The Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust

Referral and Appointment Coordinator

The closing date is 26 May 2025

Job summary

MY Surgical Hub at Dewsbury opened its doors on 28th April 2025 and we are looking to expand the Access Booking and Choice team to help manage the increase in demand for these services. We are looking for a hard working, genuine and friendly individual to join our Hub Booking Team. The Hub Booking Team work across departmental boundaries by managing appointments as well as elective surgeries. This is a busy role, and you will be the first point of contact for patients, providing a patient centred approach to managing appointments and patient pathways, so good interpersonal skills are crucial. You will have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our patients while supporting our doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals in delivering vital care. A flexible approach to working is essential as successful candidates will be required to work 5 out of 7 days, between 08:00 - 20:00, including evenings and weekends. Full-time and part-time roles are available. If you are short-listed, you will be offered an interview which will include an IT test. If this is completed successfully, you will then progress to an interview.

Main duties of the job

Referral and Appointment Co-Ordinators take calls from patients, register new patients and manage new referrals. They also book new and follow up outpatient appointments in clinical and chronological order, ensuring clinics are utilised to full capacity. The role involves using several IT systems and databases to select the most appropriate service for each patient. Successful candidates will need to be comfortable accessing information whilst talking to patients at the same time. Excellent communication skills are required, along with the ability to accurately interpret clinical information, in order to provide an efficient link between the patient and the relevant clinical teams. Ensure patient confidentiality is maintained at all times. We provide a comprehensive training package to ensure you have the confidence and knowledge to fulfil the requirements of the role.

About us

We are an acute trust caring for over one million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff members work in patients homes, the community, and our three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield). Committed to continuous improvement, we prioritise our people and values so we can deliver excellent patient experience. Our team is friendly, passionate and always seeking better ways to work through research and innovation. We support work-life balance and foster a diverse, inclusive environment where everyone belongs. Our staff networks offer safe spaces for honest conversations and to share ideas, thoughts and concerns so we can increase awareness and appreciation of equality, diversity, and inclusion. As a member of the team, you will have access to the NHS pension plan, a generous holiday allowance, employee health and wellbeing services and extensive benefits and support. These include onsite nurseries, childcare vouchers, car lease and home electronics schemes, working carers support, carer-friendly policies, and more. If you value caring, high standards, improvement, and respect, join the MY team to make a difference every day.

Date posted

08 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,071 to £25,674 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

000309

Job locations

Dewsbury District Hospital

Dewsbury

West Yorkshire

WF13 4HS

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key requirements

Develop and maintain the ability to use and simultaneously navigate a range of computer systems including Patient Administration System (PAS), the electronic referral system, patient records, order communication system, digital call handling system, Microsoft packages, particularly Excel.

The post holder will be required to work in a fast paced environment, with the ability to manage competing demands whilst multitasking with the possibility of multiple interruptions.

To frequently sit and concentrate using multiple computer screens for a substantial proportion of the working day, inputting accurate information using varying computer systems at the same time, often whilst speaking to a patient.

To provide a dedicated service to individual specialties, working in partnership with a multi-disciplinary team including clinical and administrative colleagues to keep outpatient clinics utilised to optimum levels.

Using Excel, extract and filter patients from the New Waiters and Follow-Up PTL (Patient Tracking List) to ensure patients selected are in clinical priority and chronological order in line with local and national targets (18 week RTT and Cancer) prior to booking.

Book, cancel and re-arrange appointments in line with the Trusts Patient Access Policy ensuring slots are offered to patients giving reasonable notice.

To have a clear understanding of patient pathways and episodes ensuring patients are supported safely through their pathway be this routine, cancer or acute. To be responsible for managing a patient pathway within the e-Referral system by way of booking appointments, monitoring pathways, redirecting and rejecting referrals whilst liaising with and escalating to clinical and management teams as appropriate.

Using digital systems to collate clinic capacity schedules on a daily basis, problem solving slot issues and escalating risks where necessary.

To support the Patient Access Team Leader in collating information for the weekly service Access & Performance meetings.

The post holder will be responsible, for registering new patients on the Trust Patient Administration System, ensuring all information is data quality checked against the National Patient System (SPINE).

To be accountable for adding new patient referrals to the Trust Patient Administration System ensuring new Consultant or Nurse episodes are created on the system correctly.

Collating new patient referrals and ensuring these are distributed to the clinical teams for patient triage in a timely manner, keeping an effective tracking record of all referrals and actioning appropriately on return with timely escalation of risk for outstanding referrals.

The post holder will be responsible for proactively managing internal appointment requests via the Order Comms System (ICE), rolling on the referrals if appropriate and having an understanding of the requirements stated on the form by utilising the patient episode screen.

The post holder will be responsible for managing specialty email in-boxes for their service which regularly contain clinical escalation and prioritisation of patient appointments, ensuring that all emails are dealt with and actioned in a timely and efficient manner to maintain service delivery and patient safety.

Develop knowledge of a wide range of specialities to enable accurate booking of appointments in line with Trust policy and specialty guidelines.

Ensure patients are managed in line with the Trust Access policy for DNA and cancellations, alerting the Clinician where appropriate taking into account child protection and safeguarding of children and adults.

Escalate to Patient Access Team Leader on a weekly basis any patients who rearrange on multiple occasions so that these can be clinically validated and safeguarding risks assessed.

To maintain departmental specialty booking guidelines ensuring these are maintained and up-to-date for individual specialities.

To ensure all calls are answered in line with departmental service level agreement ensuring call quality is maintained for a positive patient experience and in line with departmental key performance indicators.

To ensure all calls are logged with the appropriate phone coding to aid service redesign and development.

To deal effectively with calls from internal and external stakeholders of varying complexities ensuring a positive resolution or transfer to relevant department as necessary.

To assist with the confidential management of all types of patient records both electronically and paper to maintain confidentiality and security in line with Trust policies and procedures.

Ensure a high standard of customer service is provided at all times to all service users in a helpful, courteous, empathetic, reassuring and diplomatic manner.

The post holder will be required to often communicate sensitive and sometimes distressing information to patients, relatives and carers.

The post holder will be expected to have a knowledge and awareness of the communication requirements of patients, relatives and carers in line with Accessible Information Standards (AIS). To use confident interpersonal skills to enable effective communication with all.

The post holder will at times be the first point of contact for patient complaints. They must have the ability to show compassion and understanding and support with the initial investigation to the concerns raised and an awareness of when to escalate to a formal process.

Evaluate, prioritise and proactively manage incoming post on a daily basis. Ensuring inappropriate referrals are returned to the referring care provider and consideration of clinical escalation of potential expedite of patients care.

The post holder will be required to accurately scan patient referrals to Trusts electronic patient records ensuring data quality and patient safety.

Assist with other booking teams within Access Booking and Choice when required to ensure efficient service delivery.

To attend regular departmental meetings and be compliant with the departments Mandatory Training. Attendance at least half of the meetings each year is an expectation.

To carry out general administration duties and provide clerical assistance as required, prioritising own workload on a daily basis while recognising when it is appropriate to escalate to a manager.

To assist in the training of new colleagues, offer ongoing support and knowledge share with other members of the Outpatients Team, in order to gain an understanding of the wider outpatient service.