Patient Contact Centre Operator & Administrator inLondon inLondon PUBLISHED THU 24 OCT 2024

The post holder will be responsible for providing a high quality appointments booking and referral management service for all patients, including two-week wait patients, partial and direct bookings and choose and book appointments. Appointments can be made by phone, face-to-face, e-mail or by eRs. The role incorporates general office duties to all users of the service, in an efficient, professional, and responsible manner.

Functions of the role include customer care, and close liaison with senior management, medical staff, and the use of the Electronic Patient Records (Careflow) and e-referral service.

An in-depth knowledge and experience of Careflow and e-referral system is paramount, to ensure the booking functions are carried out to the required high standards and to provide a speedy, reliable, accurate and professional service.

The booking centre is one of the first points of contact for patients and the trust; therefore it is important that the staff portray a professional corporate image.

• To be responsible for booking, changing and cancelling patient appointments.
• Ensuring that all access and booking standards are met in regards to patient appointments when booking.
• To input and maintain information on CareFlow EPR, and other software packages as required for patients referred.
• To contact all suspected cancer patients and offer them an appointment within the target period.
• To help / verify data for reports when necessary
• To be responsible for undertaking clerical and at times, receptionist duties for the unit including ensuring a clean and safe environment.
• Commitment to ICSU and Trust objectives and values.
• Other duties as directed by the Service Manager

About us

General

• To ensure that all communication is dealt with confidentially and discreetly and that a sensitive approach is used; to respect patient and staff confidentiality at all times.
• Ensure all outgoing and incoming calls are introduced with the Trust name, department name and staff members name.
• Ensure that patient demographics are correct and up-to-date on EPR when dealing with a patient booking or query.
• Liaise as necessary with Consultants, Patient Pathway Coordinator teams, health records, GPs as well as a range of other health professionals and departments within the Trust (for example, the wards, other specialities, health records, IM&T) to ensure that the department interfaces efficiently with them.
• Raise any problems or queries with the relevant supervisor
• Ensure compliance with all Trust policies and follow Trust codes of practice regarding any absence, annual, sick and other leave; sickness where possible must be reported to the Supervisor two hours before start of duty on the day of sickness
• Follow the Medway training documentation to check for patients already registered on EPR and to avoid duplicate registration.
• Attend and participate in regular team meetings for the Patient Contact Centre.
• To act independently ensuring that daily tasks and ongoing workloads are prioritised and completed in agreed time frames as determined by the clinical team and/or line manager.
• Prioritise telephone queries and messages and responding accordingly
• Consistently polite, courteous and friendly manner when dealing with patients, visitors and staff who may be anxious or worried.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade as agreed and delegated by your manager
• Ensure 18 week RTT pathway is correct
• Working from other sites within Whittington Health when necessary e.g. community sites.
• Ensure compliance with all Trust policies and follow Trust codes of practice regarding any absence, annual, sick and other leaves.
• To pass calls and/or messages to PPC colleagues.
• To keep PPC teams informed of any changes to their patient appointments as necessary.
• Providing cover for other specialties if needed.

Referral Management

• To ensure that referrals are added to the outpatient waiting list and that clinical staff prioritise these within the agreed timescales. Escalating any issues to their supervisor.
• Ensure that all referrals are dealt with promptly and appropriately taking account of requirements for rapid access, urgent or target referrals and local national targets.
• To ensure that patients/referrers receive an acknowledgement letter or are immediately appointed in line with agreed booking arrangements, administrative procedures and the patient access policy.
• Manage incoming Choose and Book referrals

Appointment booking

• To deal promptly and in a professional manner with appointment bookings, cancellations and queries over phone or email taking the necessary action required to assist the caller, including transferring the call to another department if appropriate; respond to all voicemails by the next working day.
• Take an active part in the rotation of all duties including, messages and, telephone queries, booking appointments, where necessary or appropriate.
• Booking and arranging patient transport service requests following Trust transport policy
• Arranging and booking interpreters, ensuring patients are supplied with information and explanatory leaflets
• Consistently polite, courteous and friendly manner when dealing with patients, visitors and staff who may be anxious or worried
• Deal promptly and in a professional manner with telephone enquiries, taking the necessary action required to assist the caller
• Allocate appointments both new and partial booking follow ups in a timely and prioritised manner to ensure all local and national targets are met. Where there may be potential breaches of these targets to escalate to the relevant supervisor immediately.
• Escalate any capacity issues that prevent appointment booking within agreed timescales to supervisor.
• Ensure partial booking lists are checked and actioned each week for patients due for appointments and inform relevant Patient Pathway Co-ordinator Team is information of any bookings not made (due to patient choice or not being contactable).
• Ensure appropriate appointment letters are sent to patients. Send out information leaflets to patients with the letters for specialist clinics as required.
• Ensure patients are booked into reserved slots on specialist clinics as required.
• Make appointments according to the clinic profile on Medway ensuring that clinics are adequately filled but not overbooked; overbooking clinics should only happen with the written authorisation of the consultant whose is in charge of the clinic.
• Where the patient is not contactable via usual methods, to liaise with the referring GP or clinician to ascertain alternative contact details for the patient and/or relative or carer.
• To ensure that any patients who request removal following validation are removed and the relevant Patient Pathway Team and clinical staff informed
• Relay appointment information and detailed directions to ensure the patient knows where they need to attend at a specific time with the appropriate clinical preparation.
• Where necessary phone patients to fill late cancellation slots and ensure that all patients are offered the choice of the very next appointment date and time available; keep the patient pathway teams and health records informed of late changes and clinic alterations.
• Take appropriate action where patients have not responded to their invite letters. Notify patients, GPs and other referrers where appropriate when patients have been removed from the outpatient waiting lists due to not being contactable.
• Print appointment letters; process letters through letter stuffing machine for dispatch.
• Notify medical records of deceased patients by completing the RIP form.
• To ensure that all patients recorded data in manual and computerised systems is dealt with in accordance with agreed policies and procedures.
• To ensure that all policies and procedures are adhered to and training undertaken where new policies and procedures are implemented. In particular, those for confidentiality and information security.
• To ensure that general administrative work associated with referrals, appointments and waiting lists is undertaken according to the expected standards.
• To cover for colleagues within the team, and undergo cross training to ensure robust cover arrangements
• Carry out any other duties, commensurate with the grade, as requested by line manager
• To respond to any queries and complaints from patients, managers or clinicians regarding clinics, referrals, bookings and waiting times, ensuring that any serious issues are passed on to the appropriate manager
• Manage partial booking process (sending letters, taking calls, booking appointments) from lists supplied by PPCs