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. Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions. Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients. 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. We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit. 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’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’. The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients. We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS. Job overview An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 3 Patient Access Co-ordinator to join the Perioperative medicine for Older People undergoing Surgery (POPS) service, as part of the Ageing and health division. Perioperative medicine for older people undergoing surgery (POPS) is an award winning geriatrician led service and the first of its kind in the UK. Established in 2003, it has rapidly expanded to become an essential part of both the elective and emergency surgical pathways at GSTT. It is recognised locally and nationally as being of high quality, innovative and clinically effective. The post holder will be required to book appointments, organise clinics, update the patient database, liaise with GPs and other health workers and carry out all other general administration duties. This will ensure that, at every contact with the Trust, patients are able to speak to staff who understand their scheduling needs and that clinical teams are always supported by knowledgeable administrative staff. The post holder will act as a key liaison between doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, managers and patients. They must be a clear and tactful communicator with excellent customer care skills and the ability to develop strong working relationships with a wide range of people. They will have a mature attitude with good problem-solving abilities and a flexible, can-do attitude. Main duties of the job The patient access co-ordinator will be the first point of contact for patients and service users providing an in depth knowledge of outpatient and inpatient scheduling procedures for their speciality. The patient Access Co-ordinator will liaise closely with the clinical team and speciality management teams to ensure patients receive timely and appropriate appointments according to their care pathway. To provide a high quality administrative support service to the department including PA support to name individuals. The post will provide a broad range of support activities to ongoing and fixed term projects within the department and will ensure the smooth running of the office and effective internal and external liaison to contribute to the successful running of the office as a whole. The role will require the individual to interact with a multidisciplinary team in a very busy office environment, dealing with highly complex and sensitive issues, often requiring appropriate judgements to be made under minimal supervision. Working for our organisation Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation. We are among the UK’s busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark. We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally. We aim to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs. We strive to recruit and retain the best staff as the dedication and skills of our employees lie at the heart of our organisation and ensure that our services are of the highest quality, safe and focused on our patients. Detailed job description and main responsibilities Duties and Responsibilities The duties and responsibilities listed below are representative of the Patient Access Co-ordinator role and its purpose within the service; they are not exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake additional or alternative administrative duties and responsibilities commensurate with the level of the post, to support the smooth running of the service. Main Duties To provide a comprehensive and efficient administrative service Act as the first point of call for all patient access queries to the Trust On receipt of all new referral letters ensure that the vetting process has been followed in line with departmental guidelines. Be responsible for the scheduling of outpatient, elective admissions and all associated appointments according to clinical urgency and length of wait in accordance with departmental procedure 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). During the patient visit Provide a welcoming and efficient reception service and to put patients at their ease Ensure that patients and visitors are well informed and that messages are communicated promptly. Respond to enquiries in a courteous and efficient manner Ensure all patients demographic details are checked with the patient and any amendments/corrections are made in an accurate and timely fashion. Administer the clinic using the clinical system as per the department protocols Ensure that all data is inputted accurately into the clinical system in a timely manner Liaise with the medical, nursing and allied health professional staff to ensure the smooth running of the clerical function within the clinics. Escalate any issues where appropriate to team leaders. Ongoing pathway management Develop expertise in all aspects of the speciality pathways for your access team Using the business objects report, ensure that the booking of all patients is line in with the 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 Assistant Service 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 all of waiting list data in accordance with Trust policies. Prepare and produce reports / spreadsheets, presentations and other documents as requested using the format required by the team. Assist in investigating any complaints or incidents that arise in relation appointments or admissions for your speciality. Ensure that the telephone, email or written queries are responded to within the appropriate timeframe and escalated if necessary. Develop and maintain relationships with all staff groups to ensure the patient access teams function as effectively as possible. Standards monitoring Ensure telephone calls are answered within the agreed time and in line with the Trust greeting policy. Ensure that all patient demographics are checked and updated on all Trust systems. Ensure patient cancellations/changes are recorded appropriately on all relevant Trust systems. Ensure that any patient initiated pauses to appointment or admission dates are recorded accurately and in real time on the clinical system. Ensure that the business objects reports is proactively managed in line with Patient Access targets. Ensure that local and Trust policies are adhered to at all times. Ensure that all clinics are ‘cashed up’ within 24 hours of the end of the clinic with all appropriate outcomes completed. Ensure that all waiting lists requests are added to the waiting list within two working days of receipt of the request. Ensure urgent referrals are dealt with in line with agreed protocols Escalate any issues and breaches of the above standards to the Assistant Service Manager in the first instance. Support the Assistant Service Manager to investigate any breaches of the above standards. Maintain effective information management systems, including databases and filing systems, ensuring both accessibility and confidentiality. Other Work within a multi-disciplinary team in developing the service in line with departmental plans and Trust corporate objectives. Assist with co-ordination of multi-disciplinary team meetings. Undertake any general office responsibilities including collection and distribution of faxes and post, sorting of incoming post into departmental and priority order date and receipt stamping of any post. Participate in department development as appropriate and participate in departmental meetings. Undertake any other duties commensurate to the grade, required to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the department. Undertake any training as required to complete the tasks associated with the job role. Ensure that all health records are appropriately tracked and securely stored whilst in the department according to the Health Records Policy. To provide general administration support as directed by management. Person specification Qualifications Essential criteria Maximum score Desirable criteria Minimum score Experience Essential criteria Maximum score Desirable criteria Minimum score Skills Essential criteria Maximum score Desirable criteria Minimum score Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership. Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy. As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends. Flexible working We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking in to account the individual’s personal circumstances as well the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process. Your e-mail address is important to us - We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis. Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now." Applicant requirements The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions. Further details / informal visits contact Name Temitope Akinfolarin Job title Assistant Service Manager Email address [email protected]