Appointment Services Manager

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Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics.

We are committed to recruiting to our values. Leading One Culture of Care underpins our values by creating an environment, tone and behaviours across all parts of the Trust that are fundamentally rooted in compassionate care.

We are open to considering a wide range of flexible working arrangements. There are opportunities to flex the days of the week, hours and times of work and place of work including: part-time, job-share, flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home when appropriate. Please talk to us during the interview process to discuss any flexibility that you may require.

We received our Silver Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers. This means that we provided its statement of intent to support all Defence personnel and we welcome application to work for us. Find out more - Why Choose CHFT?

Our Future Plans

The Department of Health and Social Care has awarded capital funding to invest in local health services at both Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. This is a significant investment and an opportunity to enhance services for our populations in Calderdale and Huddersfield and West Yorkshire for generations to come. To find out more, please visit https://future.cht.nhs.uk/

Job overview

This is a key role in the maintenance and effective delivery of daily operations of the Appointment Centre, ensuring compliance with Trust policies for Outpatients. The Appointment Centre offers a Trust-wide central booking service for patients to call and book, or cancel and rebook their appointments. It also helps to maintain appointment book templates.

The post holder is responsible and accountable for meeting key performance measures and supporting service development within the Appointment Centre team, including collating and producing regular performance reports. The post holder is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with Trust-wide stakeholders, ensuring patient-focused services are supported.

Main duties of the job

To deliver a robust and effective Appointment Services for the outpatient directorate by being responsible and accountable for meeting key performance indicators in the service delivery.

Regular collaboration with other services to ensure an efficient appointment services throughout the trust,

Providing line management support, leadership and guidance to the appointment services staff.

To continually improve and monitor processes and procedures of teams to ensure they are delivering an effective service and the teams remain competent and motivated.

To support the Operational Service Lead in delivering targets relating to elective recovery.

To build and maintain positive working relationships with colleagues across the trust ensuring agreed quality metrics are achieved consistently.

Working for our organisation

We employ more than 6,500 staff who deliver compassionate care from our two main hospitals, Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary as well as in community sites, health centres and in patients' homes. We also are incredibly proud to have almost 150 volunteers here at CHFT.

We provide a range of services including urgent and emergency care; medical; surgical; maternity; gynaecology; critical care; children's and young people's services; end of life care and outpatient and diagnostic imaging services.

We provide community health services, including sexual health services in Calderdale from Calderdale Royal and local health centres. These include Todmorden Health Centre and Broad Street Plaza.

We continue to modernise and invest in our health services to build on our strong reputation. Foundation trusts are public leaders in improving quality in health services. They are part of the NHS - yet decisions about what they do and how they do it are driven by independent boards. Boards listen to their Council of Governors and respond to the needs of their members - patients, staff and the local community.

Foundation trusts provide what the health service wants, yet are also free to invest quickly in the changes to the local community needs, in striving to be the best, and in putting their patients first.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
• To act as point of contact for the senior management team in reference to the day to day management and performance of the Appointment Centre.
• To provide line management support and leadership to the Appointment Centre
• To optimise team performance by ensuring all team members are competent and motivated and working effectively in line with trust standards and policies and Appointment centre Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Quality standards.
• To delegate tasks appropriately to team members, to encourage their personal development and ensure effective use of departmental time, particularly during periods with low call volumes.
• To support the recruitment of staff including preparation of job descriptions, personal specifications, adverts and documentation required for submission for divisional approval of vacancies.
• To participate in recruitment panels for Appointment Centre posts
• To devise and regularly review staff rotas ensuring optimum cover for required operational hours and identifying areas of peak demand to maximise team and shift performance.
• Build, maintain and promote positive working relationships with colleagues across the trust with regards to the appointment centre, to ensure agreed quality measures are consistently met and the booking service operates effectively and efficiently for all involved. This will require a range of diplomacy, motivational and negotiating skills.
• To ensure that all staff are well informed of Trust, Divisional and local issues and have an opportunity to contribute ideas by applying Trust communication policies and developing local strategies.
• To regularly formulate, produce and present reports and recommendations for service development and performance improvement carrying out benchmarking as required.
• Work with colleagues and divisional teams to optimise appointment booking and template work.
• To oversee the budget for the Appointment Centre ensuring efficient use of resources and delivery of a balanced budget.
• To contribute to the annual CIP
• To ensure the prompt ordering and receipting of departmental supplies as needed.
• Developing and maintaining key departmental documents including SOPs and risk assessments.
• Help with maintaining trust appointment related systems (EPR, eRS) understanding and guiding team members in their use and liaising with internal and external support services to ensure their efficient functioning.
• To be responsible for ensuring updates of booking rules kept by the appointment centre for relevant specialities is completed in conjunction with service general manager and operational managers.
• To identify and escalate any untoward technological, telephony or other service-effecting issues to appropriate colleagues and support frontline staff in the event of unexpected software or telephony failure.
• To receive, investigate and respond to complaints where appropriate from patients and colleagues and process them within relevant deadlines, responding with tact and sensitivity.
• The post holder will support the General Manager and Operational Manager in ensuring that the directorate functions as an integral part of the division and contributes to achievement of divisional and trust wide objectives.

