Radiotherapy Treatment Co-ordinator

Job summary

Do you enjoy helping others?

Could you be supportive and sensitive to patients who are emotional and frightened?

Can you be welcoming and friendly to people from all walks of life who may be at various stages of their cancer journey?

If this sounds like you and you would like to support our patients throughout their treatment and make them feel welcome and at ease then why not consider joining our friendly, hardworking team of Coordinators?

This role is reception based and essential for the daily running of our department in the support of our patients and delivery of the treatment administered within the department.

Main duties of the job

Starting your career within our department, here are just some of the duties you will learn and carry out throughout the day and week.

- You will ensure the smooth running of the reception desk you are manning as well as being flexible to cover and assist colleagues when required.

- You will support the planning and delivery of radiotherapy treatment for our patients by ensuring transport is arranged accurately to collect patients and take them home.

- Access confidential patient information and checking patient details with care to ensure accurate record keeping.

- Booking patients into clinics and ensure appointment information is shared accurately with the patient.

- Discuss appointments and care plans with patients ensuring they understand who they will see and where they need to go, putting together and handing out priority appointment letters.

- You will also be required to support our patients with dressing/undressing, aiding patients to the toilet and general patient care while maintaining their dignity.

- Training is provided

About us

The radiotherapy department delivers treatment care packages to approximately 6,500 patients per year. Being part of our team of co-ordinators, you will have a clear understanding of the whole of the radiotherapy process from when the patient arrives, what kind of appointment they may have that day and waving them out of the department. You will be responsible for supporting the delivery of radiotherapy by using your administrative and communication skills, manning one of our reception desks and by being an amazing support to our patients and other team members.

The Leeds Way Values

Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work.

Our five values are:

Patient-centred

Collaborative

Fair

Accountable

Empowered

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Core Behaviours and Skills

The right candidate will be honest, reliable & professional and demonstrate the behaviours outlined by the Trust and our department. They must ensure that professional attitudes and standards are maintained and be happy to report when they are not. They will enjoy and encourage a team working ethos, creating good working relationships so ideas can be discussed and encouraged to better the team, department, and our patients.

Core Knowledge and Understanding

You will be taught a clear understanding of the cancer pathway which will help you within your role and give you an understanding of the patient journey throughout their visits to our department.

Principal Duties and Areas of Responsibility

General Duties

- Ensure the clinical areas are well stocked, clean and tidy. Monitor and replace items when required.

- Ensure clean linen/gowns are available and disposing of dirty laundry appropriately.

- Ordering and checking stock for the radiotherapy department.

- Unpacking order and distributing stock to the appropriate areas.

- Meet and greet patients advising them of their appointments and directing them to where they need to go within the department.

- Organise and co-ordinate patient appointment scheduling for the day to day running of the treatment units.

- Carrying out additional duties as required throughout the department.

General Clerical Duties

- Make and amend where necessary patient appointments for patients within the radiotherapy department.

- Book & amend patient transport as required

- Arrange appointments for support services such as physiotherapy, nurses, and other services.

- Maintain patient lists for the radiotherapy machines (Linacs).

- Answering telephones in a polite and professional manner, recording messages accurately and ensuring they are communicated to the

correct person.

- Bleeping hospital personnel as requested.

- General Clerical duties as required by radiographers and other healthcare professionals.

- Ensure that patients notes are tracked correctly using the hospitals computerised system.

- Liaise with our Booking office team, clinicians, nurses, planning department and any other areas as required.

- Undertake data collection for audit/research purpose as required such as handing our surveys or patient feedback forms.

- General clerical tasks photocopying, filing etc as required.

Patient Care Duties

- Greet patients on their arrival in a warm and friendly manner.

- Ensure they are properly booked in and direct them to correct area of the department (if it is the patients first visit to the department then

you will walk the patient around the correct place and explain what will happen in their first visit to the department.

- Communicate with cancer patients regarding their appointments and general care with patience, understanding and empathy.

- Assist in the dressing/undressing of patients where required (Full training will be given).

- Where necessary attend to patients personal needs ( assisting patients to the toilet).

- Organise refreshments for patients.

- Provide a source of support and information for cancer patients and their families undergoing radiotherapy.

- Following training, deliver information regarding the radiotherapy process to patients to ensure they understand the care they will

receive and answer any questions or concerns they have within your remit.

- Support distressed, upset and (at times) angry patients and families/carers when required.

Health and Safety/Risk Management

All staff are responsible for working with their colleagues to maintain and improve the quality of services provided to our patients and other service users. This means always includes complying with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Policies, including Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures, and reporting incidents using the Trust Incident Reporting system.

Infection Control

The jobholder must always comply with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Infection Control policies, by practising Universal Infection Control Precautions. Hand hygiene must be performed before and after contact with patients and their environment.

Equality and Diversity

The jobholder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the individual needs of patients and their families. No person whether they are staff, patient or visitor should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.

Patient and Public Involvement

The Trust has a statutory duty to involve patients and public in evaluating and planning services. All staff have a responsibility to listen to the views of patients and to contribute to service improvements based on patient feedback.

Training and Personal Development Continuous Professional Development

The jobholder must take responsibility in agreement with his/her line manager for his/her own personal development by ensuring that Continuous Professional Development remains a priority. This is encouraged by management and discussed at an employees appraisal. The jobholder must undertake all mandatory training required for the role.

Respect for Patient Confidentiality

The jobholder should always respect patient confidentiality and not break confidentiality in any way. If a situation occurs where you are unsure if information should be shared or not, please speak to a person in management.

Communication & Working Relationships

The postholder will be required to liaise and communicate clearly and professionally with cancer patients (many of which are elderly, frail or confused), carers, and departmental staff at all levels, including Consultant Oncologists.

Special Working Conditions

Physical effort

Moderate physical effort (moving patients on trolleys, wheelchairs, with hoists etc.) is required on an occasional basis (could be several times per shift).

The role also requires light physical effort related to moving linen on trolleys and restocking clinical areas on an occasional basis.

Mental Effort

The postholder requires a general level of mental agility and concentration to undertake patient support related tasks and maintain subsequent records and reports.

Emotional Effort

The postholder will have direct contact with cancer patients at various stages of cancer treatment and will come across patients of all ages that may be terminally ill. You will be required to maintain professional in a supportive, friendly, and empathetic way.

Working Conditions

This role is mainly desk based being face to face to face with patients. The role involves a proportion of time in VDU (computer screen time) usage (approximately 50%), one-to one situations with patients (30%), with the remainder split between administration, restocking, telephone communications and supporting staff appropriately. In dealing with patients (dressing, helping with toilet issues, attending patients on trolleys) the postholder will occasionally have direct contact with bodily fluids, soiled linen, smells etc.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Basic computer skills Experience of working with people

Desirable

Working in large organisations Experience of working with people in healthcare setting Experience of computerised appointment booking systems

Qualifications

Essential

Grade 4 GCSE English + Maths or Level 2 Functional Skills equivalent Completion of Care Certificate. This can be completed within the first three months of employment.

Desirable

Level 2 qualification or equivalent in relevant health care related subject

Skills & behaviours

Essential

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills Good organisational ability Able to work as part of a team Enthusiastic to learn new skills and willing to undertake training as required Flexible approach Self-motivated and able to work independently

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