Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity to join the high performing NHS Re ferral Management Service (RMS).



We are looking to fill two posts, one full time (37.5 hours) and one part time (30 hours) position.



The RMS is re sponsible for offering choice of hospital to patients to enable them to be seen in the most appropriate setting for their care. The service manages in excess of 130,000 re ferrals per year from 50 GP practices in Cornwall.



As a Re ferral Administrator you will be working within a large team to be the main point of contact for patients, their carers and staff from NHS and independent hospitals. The work will involve incoming and outgoing calls from patients and NHS providers, processing patient re ferrals over a wide range of specialities commissioned by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board including dental and termination of pregnancy re ferrals.



What we can offer you in re turn...



Hybrid working, 50/50 on site and at home split (after initial training period)



Work within a supportive and enjoyable team environment.



Competitive annual leave allowance, starting at 27 days plus bank holidays, increasing to 29 and 33 days at 5 and 10 years.



Access to excellent career and personal development opportunities within the NHS



Access to discounts at many leading re tailers through NHS workers schemes.



Referral administrators are responsible for analysing patient referral letters and performing an administrative check to ensure each referral meets the required criteria. The role involves using different databases & IT systems simultaneously, including the national e-Referrals system to select the most appropriate service for each patient.



Taking incoming calls from patients and service providers.



You must be adaptable & flexible as the needs of the service change going forward. This will allow successful candidates to have an interesting & varied workload as the scope of the RMS is expanded.



Successful candidates will have brilliant communication skills & a high level of analytical skills to be able to accurately interpret clinical information. They will have a high level of computer literacy & be comfortable managing information from databases at the same time as talking to patients. The role requires people who are very comfortable working to daily monitored standards of quality and accuracy but who are also able to work autonomously whilst using their initiative. In return you will get the chance to work for a high performing team who make a daily difference to patients.



NHS experience is not necessary for the right candidate as full training will be provided. Successful candidates will have access to excellent career & personal development opportunities within the NHS.



NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB) is a statutory NHS organisation responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of our communities, managing the NHS budget, and arranging for the provision of joined up health services which improve the lives of people who live and work in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.



By collaborating as an integrated care system (ICS) our health and care organisations can tackle complex challenges, including:



improving the health of children and young people



supporting people to stay well and independent



acting sooner to help those with preventable conditions



supporting those with long-term conditions or mental health issues



caring for those with multiple needs as populations age



getting the best from collective resources so people get care as quickly as possible.



We are always keen to hear from people who would like to work with us, and we positively encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of sex, sexual orientation, racial origin or disability.



You can look forward to excellent benefits including discounts in store and online, optional pension and life assurance, flexible working options, salary sacrifice vehicles and cycles and much more.



The post holder will need to be flexible and adaptable to the changes affecting the service. Currently, the post holder is responsible for:



Processing referrals from GP practices and dental practices



Processing referrals for the pregnancy advisory service (termination of pregnancy)



Dealing with queries from GP practices, dental practices and patients via telephone and email regarding the status of a referral



Helping to support the reduction of waiting lists by transferring patients from one provider to another



Supporting the local trust, other providers and other departments within the organisation with administrative based work.



It is anticipated that further services will be managed through the department and a flexible approach is therefore essential.

The key aspects of the role include:

Using provided reference material, carry out an admin triage of referrals to ensure key information is included



Using reference materials provided to identify suitable services in order for the patient to be treated in the most appropriate setting



Being polite, professional and empathetic when speaking to callers on the telephone



Recording referral information accurately on a bespoke database



Using initiative to be able to problem solve and answer queries as they arise



Providing clinical and logistical information on choice of services and hospitals to patients and GP practices



Meeting departmental targets relating to the number of referrals processed and the accuracy of the work completed



Acting as the first point of contact for any e-Referral Service (e-RS) enquiries/support



Proposing and supporting changes within the RMS



Taking responsibility to ensure own knowledge is up to date



Updating, managing and retrieving patient information daily on the following information systems:



Patient Administration System (PAS)

Access database system used by RMS

e-RS (GP referral booking system)

any other appropriate data base



The post holder will utilise the NHS e-RS to receive and triage referrals for patients. This triage will include an administrative check and identifying the clinical reason for referral to ensure the patient is booked into an appropriate service. The post holder will therefore need to be able to utilise and organise a wide range of reference information to enable them to quickly identify which services are appropriate for the patient.



The post holder will require theoretical and practical knowledge gained through formal training to be able to assess patient referrals at a highly accurate standard.



The post holder requires a high level of e-RS knowledge to be able to recognise inaccuracies in referrals and act appropriately.



The post holder will need to maintain working knowledge of e-RS in an environment where change is constant.



The post holder will be required to populate a database with complex referral information in a pressurised environment. They will need to demonstrate a high level of accuracy whilst completing this task.



The post holder will operate within a large team and will be monitored against performance targets.



The post holder has access to confidential General Practice and NHS Healthcare Provider's data and will therefore need to have a working knowledge and adhere to all aspects of information governance, data protection and confidentiality policies.



The post holder will need to be flexible and able to prioritise the workload of the department and adjust workload plans on a daily basis. There is a high level of changeability of daily workload and there are many disruptive elements which can impact on daily plans.



There is a requirement to have a proactive approach to ensure that patients are treated within specified NHS timescales and those patients who are about to 'breach' their treatment dates are immediately prioritised. Complexity of balancing these requirements to comply with NHS waiting list rules is high.