Patient Access Clerk

Job overview We require a highly motivated, flexible and enthusiastic individual with excellent customer service skills to join our administration team working in a friendly, positive and supportive environment within the Cancer Directorate. The available post will be based at Worthing Hospital.

Patient Access Clerk, Band 3:

Full time - 37.5 hours per week, to be negotiated in line with the needs of the service.

You will be working within an established administration team supporting the clinical and nursing team within Oncology services. You will have administrative experience, a good general level of education and be computer literate. You will have experience of working with the general public and will have a good telephone manner. You must be able to work well both within a team and unsupervised, with good communication and organisational skills and the ability to work effectively under pressure.

You will work in close collaboration with Consultants, Clinicians, radiographers, nursing staff and the operational management team to facilitate the management of the outpatient waiting lists and recording of activity for the service. Working closely with the Patient Access Manager for Cancer Services, you will ensure compliance with the Trust Patient Access Policy and 18 week referral to treatment and cancer waiting time targets.

Main duties of the job

• Support the Patient Access Manager in providing an effective and efficient patient access service for oncology services.
• Manage the booking of patients from referral to outpatient attendance and discharge, working with medical, nursing, paramedical, management and administrative staff across University Hospitals Sussex sites.
• Analyse and validate Patient Targeting Lists, patient outcome data and cancer waiting time and 18 week validation reports and report issues to the Patient Access Manager.
• Work as a team member to provide a flexible, efficient and high quality administration service for patients attending the hospital and assist medical staff, allied healthcare professionals and nurses in the management of oncology, haematology and radiotherapy.
• Recommend changes to policies and procedures to provide an optimum patient access service.
• Support the secretarial team with audio typing as required.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities Communication

• Engage in collaborative problem solving with co workers, staff and other outside agencies.
• Ensure all telephone and email communications are dealt with in a timely and professional manner.
• Update telephone voicemail messages in a clear and concise way and ensure they are dealt with promptly.
• Leave an out of office message when on leave, detailing who to contact.
• Function as a team player, being considerate and flexible, taking the needs of peers into account.
• Exercise discretion to maintain patient confidentiality and a professional, respectful hospital environment at all times.
• Provide and receive complex and sensitive information via telephone, face to face or in writing, escalating to a health professional when necessary.
• Use good written and oral communication skills to provide clear and concise information, explanations and instructions.
• Answer complex and sensitive patient enquiries promptly and politely (via telephone and in person) and refer to the Patient Access Manager when necessary.
• Advise patients of any delays to being seen for appointments or treatment within the service.
• Ensure patients are given the opportunity to speak to a senior manager if they wish to make a complaint.
• Establish and maintain effective communication with all members of the public, including those with challenging behaviour, learning disabilities, or whose first language is not English, arranging interpreters as required.
• liaise with clinical, nursing staff, porters and ambulance staff.
• Handle all non clinical queries efficiently and courteously using judgement and prioritisation.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with nursing, medical, Allied Health Professionals and managerial staff within the department.
• Ensure relevant information is disseminated effectively and appropriately in a timely manner.
• Take clear and accurate messages and ensure prompt delivery to the appropriate person.

Service Delivery and Improvement

• Work as a Patient Access Clerk supporting oncology administration services.
• Process referrals, ensuring they are actioned promptly in line with the Trust Patient Access Policy and national guidelines.
• Enter outpatient referral letters into the appropriate waiting list within one working day of receipt, forward to the relevant clinician for prioritisation within one working day and receive from the clinician within two working days.
• Ensure new, follow up and treatment patients are identified on the waiting list and booked within the specified timeframe, escalating capacity issues to the Patient Access Manager.
• Contact patients requiring an urgent appointment by telephone and offer an appointment in line with the Trust Patient Access Policy.
• Confirm all appointments are documented in writing and patients receive the relevant information for their visit or treatment.
• Provide patient choice in agreeing appointments within national waiting time targets and subject to clinicians' triaged urgency of individual cases.
• Confirm required patient information on arrival, including demographics, GP information, overseas visitor status, ethnic group monitoring data and referral information.
• Ensure any changes to patient information are updated in patient case notes, the Patient Administration System (PAS) or electronic appointment system, patient identification labels and information sheets.
• Identify overseas visitors and inform the Trust Overseas & Private Patients Co ordinator where necessary.
• Collect and record accurate and timely data to maximise Trust income.
• Record patient outcomes and schedule outpatient follow up and treatment appointments using the PAS.
• Update treatment plans and dates as appropriate for patients attending for treatment using the department's electronic appointment system.
• Cancel outpatient/planning clinics due to clinician leave and reschedule appointments following the Trust Patient Access Policy, notifying patients in a timely manner and informing the Patient Access Manager of any potential breaches of national waiting time targets.
• Prepare and deliver patient medical records to health professionals promptly for attendance within the service as required.
• Record patient outcomes, including outpatient procedure coding, on the PAS and electronic appointment system.
• Ensure adequate facilities for all outpatient and treatment appointments through collaboration with departments, clinicians, radiographers, nursing staff and the Patient Access Manager.
• Maintain overall compliance with the Trust Patient Access Policy, reporting any non compliance to the Patient Access Manager.
• Report to the Patient Access Manager any issues related to the functionality of the PAS and other electronic systems.
• Assist the Patient Access Manager in achieving Trust Patient Access Policy requirements for oncology, SACT, haematology and radiotherapy waiting lists.
• Reschedule, amend or cancel oncology outpatient appointments using a range of administration systems and notify all relevant parties of changes.
• Take appropriate action for patients who do not attend appointments or treatment, in accordance with the Trust Patient Access Policy.
• Maintain knowledge of the Trust Patient Access Policy, the Data Protection Act, Caldicott guidelines and safeguarding policies.
• Maintain medical records, merge duplicate records, file correspondence, clinical test and X ray results, and upload documents to PANDA.
• Organise support services such as transport, portering, domestic and interpreting services, recording arrangements in the electronic appointment system.
• Ensure patient private health insurance documents are in order and forwarded to the appropriate department.
• Organise couriers for urgent transfer of medical records or drugs when necessary.
• Chase investigative results when requested by clinicians to facilitate treatment decisions.
• Use own judgement to prioritise tasks, ensuring patients receive timely appointments or treatment.
• Organise workload and ensure national and Trust waiting list targets are met.
• Use own judgement to assess issues and situations independently.
• Prioritise and manage workload with minimal supervision, seeking advice when necessary.
• Support the administration section of the Trust major incident plan.
• Record and report equipment faults/repairs to IT, Capital Development and Facilities.
• Contribute to the management of Health & Safety in the workplace.
• Exercise own judgement carefully, liaising daily with the Patient Access Manager or relevant clinician on patient issues.

Person specification Experience and Skills

• Substantial experience of admin/clerical work
• Experience of working with the general public
• Computer literate with knowledge of Microsoft products, including Word & Excel
• Ability to handle complex enquiries from patients, some of whom may be distressed or anxious about their care
• Ability to work unsupervised, plan, prioritise and manage own workload
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