Job Description

As an Access Booking Officer at MWL NHS Trust, you will play a vital role in ensuring patients are booked efficiently and appropriately for outpatient appointments and diagnostic procedures. Based within the Access Centre at Ormskirk District General Hospital, you'll be responsible for the day-to-day coordination of outpatient bookings.



You'll work closely with team leaders and administrative teams to ensure that patients are scheduled according to clinical priority, waiting times, and procedural requirements. This role demands excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.



Your contribution will directly support the Trust's commitment to delivering Five Star Patient Care to a population of over 600,000 people across the Merseyside, West Lancashire, and surrounding areas.



Shortlisting Date - 15th August 2025

Interview Date - 21st August 2025

Working Pattern - 10am - 18.00pm Monday-Friday



As an Access Booking Officer at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (MWL), your role is central to ensuring smooth and efficient patient access to outpatient services. Here's a summary of the main duties:

Administrative Support :

General office duties include updating records, handling correspondence, and maintaining accurate data on the Hospital Patient Administrative System (Medway).

Communication :

Strong telephone and interpersonal skills are essential, as you'll be in regular contact with patients and other departments.

Independence and Initiative :

The role requires someone who can work autonomously, manage time effectively, and adapt to changing priorities.



This position is typically based at Ormskirk District General Hospital and supports the Trust's commitment to delivering Five Star Patient Care



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



Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. 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.

Achievements:

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

KEY DUTIES



To provide a comprehensive inpatient and outpatient service to patients. The post will rotate through each of the areas within the access office to enable cover in all respects of the service.

To be named contact point liaising with patients, relatives and/or carers as well as medical representatives, GP's, nursing staff, surgical team and support services to ensure the admission is appropriately planned and managed. This can be face to face, over the telephone, in writing or electronic.

Accurate addition of patients to the waiting list ensuring any relevant notes recorded.

To provide advice to patients with matters relating to their admission (pre and post operative guidance) and with regard to their position on the waiting list.

To plan multiple theatre/procedure lists up to six weeks in advance, using clinical knowledge, medical terminology and information to meet the patients' 18-week, diagnostic, cancer and/or 28-day rescheduling targets.

Ensure that with effective planning and organisation the theatre/procedure lists are utilised to their maximum potential which requires taking in to account specific patient needs, cancelling/rescheduling patients, replacing short notice cancellations, liaising with the surgeon to ensure theatre list order considering all patient and theatre information.

Responsible for communicating information and changes relating to elective admissions, theatre lists etc with regards intended procedures, specific kit requirements, specific anaesthetic input to relevant staff Trustwide.

Ensuring where required appropriate funding is in place or authorised to allow the patient to proceed to admission.

Identify, attempt to resolve and pre-empt situations which may result in a breach of access targets. Regularly analyze waiting list information to ensure compliance with national waiting time standards and escalate in a timely manner any requirements for additional capacity to ensure patients are treated within waiting time standards.

To work flexibly according to the needs of the service including covering for colleagues during periods of leave.

Liase with Bed Manager in the case of patients being put on 'stand-by' or cancelled due to extraneous circumstances (i.e. bed unavailability.

Ensure that all patients are placed on galaxy (theatre system) as soon as patients' booking is confirmed.

Ensure finalised theatre lists are forwarded to the respective secretaries for circulation allowing adequate preparation by theatres and sterile services in order to minimise cancellations (currently 48hours circulation)

With knowledge and understanding of the 18-week RTT and compliant/non-compliant pathways add patients to the waiting list ensuring correct linkage.

Responsible for appointing all patients from the PTLs and managing all Outpatient waiting lists to ensure accurate patient management, enabling the Trust to meet all of its performance targets.

Responsible for registration of referral letters, ensuring all referral letters and ERS referrals are directed to the appropriate Consultants and Clinics.

Responsible for booking all new and follow up appointments in accordance with departmental procedures.

