Patient Pathway Coordinator

The Histopathology department at Dorset Country Hospital is looking to recruit a well-motivated, enthusiastic individual to join our friendly admin team as a Patient Pathway Coordinator for a period of 12 months.

The post is a Band 3 admin position, with Wessex Cancer Alliance funding this 12-month fixed term position, working full time and reporting to the Senior Medical Secretary / Histopathology Laboratory Manager.

The post holder will be facilitating immunohistochemistry (IHC) and molecular referral testing pathways for patients with various types of cancer within the Trust, alongside routine medical secretarial tasks to support the Histopathology office.
- Liaising with other hospitals about samples and requests for molecular tests
- Collecting relevant information and referrals from regional hospitals and disseminating information back to these teams
- Supporting the operationalisation of the referral testing pathway
- Providing administrative and coordination support to enable the development of pathway and process for molecular testing.
- Working closely with relevant teams and key individuals in other organisations to develop and deliver testing pathways.
- Coordinating the IHC and molecular testing pathway for individual patients, ensuring completion of processes according to service specifications
- Pro-actively tracking samples and results though the system, taking steps to resolve any reasons for delay and highlighting problems as necessary
- Ensuring records and data collection are maintained to enable audit of pathway and processes, identification of problem areas, internal and external reporting as required.

Dorset County Hospital Foundation NHS Trust is the leading provider of healthcare in West Dorset, and the Histopathology department is fully UKAS accredited to ISO15189 (2012) and is well-equipped to provide a full diagnostic service to the acute hospital, as well as the community services in the West Dorset area. The department has recently implemented a new LIMS in collaboration with partner laboratories across Dorset (One Dorset Pathology), along with a lab-wide replacement of equipment through a new managed equipment service contract for the Southern Counties Pathology (South 6) network.

You would be joining a friendly, welcoming team of approximately 25 staff who are committed to the provision of a high-quality service, working alongside Medical Secretaries, Consultant Histopathologists, Biomedical Support Workers, Associate Practitioners and Biomedical Scientists.

Please refer to the Job Description / Personal Specification document for a full account of the job description / main responsibilities:

- Deals with telephone and occasional face to face enquiries efficiently and sensitively, respecting patient confidentiality at all times.
- Provides, under consultant supervision, general advice, information, and guidance on patient’s diagnostic results.
- To develop a working knowledge of pathology and genomic investigations in order to be able to offer patients or other members of staff a total service.
- Ensure that patients’ electronic records on the pathology system are kept up to date with relevant results and tracking information.
- To monitor outstanding requests and check progress to ensure that testing is completed and facilitate timely clinical care, raising any issues to untoward occurrences with the appropriate members of the Department
- Use of office equipment, e.g. PC, Printer, Foot Pedals for majority of an average shift.
- Skills and expertise are achieved and maintained to perform duties in the Histopathology office including but not limited to: Audio typing, Copy typing, Spreadsheet Maintenance, Minute taking, Invoice checking.
- To assist with maintaining the training and competency of departmental staff in order to support the department’s activities
- To maintain the systems for error logging to standards required by UKAS and the Trust
- Ensure working within the office is safe, of the necessary standard, and cost effective
- Work closely with colleagues and provide support to meet the Pathology Quality Management System, SOPs, audits, policies etc
- Carry out Audits within the department as appropriate
- To assist with the daily planning of work and prioritisation of tasks
- Deal with incoming mail, makes appointments, accepts telephone calls for the Lead Consultant Histopathologist, Consultant Histopathologists, Laboratory Manager or other members of the department and maintains diaries, taking action as necessary and within agreed procedures.
- Works day to day under the supervision of the senior secretary, but will be expected to work independently for short periods, within procedural guidelines, when covering for leave absence.
- Provides leave cover for clerical officer to ensure continuity of MDT preparation service for consultants.
- Works with other members of the department to maintain and support departmental, divisional and Trust practice a