be required to deal directly with a variety of enquiries from patients regarding appointments admissions, cancellations, re-bookings, procedures etc. and keep records of any complaints.
Information and Analysis
Tabulate and input data onto databases and spread sheet systems for recording patient information, results, patient outcome and clinic activity for the screening programme and for audit and research purposes. These data systems are on-going and updated many times a day.
Record any recent deaths and enter data on to appropriate printouts, spread sheets and databases.
Use patient administration system for extracting patient information when required, and for locating and obtaining and tracking patient notes.
Must at all times respect the confidentiality of all electronically stored information and written data, particularly where it relates to patients.
Attend meetings as required. Take formal minutes of regular screening team meetings and circulate these appropriately.
Human Resources
Responsibility for demonstrating and training new and temporary members of staff in their own activities as well as National and Local Screening Policies.
Financial Responsibilities
Monitor office and clinical consumables and raise purchase orders for supplies using the Trusts Procurement System.
Research and Audit
1. Maintain patient notes in circumstances where special research is being undertaken.
2. Assist the Screening Manager with other vascular department projects including obtaining data from hospital notes and IT systems for national vascular audits.
3. Obtain notes for research audits / surveys being done by members of the Team. This can involve transporting large sets of notes.