Liaise directly with patients in relation to booking and agreeing outpatient appointments within the appropriate timescales.

Working under the direction of the operational management teams, when dealing with requests for clinic cancellations; will be responsible for managing the cancellation/reduction of the clinics on PAS and ERS, and the patient's future appointments effectively and timely.

Responsible for all clinic template changes due to changes to Medical Rota's.

Manage all appointments on the ERS system ensuring all new appointments which are cancelled by the patient, are discussed with the patient and the appointment either remade or discharged within the appropriate timescales.

Management of the ASI, ensuring the booking of appointment or escalating capacity issues to the appropriate operational team.

Responsible for managing partial booking lists and escalating any problems to the operational management teams/team leader.

Manage all ward forms, ensuring patients are booked for their follow-up appointment or escalate as required.

Retrospectively record all attendances outside clinic as per work instruction.

On rotation ensure the general access office email address is managed timely during the shift.

On rotation, allocated duties include answering the access and booking main telephone line for patient queries and booking.

Ensure compliance with the two week wait rule for all suspected cancer referrals.

The post holder will be required to undertake mandatory training and is responsible for keeping this training up to date.

The post holder will have an appraisal of performance each year and will be responsible for agreeing a development plan in line with the Trust's PDR system in agreement with their manager or immediate supervisor. The development plan will be reviewed each year.

The Trust will provide assistance and agreed development to enable the post holder to achieve their objectives and standards in line with the development plan.

If the post holder feels he/she is not achieving their objective as agreed in the development plan they will bring it to the attention of their supervisor or manager at the earliest opportunity.

Prioritise own workload on a daily basis while recognising when it is appropriate to escalate to manager.

To understand, contribute, implement and apply knowledge of a relevant procedures and knowledge of how to resolve non-routine problems.

Assist in the training and induction of new staff and provide continuous support with regards to the co-ordination of their workload.

Participate in the cover of work colleagues during their absences or at other times when required.

Required to contribute to service/department meetings giving progress reports on activity for each consultant and reduction of wait times.

The post holder will support the line manager utilising the proper use of the Trust's resources such as stationery, telephone usage, photocopying and other consumables in the course of business, ensuring minimal waste and minimal cost.

Responsible for data quality when maintaining, inputting, extracting and producing information (including information to patients) in the Trust's multiple computer systems.

To use speed and accuracy with clinical and non-clinical information relating to patient care to ensure patient safety at all times.

To work under own initiative within approved policies, procedures, booking guidelines and escalation processes to make decisions to ensure efficient and patient centred service delivery.

To attend weekly meetings with the operational team to provide information for the access meetings and also to discuss any capacity issues/shortfalls and contribute to help identify a solution.

Responsible for the generation and sending of all letters and appropriate information leaflets, for both paper and electronic referrals booked through PAS and the ERS System and for partial booking invites.

To understand, contribute, implement and apply knowledge of a relevant procedures and knowledge of how to resolve non-routine problems.

Proactively engage with clinicians/GP's/staff and patients to enable an effective patient flow through the pathway.

Receive and handle patient telephone enquiries in an empathic, reassuring, timely, appropriate and confident manner.

To overcome barriers on a daily basis in supporting patients that might not easily understand due to cultural or language differences, physical or mental special needs, or due to age. To use tact and persuasion to negotiate a mutually convenient date for a patients' procedure when the may be upset or angry.

To communicate unpleasant news in a empathetic manner to patients, relative or carers over the telephone and provide reassurance at times of distress or when discussing issues of a sensitive nature.

Prioritise own workload on a daily basis while recognising when it is appropriate to escalate to manager.

To understand, contribute, implement and apply knowledge of a relevant procedures and knowledge of how to resolve non-routine problems.

Assist in the training and induction of new staff and provide continuous support with regards to the co-ordination of their workload.

Participate in the cover of work colleagues during their absences or at other times when required.

Required to contribute to service/department meetings giving progress reports on activity for each consultant and reduction of wait times.