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 within the Respiratory Department. We are seeking a permanent Band 3 Patient Access Coordinator. We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic individual, with excellent customer service skills and good knowledge of hospital IT systems. The ability to prioritise, organise and communicate clearly and effectively are essential for this role. The successful candidate will be responsible for dealing with patient queries, day-to-day appointment scheduling and ensuring clinics are cashed up daily. The successful candidate will be expected to liaise regularly with clinicians and other members of administrative teams to ensure that patients are provided with the most appropriate appointments and receive the best experience. Main duties of the job To act as the first point of call for all patient access queries to the Trust Provide a high-quality reception service to all users ensuring an efficient, professional and prompt reception and administration service is delivered at all times. Provide excellent customer care to ensure timely, relevant advice and assistance to all GSTT service users. Manage all telephone calls according to departmental standards and respond appropriately to maintain effective communication channels. Liaise with patients prior to their hospital visit to ensure that a mutually convenient date and time is agreed Deal with all enquiries from patients, staff and visitors in a courteous, efficient and tactful manner referring to appropriate staff when necessary. Ensure that departmental standards are met for patients receiving notification or acknowledgement of their visit. Keep reception and waiting area tidy and to monitor environment, reporting any concerns to the appropriate body. 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). 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 The Patient Access Officer will be the first point of contact for patients and service users providing an in-depth knowledge of outpatient scheduling procedures for their speciality. The Patient Access Officer will liaise closely with the clinical team and speciality management teams to ensure patients receive timely and appropriate appointments according to their care pathway. Depending on the requirements of the speciality, the post holder will be required to rotate within the team, providing clinic reception cover, scheduling functions, general administrative support and telephone cover for their Respiratory. 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. · Ensure that all patient demographics are checked and updated on all Trust systems · Complete and issue patients with appointment letters and information for follow up appointments as necessary. · Be aware of Trust waiting list targets and ensure clinic lists are prepared in order to meet/exceed these targets and escalate within the service where appointment schedules breach waiting list targets. · Ensure patients are informed of changes and allocated alternative appointments within the waiting list targets. · Contact patients to confirm attendance and manage DNAs in accordance to departmental procedures. · Work closely with the clinical team to identify mechanisms to improve service delivery and ensure that an optimum service is provided at all times. · Adhere to the procedures for dealing with overbooked clinic lists and cancellations. · Be aware of patients with special needs and ensure these needs are met/exceeded by notifying appropriate clinical staff. · Set up, maintain and amend patient records held on the clinical system. · Enter diagnostic coding data relating to patient details onto the clinical system. · Ensure patient information is validated and updated on the clinical system on each attendance. · Work within a multi-disciplinary team in developing the service in line with departmental plans and Trust corporate objectives. · Undertake any training as required to complete the tasks associated with the job role. · Rotate cross site to gain working knowledge and skills to help cover absences as required by department. · Demonstrate own administrative duties to new or less experienced team members. · Assist team members with any additional administrative duties commensurate with the grade as and when required to ensure the smooth running of the department Person specification Qualifications/Education Essential criteria Good general education with English and Maths to GCSE standard or equivalent Relevant NVQ 3 or equivalent qualification or experience Desirable criteria IT package qualification / training such as the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) Customer service qualification / training Previous Experience Essential criteria Proven experience of working in an administrative role demonstrating evidence of: 1. competent data collection and data quality 2. working with confidential documents and information Experience of working in a customer focused environment demonstrating the ability to deal difficult customers and challenging situations Experience of working both autonomously and in a team Desirable criteria Knowledge of medical terminology Experience of an administrative role within the NHS Skills/ Knowledge/ Abilities Essential criteria Excellent communication skills, with the ability to: (i) relate to a diverse group of professional staff and Public (ii) communicate clearly in writing, face to face and on the phone, (iii) convey sensitive information in an appropriate manner (iv) communicate non-clinical advice to patients in a sensitive and tactful manner Excellent organisational skills, with a demonstrable ability to manage and prioritise workload and work methodically, efficiently and accurately to meet tight deadlines. Proficient IT skills experience of using Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook Ability to work on own initiative and with minimal supervision Ability to work within a team and develop good working relationships with colleagues at all levels Understanding of confidentiality and its application and maintenance in and out of the workplace. Understanding of equal opportunities Desirable criteria Knowledge of the key waiting times targets including 18 weeks Knowledge of clinical systems 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 Jennifer Fox Job title Reception Team Leader Email address [email protected] Additional information For further information on the role, please contact Jennifer Fox via email - [email protected]