Dispatcher/planner

The responsibilities of this role

The responsibilities of the role will be the dispatch and management of the operational Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS) crews to ensure timely and efficient collection and delivery of patients between destinations and achieving contractual targets. Working at the Leeds Operations site, the post holder will provide a friendly, efficient planning, booking and dispatch service for non-emergency patient transport (NEPTS) across all Leeds operations contracts. The post holder will be able to support the coordination and management of the end to end patient transport pathway. This may at times include the management of third party providers. This is a full time position on a 42hrs per week, pro rata contract.

Main Duties and Responsibilities of the Role (list / outline)
- Actively plan and control live and future patient journeys by allocating booked patient to vehicles for transportation to hospital appointments using the Cleric System. This is achieved by correctly allocating the patient to the suitable vehicle for each patient’s mobility, taking into account appointment and journey time, service level agreement and contractual requirements_._
- To receive in an accurate, effective and polite manner, requests for patient transport and queries regarding ambulance journeys, ensuring compliance with relevant service procedures and standing orders.
- To have a working knowledge of patient eligibility criteria and Patient Transport Services.
- Undertake general clerical duties including but not exclusive to checking booking lists, data input, completing ad-hoc forms/invoices as necessary.
- Provide feedback and guidance to booking advisors where issues are identified on an ad-hoc basis and liaise with the Dispatch Team for any recurring issues and to work with the team on actions plans to put corrective actions in place.
- As a key member of the team, the post holder will contribute to maintaining and enhancing the performance and quality of service offered to patients and customers.
- Have a good working knowledge of the vehicle tracking system and patient transport software (Cleric) following induction training.
- Liaise with the transport and operational teams as and when required to make adjustments to the schedule as and when issues are identified to ensure minimized impact on the patient experience. Liaise with control and operational managers to resolve any vehicle resource deficiencies to meet service and contractual demands
- Relay relevant information and changes to the crews as and when required to ensure full and correct understanding of changes and corrective actions required to ensure the successful delivery of Patient Transport Services.
- Deal promptly, professionally and efficiently with all telephone calls received taking appropriate action on own initiative where required.
- Maintain patient flow across all control areas through effective liaison with colleagues and hospital staff and prompt resolution of urgent problems and appropriate responses to unplanned events.
- To constantly review patient journeys and re-allocate staff and vehicle resources by utilizing vehicle tracking systems to meet contractual requirements and communicate accurate information in relation to Arrival times and delays to our stakeholders in a timely fashion.
- Have an awareness and comply with all business policy and procedure.
- Maintain an open participative style of working practices consistent with the provision of an effective and professional service.
- Support the business and the roles of other team members, assisting in the completion of their duties as and when required.
- Provide a flexible, co-operative role covering for the absence of colleagues and the demands of the department. This may require working at other locations and some weekends and bank holidays, on a rota basis.
- Liaise with the Operational Supervisors to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources and for the resolution of problems.
- Utilise, to maximum effect, telecommunications and IT equipment, within the call centre environment, ensuring any defects or malfunctions or equipment are reported.
- Ensure appropriate liaison with other agencies such as GP’s, Nursing Homes, Hospital Clinics and Wards regarding booking issues when required.
- Ensure compliance with patient care and safety protocols and guidelines.
- Maintain a high standard of housekeeping and cleanliness in all work areas.
- Contribute to projects and initiatives aimed at improving patient care and service delivery and improved productivity
- Liaise with operational management in regards to patient risk assessment requirements
- Display a high level of Customer Care when dealing with hospitals, patients and relatives and maintain confidentiality of patient data.
- Input missing travel times during low activity weekend shifts to ensure that we are capturing accurate data for the reporting of KPIs to the commissione