Senior Patient Administrator

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities

• Assist the Team Leader in all aspects of staff management of all Patient Administrators and Assistant Patient Administrators, including assisting with prioritising of workload, day to day support, supervision, sickness, performance and appraisal and ensuring mandatory and statutory training targets are achieved.
• Support the Team Leader in maximising the best use of clinical and non-clinical resources.
• Ensure that all enquiries are dealt with in a timely, polite, professional and confidential manner, taking action or escalating as appropriate, using initiative and prioritising skills.
• Proactively manage patient pathways so that all patients receive a high standard of service delivery.
• Use initiative when dealing with patients' problems or when dealing with managers and consultants who may request patient information.
• Ensure all activity is cashed up in a timely manner using Trust's PAS/appropriate IT system including DNAs and discharges.
• Participate in new staff induction, demonstrates duties to new starters and providing close supervision.
• Develop of new members of the team through training and supervision.
• Adhere to trust-wide standard operating procedures and policies developed for clinical administrative processes and participate in their development.
• Suggest improvements to systems, with ways of measuring effectiveness of any changes made.
• Collect and use data to measure performance of department against objectives.
• Assist all members of staff and patients with the uptake of new technologies, and where required become a 'user champion' to embed learning.
• Assist in sourcing specialist equipment as appropriate.
• Flag up and report overseas visitors for payment.
• Retrieve and validate missing NHS numbers card and investigate errors.
• Participate in regular team meetings and other relevant meetings e.g. Patient Access.
• Assist in the maintenance of stationery stock.
• Organise and prioritise workload with minimal supervision.

Central Admissions

• Ensure that patients surgery is booked in accordance with booking rules outlined in the Trusts Access Policy, in order that patient pathway targets are achieved.
• Identify potential long waiters and agree remedial actions.
• Escalate any capacity issues via the local escalation process.
• Book transport as and when necessary and communicate with transport office any changes when rebooking a patient's appointment.
• Organise the day-to-day running of the in-patient waiting list - proposing and agreeing changes/additions to the theatre lists working closely with clinicians and managers as appropriate.
• Ensure that all patients on the waiting list are validated to promote an effective management of the Trust's 18 weeks pathway.
• Monitor the waiting list on a weekly basis and liaise with line manager about variances in performance and projections. Plan theatre lists 4 weeks in advance with line manager and Clinicians.
• Liaise with patients/carers to arrange pre-assessment appointments for patients requiring surgery.
• Liaise with theatre staff, clinicians, anaesthetists and Service Manager to ensure lists are fully utilised.
• Liaise with medical staff regarding waiting lists and theatre list. Assist in organising any special requirements as and when needed.
• Undertake a weekly review of the waiting list to ensure patients are treated by clinical priority and wait time.
• Collate and circulate the weekly admissions planner for clinical and managerial staff.
• Keep comprehensive records of any cancelled and rescheduled theatre sessions.
• Produce the cancellations spread sheet on a daily basis.
• Collate, input, interpret, analyse, and extract data for audit/presentations - to be used by clinicians/managers as and when requested.
• Provide patient information to GP practices, also to liaise with GPs regarding results, special needs and concerns.
• Plan and maintain one year in advance theatre sessions, pre-assessment, and operating schedule to achieve wait time targets.

Others

• Ensure that patients surgery is booked in accordance with booking rules outlined in the Trusts Access Policy, in order that patient pathway targets are achieved.
• Identify potential long waiters and agree remedial actions.
• Escalate any capacity issues via the local escalation process.
• Book transport as and when necessary and communicate with transport office any changes when rebooking a patient's appointment.
• Organise the day-to-day running of the in-patient waiting list - proposing and agreeing changes/additions to the theatre lists working closely with clinicians and managers as appropriate.
• Ensure that all patients on the waiting list are validated to promote an effective management of the Trust's 18 weeks pathway.
• Monitor the waiting list on a weekly basis and liaise with line manager about variances in performance and projections. Plan theatre lists 4 weeks in advance with line manager and Clinicians.
• Liaise with patients/carers to arrange pre-assessment appointments for patients requiring surgery.
• Liaise with theatre staff, clinicians, anaesthetists and Service Manager to ensure lists are fully utilised.
• Liaise with medical staff regarding waiting lists and theatre list. Assist in organising any special requirements as and when needed.
• Request medical records and x-rays prior to pre-assessment.
• Undertake a weekly review of the waiting list to ensure patients are treated by clinical priority and wait time.
• Collate and circulate the weekly admissions planner for clinical and managerial staff.
• Keep comprehensive records of any cancelled and rescheduled theatre sessions.
• Produce the cancellations spread sheet on a daily basis.
• Collate, input, interpret, analyse, and extract data for audit/presentations - to be used by clinicians/managers as and when requested.
• Plan and maintain one year in advance theatre sessions, pre-assessment, and operating schedule to achieve wait time targets.

PLEASE SEE JD/PS FOR FULL JOB DETAILS

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to A level, NVQ level 3 in Business and Administration or equivalent experience
• English and Mathematics GCSE or equivalent

Desirable criteria

• Qualification in Management such as First Line Managers up to certificate level

Experience

Essential criteria

• Proven experience of dealing with complex telephone calls
• Demonstrable experience of working in an administrative role in a busy office environment
• Communicating with members of the public
• Experience of working in a team
• Demonstrable experience of working within customer-driven service and working to strict targets
• Working in NHS or other similar health care environment
• Some experience of supervising or training staff
• Experience of using a Patient Administration System

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with clinicians
• Experience working with a wide range of people
• Use of E-referral system
• Use of an Electronic Document Management (EDM) system
• Experience working with the RTT pathway

Skills and Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Understanding of RTT and how it applies in a clinic environment
• Knowledge of Elective Access policy framework
• Able to demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, particularly in difficult situations
• Competent working knowledge of windows based computer systems
• Ability to prioritise workload effectively and meet competing demands
• Willing to learn new systems
• Able to explain procedures and policy to other staff
• Knowledge of filing systems and ability to file accurately and pay attention to details
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal

Desirable criteria

• Familiarity with Trust's PAS and other electronic patient administration and documentation systems
• Familiarity with medical records and clinical correspondence
• Working with outsourced typing function

Important

• The closing date given is a guide only. There may be some occasions when we have to close a vacancy once sufficient applications have been received. You are therefore advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• Please check your emails regularly as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process.
• If you have not heard from us within 3 weeks after the closing date, we regret that this usually means your application was not successful.
• In submitting an application, you authorise the Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process, should you be appointed to the post.
• During the recruitment process your identity documentation (ie passport, driving licence, visa etc) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, infrared and machine-readable zone security features of the documents provided.
• Employment at the Trust is offered subject to successful completion of a six month probationary period.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• JD (PDF, 888.2KB)
• Job features (PDF, 390.8KB)
• Guidance for applicants (PDF, 85.4KB)
• Policy Statement (PDF, 144.5KB)
• Staff Benefits and Wellbeing (PDF, 196.5KB)
• Recruitment Pack (PDF, 2.8MB)