Appointments / Call Centre Officer | Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Appointments / Call Centre Officer to join our team at Newton Community Hospital

To co-ordinate the booking of outpatient appointments for a variety of specialties and services across Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust. To schedule appointments ensuring that an efficient, timely and patient focussed service is provided and the clinical needs of patients are met in accordance with the current operating framework and the NHS constitution.

Interview Date - To Be Confirmed

This data is captured on a variety of computerised systems.

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

• Enter tertiary referral letter details accurately onto the Patient Administration System (PAS) on a daily basis adhering to the timescales within the Trust Patient Access Policy and ensuring the outpatient entry is attached to the correct 18 week pathway with appropriate referral / pathway / referral source code.
• To deal with pending elective appointments and cancellations, liaising with all relevant staff (including Consultants, Outpatient Managers, Directorate Managers and clinical support staff). Escalating any issues / breaches to the Team Leader / Administrative Services Co-ordinator.
• Meet / liaise with Consultant’s on a regular basis in order to manage outpatient clinic lists effectively whilst working with the Department of Health guidelines. Be responsible for the updating and accuracy on electronica systems.
• Independently compile clinic status lists 6 weeks in advance, taking into account the composition of lists to include, clinical urgency, diagnostic investigations, therapeutic investigations, complex procedures and 18 week referral to treatment target. Inputting information onto PAS and NHS e-referral.
• Liaise with Team Leader / Outpatient Manager and / or Directorate Manager’s to ensure clinic sessions are utilised when Consultants are on leave. If Consultants are on annual leave / professional leave ensure that Registrar / Staff Grade cover is in place prior to booking patients into clinic sessions.
• Book appointments using PAS / NHS e-referral system and identify the type of outpatient appointment required. Obtain relevant reports / information and request HRS / case notes. Update clinic of list changes due to cancellations / alterations. Frequently negotiate with nursing staff to provide additional outpatient clinics.
• Update the PAS system and NHS e-referral with all information following patient referral triage with all special requirements.
• To ensure management of all clinic requests / reductions / cancellations / clinic changes / patient requests are managed within sostenuto independently.
• Order interpreters for patients attending outpatient clinics by e-mail.
• To arrange patient appointments by telephone / letter ensuring that patients are offered choice of date with reasonable notice in accordance with the current operating framework and the NHS constitution.
• Order all necessary equipment for appointments via Outpatient Managers by e-mail.
• Responsible for informing the Radiology / Cardiorespiratory Department of additional clinics arranged.
• Take into account daily cancellations and alterations, contacting patients by telephone explaining in a polite and courteous manner reasons for cancellation. To follow the correct procedures and processes for all cancelled appointments and DNA’s to ensure dates are re-booked and / or removed according to the Trust Patient Access Policy, escalating any issues.
• Manage Netcall reminder report ensuring outpatient slots are backfilled maximising outpatient capacity.
• Advise patients of all available options with empathy and discretion particularly when dealing with aggrieved patient’s regarding outpatient waiting list enquiries. Significant conversations including outcomes are to be recorded on PAS.
• Monitor and maintain the Patient Target Lists (PTL) for each speciality and individual Consultants, including the maintenance of the RTT and liaise with Directorate Managers on a regular basis.
• Monthly validation of 18 week (PTL) for each speciality to maintain 18 weeks, ensure patient availability and / or still require an appointment.
• Monitor and maintain the Outpatient waiting list reports for individual specialities ensuring that all patients are booked in accordance with Multi-Disciplinary Team guidelines and Department of Health guidelines.
• Book linked appointments for ENT and Ophthalmology prior to appointment date
• Complete data checks on computerised systems (PAS, NHS e-referral, EDMS, SystmOne) amending any changes e.g. appointment procedures, patient details, patient / hospital cancellations or time changes due to allergy risks etc.
• Complete Netcall cancellation report, slot availability report within ERS, sostenuto, net account on a daily basis.
• ASI report managed independently within DOH guidelines for paper Switch Off Compliance.
• Management of PAS admin reports, clinic changes / amendments for all speciality clinics and directorates.
• Set up and amendments of clinic schedules on PAS system.
• Training / mentoring of staff on all roles within the Appointments Department.
• To ensure that all two week rule referrals / upgrades are managed independently within DOH guidelines on PAS and NHS e-referral system.
• To ensure all case notes are requested and available for appointments in line with local standards and protocols. Ensure that any documentation in relation to the patient is sent to the Health Records Department to be scanned onto EDMS (Electronic Document Management System). To file all correspondence and documents, as required, thereby maintaining an effective filing system.
• Organise and order stationary items as appropriate.
• Deal appropriately with concerns from staff in line with Trust policy.
• To provide cover for colleagues during periods of annual leave and sickness including full cover of the Outpatient Reception. Mentor and train relevant staff as required by the Team Leader or Administration Services Co-ordinator.
• Participate in call centre rotation.
• Liaise with other hospitals both NHS and private, GPs, secretarial, clerical, wards and cancer services.
• Following PTL meetings, complete actions for individual specialities and update capacity for Directorate Managers.
• To work in a flexible manner in accordance with the Trust Policy.
• Any other duties required by the Line Manager.

This advert closes on Friday 28 Feb 2025