Waiting List Clerk

To be named contact point liaising with patients, relatives and/or carers as well as medical representatives, GPs, nursing staff, surgical team and support services to ensure the admission is appropriately planned and managed. This can be face to face, over the telephone, in writing or electronic. To overcome barriers on a daily basis in supporting patients that might not easily understand due to cultural or language differences, physical or mental special needs, or due to age. To use tact and persuasion to negotiate a mutually convenient date for a patients procedure when the may be upset or angry.

To communicate unpleasant news in a empathetic manner to patients, relative or carers over the telephone and provide reassurance at times of distress or when discussing issues of a sensitive nature. Accurate addition of patients to the waiting list ensuring any relevant notes recorded. To provide advice to patients with matters relating to their admission (pre and post operative guidance) and with regard to their position on the waiting list. Ensure a high standard of customer service is provided at all times to all service users in a helpful, courteous, empathetic, reassuring and diplomatic manner.

To plan multiple theatre/procedure lists up to six weeks in advance, using clinical knowledge, medical terminology and information to meet the patients 18 week, diagnostic, cancer and/or 28 day rescheduling targets. To attend weekly meetings with the Patient service manager to provide information for the control tower meetings and also to discuss any capacity issues/shortfalls and contribute to help identify a solution. Ensure that with effective planning and organisation the theatre/procedure lists are utilised to their maximum potential which requires taking in to account MSBOS guidelines, specific patient needs, cancelling/rescheduling patients, replacing short notice cancellations, organising specific clinical staff, arranging enhanced care beds and responsible for theatre list order taking into account all patient and theatre information. Responsible for communicating information and changes relating to elective admissions, theatre lists etc with regards intended procedures, specific kit requirements, specific anaesthetic input to relevant staff Trustwide.

Ensuring where required appropriate funding is in place or authorised to allow the patient to proceed to admission taking into account out of area patients. Identify, attempt to resolve and pre-empt situations which may result in a breach of access targets. Regularly analyse waiting list information from Enterprise CaMIS and multiple Priority Treatment Lists (PTL) to ensure compliance with national waiting time standards and escalate in a timely manner any requirements for additional capacity to ensure patients are treated within Government waiting time standards. With knowledge and understanding of the 18 week RTT and compliant/non compliant pathways add patients to the waiting list ensuring correct linkage.

Coordinate the admission for patients with complex social or medical requirements or those undergoing a planned sequence of care. To work under own initiative within approved policies, procedures, booking guidelines and escalation processes to make decisions to ensure efficient and patient centred service delivery. To ensure specialty policies are implemented within own work area and to contribute to suggested changes as required. To ensure additional resources are booked as required by the patient to ensure a safe admission and patient centred approach i.e.

book transport to ensure arrival on time, to arrange interpretation services for consent purposes. Prioritise own workload on a daily basis while recognising when it is appropriate to escalate to manager. To multi-task between activities with frequent interruptions and a need to leave one task immediately. Reprioritise your workload to resolve any unexpected issues.

To work flexibly according to the needs of the service including covering for colleagues during periods of leave.