Access Team Booking Coordinator

The Outpatient Booking Office provides a patient focused and responsive contact point for patients, ensuring all appointments are booked within the specified time limits. Outpatient Booking Co-ordinators will manage their own delegated responsibility in operating a partial or full booking process receiving paper and electronic referrals for Outpatient specialties. They will have a lead responsibility for clinic management for a group of Consultants/Specialties and will be expected to provide cross cover to other Specialties in the absence of colleagues.

The Outpatient Booking Co-ordinator will manage and co-ordinate the outpatient pathway from the acceptance of the referral, through to the outpatient appointment. To ensure appointments are booked according to the Consultants protocols, booking policies and procedures. Contributing to the overall efficient and effective running of all designated clinics.

Maintaining a clear and robust outpatient waiting list, monitoring clinic capacity to treat all patients on the outpatient waiting list, working closely with the Outpatient Team Leader and Administrative Service Manager.

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. Job seekers should be aware that not all roles will be eligible for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. For further information visit UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Key Tasks:
Assigned to specific Consultant Surgeons but there is an expectation that staff will provide support and cover during periods of leave for colleagues, including other departments.

Add patients to the outpatient waiting list from referral, ensuring all information is entered on to the Lorenzo system and where necessary request images.

Once trained, individuals to maintain a high knowledge of Lorenzo, E-referral service, Image Exchange System, Electronic Patient Record, Spinal Portal, Bookwise, Internal Patient Waiting Lists, Synapse

Communicate with patients to agree a date of appointment according to the relevant waiting times as designated by the appointment type and other factors, providing general advice around their appointment and the location of the Trust and sending out relevant paperwork.

To highlight any referrals that require urgent attention and deal with them promptly; this may involve discussions with the medical/divisional teams directly to arrange where the patient needs to be booked

To monitor daily the Patient Tracking Lists (PTL) for the designated specialties by tracking, booking and closing patient's episodes and pathways where appropriate, ensuring that all new patients are booked according to current waiting times targets and the PTL is complete by the monthly/weekly deadline., Assigned to specific Consultant Surgeons but there is an expectation that staff will provide support and cover during periods of leave for colleagues, including other departments.

Add patients to the outpatient waiting list from referral, ensuring all information is entered on to the Lorenzo system and where necessary request images. Recognising any Red Flag symptoms and escalating these to consultants.

Once trained, individuals to maintain a high knowledge of Lorenzo, E-referral service, Image Exchange System, Electronic Patient Record, Spinal Portal, Bookwise, Internal Patient Waiting Lists, Synapse

Communicate with patients to agree a date of appointment according to the relevant waiting times as designated by the appointment type and other factors, providing general advice around their appointment and the location of the Trust and sending out relevant paperwork. Ensuring the relevant appointment is made in due time to ensure any further treatment that may be necessary has enough time to be received.

To highlight any referrals that require urgent attention and deal with them promptly; this may involve discussions with the medical/divisional teams directly to arrange where the patient needs to be booked

To monitor daily the Patient Tracking Lists (PTL) for the designated specialties by tracking, booking and closing patient's episodes and pathways where appropriate, ensuring that all new patients are booked according to current waiting times targets and the PTL is complete by the monthly/weekly deadline

To be responsible for authorised over booking where appropriate, ensuing priority of patients is considered through reviewing several databases and consideration a range of options, such as diagnostics, new and old patients and patients in trouble, seeking assistance from the Outpatient Team Leader or Administrative Service Manager when needed.

Support patients in trouble by escalating concerns to Consultant colleagues and the safeguarding team as necessary.

Ensure all relevant documentation is scanned onto EPR and filed as appropriate.

Liaise with Team Leader regularly to receive updates on waiting times and discuss and make recommendations to improve waiting list management.

Provide a daily report on the status of the outpatient waiting list for consultants to whom you are assigned.

Ensure that patients receive all the relevant documentation pertaining to their appointment.

Plan and liaise with consultants regarding appointments to enable prioritisation of work.

Whilst arranging appointment dates use knowledge of clinic capacity.

