Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full time Patient Administrator within the Ophthalmology department at Queen Mary's Hospital.



We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive person to join our administration team, to provide excellent patient pathway support for patients in Ophthalmology. This will include providing support to the administration team, department mailboxes and liaising closely with our clinical staff.



The ideal candidate will possess excellent communication skills, be able to prioritise and organise a varied workload and be IT literate, with working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook. We welcome applications from candidates who can build effective working relationships at all levels, both within the Trust and externally and work using their own initiative. In return, the post holder will be supported in their role through training, supervision and opportunities to develop.



The successful candidate will be expected to manage all administrative duties on a rotational basis; this will include managing all routine appointments and being the first point of contact for patient queries and escalating in line with the Trusts current access policy. Experience of working in a health administration setting would be desirable.



This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to progress to the next stage of their career within the NHS and join a department that is continuously evolving.



The ideal candidate will possess excellent organisational, communication and problem solving skills. They should also be able to demonstrate that they can foster and maintain relations within the administration team as well as the wider ophthalmology team including nurses and clinicians.



This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to progress to the next stage of their career within the NHS and join a department that is undergoing exciting developments. The successful candidate will be expected to m anage and answer telephone calls, taking telephone messages and passing on written or verbal information to patients. Booking patient's appointments. Managing post, sending letters and monitoring 'In-Basket', and carry out general office duties.



Experience of working in a health administration setting would be desirable.



This post will include weekend reception duties on a rotational basis.



Whilst this post will be based at Queen Mary's Hospital, it will be part of a team working across all three Kings sites and travel will be necessary as appropriate to service needs in urgent circumstances.



King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King's to another level.



We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.



King's is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone's contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust's carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.



1. Communication and Patient Liaison



Communicate clearly, effectively, and compassionately with the multidisciplinary team, patients and their families, visitors, or carers, in line with the Trust's values.



Manage and answer telephone calls related to the service in a courteous and prompt manner, taking telephone messages and passing on written or verbal information to patients.



Resolve simple queries, using judgment to determine when to refer the caller to a member of the clinical team.



Act as a point of contact for the department or specialty, dealing with queries from stakeholders and passing on relevant information to appropriate team members as required.



Participate in the reception rota, checking patients in and completing end-of-day processes.



Receive and respond to patient email queries, monitoring, managing, and triaging emails. Also manage physical post and the 'In-Basket'.



Escalate complex queries, providing reassurance, an expected response time, and further contact details as appropriate.



Send no-contact letters, ad hoc letters, and other correspondence as directed by senior staff.



2. Coordinating Patient Care



Responsible for booking patients' appointments, diagnostics, and procedures throughout their patient pathway.



Correspond with patients, practices, and internal staff.



Conduct reminder calls to patients, rearranging appointments where necessary to prevent non-attendance.



Manage patient correspondence via text reminder services.



Ensure all patients are accurately recorded on the waiting list in the Epic system and escalate any issues to the appropriate team member.



Access appointment booking systems for all routine pre-operative assessments, diagnostics, and their associated outcomes.



Check onward orders on the Epic system daily, ensuring appointments are added within the required timescales, escalating appropriately if required.



Send correspondence to patients, GPs, or others involved in patient care in a timely manner.



Process and register referrals, booking all outpatient appointments and procedures within Epic.



Organise additional services for patients as required, such as interpreters and transport.



Collate required patient information at the request of clinical teams.



3. Supporting Clinical Teams



Monitor clinical staff inboxes and flag high-priority correspondence.



Monitor the 'In-Basket' function for internal correspondence.



Monitor relevant work queues relating to the service.



Book patients in line with clinical diaries as per local processes.



Attend meetings when required.



4. Data Management, Data Quality, and Systems Responsibilities



Access information in Epic and accurately input and edit data as required.



Record and capture patient information appropriately and in line with Standard Operating Procedures.



Ensure patient demographics are correct by checking with the patient at every encounter, highlighting any duplicate records and escalating to the supervisor.



Support patients to successfully register on the MyChart App and signpost them to the existing Helpdesk for assistance.



Support data quality workstreams and work queues where appropriate.



Analyse, collate, and provide data to support management in service development projects.



5. Personal Development



Support national audits and collect data as required in relevant meetings, enabling the Trust to identify and improve treatment in patient cohorts.



Identify and suggest improvements to the patient care pathway and/or the patient pathway tracking process.



Actively engage in the appraisal process and in Continuous Professional Development opportunities in line with set objectives.



6. General Responsibilities



Carry out general office duties such as photocopying, scanning, and filing.



Handle incoming and outgoing mail in a timely manner.



Ensure office protocols are adhered to, for example, telephone answering times and voicemail or mailbox cover.



Maintain adequate stock levels, reporting low stock levels to the supervisor.



Report any faults with equipment or the environment promptly and to the relevant department as appropriate.



Work flexibly to cover all administrative areas as requested by the supervisor, including covering colleagues or periods of absence where appropriate and within the scope of capabilities.



Assist volunteers in the department.



Assist with the induction and orientation of new staff in the department, showing colleagues how to complete tasks associated with the role.