Waiting List Clerk

Job responsibilities

• To be named contact point liaising with patients, relatives and/or carers as well as medical representatives, GPs, nursing staff, surgical team and support services to ensure the admission is appropriately planned and managed. This can be face to face, over the telephone, in writing or electronic.

• To overcome barriers on a daily basis in supporting patients that might not easily understand due to cultural or language differences, physical or mental special needs, or due to age. To use tact and persuasion to negotiate a mutually convenient date for a patients procedure when the may be upset or angry.

• To communicate unpleasant news in a empathetic manner to patients, relative or carers over the telephone and provide reassurance at times of distress or when discussing issues of a sensitive nature.

• Accurate addition of patients to the waiting list ensuring any relevant notes recorded.

• To provide advice to patients with matters relating to their admission (pre and post operative guidance) and with regard to their position on the waiting list.

• 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.

• To plan multiple theatre/procedure lists up to six weeks in advance, using clinical knowledge, medical terminology and information to meet the patients 18 week, diagnostic, cancer and/or 28 day rescheduling targets.

• To attend weekly meetings with the Patient service manager to provide information for the control tower meetings and also to discuss any capacity issues/shortfalls and contribute to help identify a solution.

• Ensure that with effective planning and organisation the theatre/procedure lists are utilised to their maximum potential which requires taking in to account MSBOS guidelines, specific patient needs, cancelling/rescheduling patients, replacing short notice cancellations, organising specific clinical staff, arranging enhanced care beds and responsible for theatre list order taking into account all patient and theatre information.

• Responsible for communicating information and changes relating to elective admissions, theatre lists etc with regards intended procedures, specific kit requirements, specific anaesthetic input to relevant staff Trustwide.

• Ensuring where required appropriate funding is in place or authorised to allow the patient to proceed to admission taking into account out of area patients.

• Identify, attempt to resolve and pre-empt situations which may result in a breach of access targets. Regularly analyse waiting list information from Enterprise CaMIS and multiple Priority Treatment Lists (PTL) to ensure compliance with national waiting time standards and escalate in a timely manner any requirements for additional capacity to ensure patients are treated within Government waiting time standards.

• With knowledge and understanding of the 18 week RTT and compliant/non compliant pathways add patients to the waiting list ensuring correct linkage.

• Responsible for data quality when maintaining, inputting, extracting and producing information (including information to patients) in the Trusts multiple computer systems. To use speed and accuracy with clinical and non clinical information relating to patient care to ensure patient safety at all times. Computer systems used include Enterprise CaMIS, Open CaMIS, Microsoft applications, Shared drives, ICE, Theatre Man, File Tracker, HealthView, Medisoft, view and adhoc letters, Spine Portal, PTL and eWinDip.

• To handle sensitive and confidential information on a daily basis taking in to account data protection.

• Coordinate the admission for patients with complex social or medical requirements or those undergoing a planned sequence of care.

• To work under own initiative within approved policies, procedures, booking guidelines and escalation processes to make decisions to ensure efficient and patient centred service delivery.

• To ensure specialty policies are implemented within own work area and to contribute to suggested changes as required.

• To ensure additional resources are booked as required by the patient to ensure a safe admission and patient centred approach i.e. book transport to ensure arrival on time, to arrange interpretation services for consent purposes.

• Prioritise own workload on a daily basis while recognising when it is appropriate to escalate to manager.

• To multi-task between activities with frequent interruptions and a need to leave one task immediately. Reprioritise your workload to resolve any unexpected issues.

• To understand, contribute, implement and apply knowledge of a relevant procedures and knowledge of how to resolve non-routine problems.
• To frequently sit and concentrate in a restricted position for a substantial proportion of the working time due to continuous exposure to VDU equipment, inputting information via a keyboard and using a telephone headset. Whilst using multiple computer systems at the same time.
• Assist in the training and induction of new staff and provide continuous support with regards to the co-ordination of their workload.
• To work flexibly according to the needs of the service including covering for colleagues during periods of leave.

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ 2 Customer Care or equivalent experience.
• Sound educational background 5 GCSEs Grade C or above.
• ECDL or equivalent.

Desirable

• NVQ 3 Business & Administration.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Confidence in own abilities.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Self motivated.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Team worker.
• Flexible approach to working arrangements.
• Analytical skills.
• Aptitude for problem solving.
• Polite and friendly manner.

Experience

Essential

• Working within a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of working in a customer service environment.
• Excellent communication skills to overcome barriers of understanding.
• Working in a demanding environment.
• Experience of collating data.
• Ability to organise self, working to deadlines and ensuring quality standards.
• Experience of scheduling / coordination activities and/or resources.

Desirable

• Waiting list management experience.
• Knowledge of NHS standards and targets.
• Use of Patient Administration System.
• Communication with patients in a healthcare setting.
• Work with computer software programmes such as Microsoft, PAS, ICE, Medisoft, Theatreman.

Knowledge & Awareness

Essential

• Understanding of current challenges facing the NHS locally and nationally.
• Knowledge of the Data Protection Act and awareness of confidentiality.
• Awareness of own limitations.

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Excellent organisational skills .
• Able to work under pressure & to strict deadlines.
• Able to work effectively across departmental boundaries.
• Demonstrate effective written, verbal and telephone communication skills with team/clients/relatives, using tact when required.
• Demonstrate knowledge of dealing with public/conflict.
• Demonstrate a caring manner with an understanding disposition.
• High standard of accuracy.
• Flexibility and able to adapt to change.
• Computer literate experience of using all Microsoft packages.

Desirable

• Understanding of office practice and procedures.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).