To constantly work adhering to the Access Policy, keeping abreast of changes as communicated by Senior Staff.

Ensuring Choose and Book appointments are booked in correctly, where not, ensuring the appointment is rescheduled appropriately and the patient is informed.

Re-arrange or cancel full clinics as directed by the operational team (with and without consultant consultation) where appropriate ensuring full utilisation of remaining clinics.

Re-arrange or cancel clinic appointments as requested by the patient (with and without consultant consultation) where appropriate ensuring full utilisation of remaining clinics.

Provide detailed information for clinicians regarding their waiting lists.

Provide a high level of customer care exchanging information with patients and staff regarding outpatient processes and procedures, such as discussions around individual needs, such as adjustments for patient appointments.

Liaise with the Head of Patient Access and Administrative Services Managers to ensure all clinics are utilised and planned efficiently. Notify Consultants on any factors they made need to know resulting in their clinic being affected.

To deal with queries from patients, Secretaries, medical and nursing staff in a diplomatic and sympathetic manner, both on the phone and face to face.

Ensure all clinic appointments are outcomed correctly from either the clinical outcome form or once the clinic dictation is typed.

Communicate with the discharge team to ensure follow-up appointments are booked at a requested point of time, balancing needs and requirements such clinic capacity and Consultant availability.

Escalate appropriate issues to Consultants, operational Management, Team Leader &/or Administrative Service Manager.

Regularly deal with queries from anxious patients or relatives (gaining appropriate confirmation of patients permission do so) when giving difficult messages such as delays to appointments which can often be met with high emotion, then requiring staff to utilise empathy and direct as appropriate.

Deal with Outpatient teams inboxes daily along with personal email, responding in a prompt and correct manner.

Participate in providing training within the Department, making sure individual training matrix is up to date.

Maintain Lorenzo details and update patient details.

Liaise with the Outpatient resource team re: changes, bookings, cancellations. This is to ensure that resources can be appropriately reallocated as necessary.

Liaise with other Hospitals to ensure notes and x-rays are forwarded for patients attending clinic.

Participate in maintaining physical waiting list filing and general healthcare record filing system.

Provide support to the Head of Patient Access, Administrative Services manager and Team Leader.

To participate in general administration duties such as the answer phone, cancellation email, post, date stamping, photocopying, scanning and any other technology that may be introduced to support the Trusts systems and processes

To contribute to the ongoing service improvement plans and policies for Outpatients, being open to changes to current practices and offering input into meetings/workshops as required.

Participate in mandatory training and induction programmes as well as staff appraisal and objective setting

Expected to concentrate for long periods of time (up to 2 hours), undertaking outcomes and analysis of Patient Target List.

Individuals can expect frequent interruptions from patients calling the department and also colleagues requiring urgent support.

There will be occasional exposure to verbal aggression whilst communicating unwelcomed news which can be challenging such as delays to appointments.

Ensure all communications and data storage is filed and stored in line with Trust policies and procedures and GDPR.

Our aim is to aspire to deliver world class patient care, and we want talented, dedicated and passionate people to help us achieve this.

Our continued success is accomplished through the skills and expertise of our staff, which is underpinned by our values: Friendly, Caring, Excellence, Professional and Respect. If your values align to ours, and you would like to join us in aspiring to deliver world class patient care, we would love to hear from you.

Joining RJAH is more than just a job - we want our people to have the best opportunities to thrive in their role.

Whether you're starting out in your career, or have a wealth of experience - we're always looking to recruit outstanding individuals in a range of clinical areas, as well as support and administrative roles.

We have a range of fantastic staff benefits on offer to everyone who joins RJAH and you'll have access to state-of-the-art facilities and outstanding professional development opportunities.

RJAH has strong links with a range of universities including Staffordshire, Keele, Glyndwr, Chester and Birmingham.

Shropshire is also one of the most attractive parts of the country, with a rich historic culture and excellent transport links. The hospital is located on a site outside Oswestry, just off the A5. The nearest train station is in Gobowen, approximately two miles from the hospital. The station is part of the Chester to Birmingham line.