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING

Essential criteria

• Degree Level or equivalent level of experience

Desirable criteria

• Recognised management qualification
• Evidence of postgraduate study and continuous professional development

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Essential criteria

• Relevant experience in the NHS
• Knowledge of NHS targets
• Experience of waiting list management
• Experience of NHS performance management
• Experience of staff and budgetary management
• Knowledge of the e-Referral System (eRS)
• Experience of service development and re-design
• Awareness and understanding of national policy concerning patient pathways
• IT & Computer literacy
• Understanding of 18 weeks referral to treatment targets
• Able to analyse the nature of complex problems, using a variety of sources and formats, and can describe the desired solution and options for achieving this
• Anticipates problems and takes preventative action or have contingency measures available

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of delivering targets
• Evidence of successful involvement in production of clear business cases

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)

Essential criteria

• Keeps abreast of national and local developments in health and social care and local data e.g. survey data on quality outcomes
• Develops and agrees own personal development plan with feedback from others
• Has self confidence and uses this to lead, involve and challenge others
• Displays a strong motivation and commitment to success
• Treats all people equally and with respect
• Ensures personal, professional behaviour and integrity at all times
• Promotes the building of effective teams and collaboration between teams
• Builds and maintains sound relationships within teams and with colleagues in other areas including corporate departments

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of successful operational leadership and effective involvement in change management
• Call centre management
• nvolves others in problem analysis and the identification of solutions, where possible enabling individuals or teams to find their own solutions
• Enables staff to meet their personal development objectives and apply their knowledge and skills
• Able to deal effectively with challenging or sensitive staff issues e.g. performance, within trust processes and legislative frameworks
• Challenges and addresses conflict, especially where this is impacting on service delivery and standards and contributes positively to finding solutions to conflict
• Develops constructive relationships and networks within the organisation and outside
• Able to use a range of management styles as appropriate, including a coaching style

Our vision is to provide One Culture of Care for one another in order that we can provide compassionate care for the people who use our services. We are passionate about creating a workplace where we work together to get results, encouraging colleagues to have their say, in order to co create the change we want to see. We take pride in the diversity of our workforce that's why we encourage applications from all. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants.

Please ensure your application is submitted with referees who can verify your employment/education history over the last three years and include valid email addresses for them. We will request electronic Factual Employment References from your previous employers. These references will be requested before you are issued with an unconditional offer of employment letter.

If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

You may be required to undertake a DBS. The Trust will administer the DBS check on your behalf and will recover the cost (Enhanced £54.40, Standard £26.40 or Basic £26.40) from your salary when you commence in post (including Internal staff). You will also be required to participate in the DBS Update Service and pay the £16 cost per year. This is a condition of your employment.

CHFT is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

If you have any questions please contact ask.recruitment@cht.nhs.uk for assistance.

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Documents to download

• JDPS (PDF, 232.4KB)
• Job Description Appendix A (PDF, 259.2KB)