Patient Access Officer

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Vascular Surgery department as a Patient Access Officer at Guy's & St Thomas' (GSTT). We have recently integrated the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT) Vascular Service into the GSTT Vascular Service. We are now looking for two dedicated, enthusiastic, and patient-focused individuals to support the seamless transition of services from LGT. This is a great opportunity to play a key role in a period of positive change and growth within our service.
In addition to these responsibilities, you will play a vital role in ensuring patients receive a smooth and positive experience during their care with the Vascular Surgery service.
You would be working with a large clinical team to help ensure that the most effective patient care is offered whilst working closely with line manager to ensure targets are delivered and duties carried out to a high standard.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.
Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.
Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’.
Main Duties
- Act as the first point of call for all patient access queries to the department.
- On receipt of all new referral letters ensure that they are processed in line with departmental guidelines.
- Be responsible for the scheduling of outpatient appointments and all associated appointments according to clinical urgency and length of wait in accordance with departmental procedures and Trust Policies.
- Liaise with patients prior to their visit to ensure that a mutually convenient date and time is agreed.
- Ensure that patients are appropriately reminded of their appointments. This may include sending reminder letters or contacting patients by telephone, up to seven days before their visit to re-confirm attendance in line with departmental protocols.
- Ensure that departmental standards are met for patients receiving notification or acknowledgement of their visit.
- Provide a courteous and efficient point of contact for patients both face to face and over the telephone.
- Ensure that each patient is treated as an individual and their individual needs are met (i.e. appropriate support is in place for their appointment, such as interpreting support).
- Regularly check clinics to ensure that scans or investigations for patients who are due are either booked or completed, taking action as necessary to support timely patient care.

Ongoing pathway management
- Develop expertise in all aspects of the speciality pathways for your access team.
- Using the EPIC WQ's to ensure that the booking of all patients is line in with Trust and National waiting time targets and escalate exceptions.
- Respond to patient queries or concerns in an effective and professional manner, escalating where appropriate to line manager.
- Responsible for the accurate input and maintenance of confidential data onto relevant Trust IT systems.
- To have a clear and up to date knowledge of the rules and protocols of the service to ensure full and effective utilisation of clinical capacity.
- Ensure regular, efficient validation of all waiting list data in accordance with Trust Policies.
- Attend regular meetings with management
- Work flexibly to ensure the department operates effectively, including working across sites and across all specialty boundaries.
- Assist in investigating any complaints or incidents that arise in relation to appointments.
- Develop and maintain relationships with all staff groups to ensure the patient access teams function as effectively as possible.
- Ensure that all patient demographics are checked and updated on all Trust systems.
- Ensure patient ca