Directorate Support Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

Post Title: Directorate Support Officer

Pay Band: 5

Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per work

Contract: Permanent

Location / Department: County-wide / Surgery

Accountable to: Directorate Support Manager

Reports to: Directorate Manager

Ref: 365-A-21-167847

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Divisional Management Team, Waiting List Manager, Team Leaders Health Records, Medical Secretaries, Appointments Clerks, Receptionists, Ward Clerks, Information Department, Patient Services Department, Legal Services

External: Primary Care Networks (PCNs), Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), Patients and their relatives

Works with display screen equipment for prolonged periods

Sitting for prolonged periods

Job Purpose:

To support the Directorate Team in working with the clinical teams and management teams to establish clinical and non-clinical performance targets and co-ordinate the monitoring of these through an agreed set of performance indicators

To Line management of Directorates administrative staff

To particapte in the management of complaints/PALs issues

To use skills/knowledge to: further develop patient pathways to improve access to surgical services; to improve the flow and management of complaints within the Division

Ensure personal skills and knowledge of National and Local Access Policies are maintained by attending in-house training and through the direction of the Divisional Management Team

To liaise with patients/relatives concerning their surgical pathway; administrate complaint/concerns to ensure all relevant information is gathered to enable to the Directorate to effectively investigate and respond to the complainant

To have a good working knowledge of the Trusts electronic systems to enable the post-holder to undertake his/her role ie, Datix, Oasis, Bluespier

Key Duties:

Line management of Directorates administrative staff

To have an in-depth knowledge of the Patient Access Policy, assist with the review of this Policy and be able to advise other staff on aspects of this Policy. Monitor the achievement of standards within the policy and good practice guidance and ensuring action is taken to improve performance against these standards

To liaise with Medical Secretaries, Health Records and Information staff to ensure patients are entered on to the waiting list appropriately. Check waiting list entries are correct, according to Patient Access Policy

Ensure there are adequate procedures in place within the specialities for booking of patients in a timely manner, to be aware of the status of capacity and booking, ensuring maximum utilisation of available capacity

Make operational arrangements for additional Outpatient sessions, according to availability of Consultants; this includes liaising with Outpatient staffand the relevant clinics on all sites

Work with Consultants and medical secretaries with regards to non-clinical prioritisation of patients for treatment, availability of operating slots, discuss situations where a decision needs to be made to remove a patient from the waiting list and those patients whose care could be transferred to alternative surgeons in order to expedite patient pathways, ensuring Access Policy is followed

Contact patients to agree treatment plan, taking account of patient availability and preferences, availability of surgeons and theatre/clinic capacity. Ensure that all action is documented appropriately on the Patient Administrative System

Make operational arrangements for additional theatre sessions, according to availability of surgeons; this includes liaising with theatre staff, anaesthetic staff and the relevant wards on all sites

Respond to information requests from the Trust Access Team and CCGs with regard to surgical specialty patients

Provide Directorate Managers with regular position statement on the position in relation to Access Targets, and inform of any cancellations, where capacity is required and not available, remedial action of any potential difficulties

Monitor mandatory training and PDRs of administrative staff within the Directorate

Manage administrative and medical recruitment in the Directorate

General Duties:

To facilitate completion of monthly payroll turnaround documents for the specialties

Support administrative staff as required

To undertake any other duties as may be required as appropriate in accordance to the needs of the service

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Administrative experience working at a senior level, supporting senior managers
• Previous clerical or secretarial experience within the NHS, particularly developing and maintaining office systems
• Previous experience of dealing with relevant stakeholders including patients, Consultants, administrative staff etc.
• Experience using patient administration systems
• Experience using Microsoft Office

Desirable

• Previous managerial experience within the NHS
• Previous analytical experience / assessment of processes
• Previous line manager experience

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE or equivalent in English and Maths
• Sound education background with evidence of continued personal development

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Telephone skills
• Clear communicator with excellent writing, data entry and presentation skills, capable of constructing and delivering clear information
• In-depth knowledge of National and Local policies in respect of waiting times and targets e.g. 18 weeks, 2ww and 62 day pathway
• Ability to develop pathways/processes and implement accordingly in line with Trust Policy
• Ability to prioritise workload
• Must be able to work as part of a team
• To be aware of Clinical Governance and Data Protection ensuring patient confidentiality at all times
• Ability to work on own initiative with minimal supervision

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, adaptable and flexible
• Able to prioritise workloads
• Able to work county-wide

Employer details

Employer name

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

Employer's website

https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)