Patient Care Advisor

Job summary

An opportunity has arisen for a Band 3 Patient Care Advisor hours per week (Monday to Friday) within the Patient Access Centre based at The Walton Neurology Centre.

The post holder will be responsible for providing a high-quality administrative service booking appointments, registering referrals, recording clinical outcomes and handling patients via phone ; please see job description for full details.

The successful candidate will need to have excellent communication skills including outstanding telephone manner and organisational skills and work well under pressured environment. They should poses excellent IT/Data input skills, be competent with keyboard skills and demonstrate an understanding of confidentiality.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for providing a high-quality administrative service booking appointments, registering referrals, recording clinical outcomes and handling patients via phone and booking their appointments, dealing with their queries, escalating to waiting list team any issues ; please see job description for full details.

About us

The Walton CentreNHS Foundation Trust is the only NHS trust to hold dual accreditation for theInvestors in People we invest in people and we invest in wellbeingstandards and has been awarded Gold status for both. TheWalton Centre is a leader in the treatment and care of neurology andneurosurgery, placing the patient and their family at the heart of everythingwe do. As the only specialist hospital trust in the UK dedicated to providingcomprehensive neurology, neurosurgery, spinal and pain management services weare proud to be rated as an Outstanding Trust by the Care Quality Commission(CQC), and champion change throughout the field of neuroscience. Originallyformed in 1992, the Trust received Foundation Trust status in 2009.

Witharound 1,450 staff, The Walton Centre treats more than 127,000 outpatients and18,000 inpatients each year. We have leading specialists and incrediblydedicated staff delivering excellent clinical outcomes for brain, spinal andneurological care nationally and internationally. Teams across our site inFazakerley, Liverpool, offer a world-class service in diagnosing and treatinginjuries and illnesses affecting the brain, spine and peripheral nerves andmuscles, and in supporting people suffering from a wide range of long-termneurological conditions.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Role summary

To provide an excellent customer service to patients, relatives, carers, colleagues and external organisations

To work as a member of a flexible team, enabling and supporting patients through the choice pathway to book outpatient service & Emergency appointments according to NHS targets in a knowledgeable and courteous manner.

To confidentially receive and record accurately clinical information from GPs, Trusts etc at all times.

To work in a centralised Patient Access Centre and provide cross-cover for other staff across the Centre to ensure a consistent and effective administration service is always maintained.

Capacity & Demand Scheduling identifying where extra clinics are needed to meet the outpatient waiting time targets and escalating appropriately.

Support the Patient Access Supervisor/Team Leader to deliver RTT and other National Targets.

To Escalate any changes to clinics received where patients may breach waiting times to appropriate divisions.

Key responsibilities

Ensure adherence to the Patient Access Centre Standard Operating Procedures at all times.

Participate in departmental shift patterns as required by the service and its patients, which include both early and late shifts

Provide cross-cover for other staff across the centre to ensure a consistent and effective service is maintained at all times.

Register referrals and process via the WCFT Electronic Referral Management Standing Operating procedure including the NHS e-Referral Service.

Register new patients onto the Patient Administration System accurately ensuring all RTT IPTAMDS information Is accurately recorded.

Ensure patient details are obtained and recorded including mobile phone numbers and ethnic origin.

Actioning rejected referrals ensuring that they are closed on the PAS system and returned to the referrer with the relevant advice or standard rejection letters, this includes requesting sspecific information as detailed by the triaging consultant.

Where IPTAMDS is not provided, contact referrer to obtain and record.

Courteous and efficiently receive all telephone enquiries from patients, carers and external agencies in relation to hospital appointments, admissions and general enquires, ensuring that accurate records, both manual and electronic are maintained and any appropriate action is taken in a timely manner.

Arrange Outpatient appointments as required, considering the direct & Partial booking systems used which also includes cancelling and changing of appointments as necessary.

To manage appropriate Outpatient Waiting List (OWL) ensuring appointments do not breach waiting time targets Liaise with Team Leader/PAC Manager around clinic capacity issues.

To ensure that all clinic appointment slots are filled appropriately to reduce unused slots.

Ensure patient is communicated with effectively in relation to their appointment via phone or letter.

Action the trusts text messaging system ensuring that replies from patients are responded to in a timely manner.

Ensure appointments are managed as per the Patient Access Policy

Ensure correct use of appointment scheduling systems appropriately (diaries, clinic templates etc.)

Collaborate with other staff and departments as necessary to arrange appropriate appointments/investigations/admissions.

Receive and respond to communications from patients wishing to change or cancel their appointments ensuring guidelines in the Patient Access Policy are followed.

Ensure Outpatient Waiting entries have been recorded correctly and against the correct waiting list / booking group.

Ensure that information received into the department is recorded accurately onto the appropriate system.

Ensure all outcomes following patient attendance is captured and entered correctly liaise with divisions/consultants for missing outcomes ahead of deadline and escalate to Team Leader/PAC Manager any issues for escalation.

Ensure all satellite ward referrals are registered onto the PAS system and follow up appointments arranged where requested.

Support Divisions and Management in service delivery.

Work closely with and maintain excellent communication channels with both clinical and administrative Divisional staff.

Arrange Translator if appropriate for new appointments.

Ensure that patient risks or additional requirements are recoded onto the PAS system in line with Accessible Information Requirements. For example, visual or hearing impairments.

As requested, ensure all relevant patients scans and diagnostic results are available for clinics.

Assisting clinicians by sending any missing referrals to them on the day of clinic.

Participate in the induction of new members of staff, sharing knowledge and expertise of the processes used.

To be open to future changes involving the booking of appointments and to attend training when necessary.

To participate in administration duties such as the answer phone, cancellation email, post, date stamping, photocopying, scanning.

Responding to email queries sent to the generic PAC mailboxes.

Participate in sickness and holiday cover at the discretion of Supervisor or Manager.

Provide cover in other departments where booking services are provided by PAC as and when required.

To be open to future changes involving the booking of appointments and to attend training when necessary.

Person Specification

SKills & Attributes

Essential

Excellent communication skills Ability to work using own initiative Reliable and committed Professional approach to work and colleagues Able to develop good working relationships Ability to demonstrate understanding of issues relating to confidentiality and when dealing with sensitive situations Ability to organise own workload and work under pressure to meet NHS targets/deadlines

Qualifications

Essential

Educated to GCSE level or equivalent.

Desirable

ECDL or equivalent experience

Experience

Essential

Experience of accurate and timely data entry Good IT skills needed, preferably acquired through ECDL course to operate PAS system, local databases and internal software systems. Experience of working in a team

Desirable

Previous experience working in a hospital/Customer Services environment.

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