Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Renal Admin Team based at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. This is a part time post at 30 hours, with flexibility on how these hours are worked across the week.



The Renal Admin Team support a number of services in the department including general nephrology, chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, transplants and nurse led clinics. They book appointments for Royal Sussex County Hospital and across the satellite clinics.



To provide efficient administration in all aspects of patient appointment booking with strict adherence and compliance to the Trust's patient access policy.



To manage the outpatient waiting list and ensure this is accurately maintained, with capacity issues escalated to the Patient Access Manager.



To communicate appointment details to patients with courtesy, dignity and respect.



To arrange transport for patients appointments.



To ensure clinics are fully utilised and to escalate any gaps to the Patient Access Manager.



To answer and support patient queries.



At UHSussex (UHSx), diversity is our strength, & we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness & experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, & can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) & a Veteran Aware Trust.



We treat our patients & staff with the same compassion & empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above & beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our candidate information pack & wellbeing programme, for staff which is extensive & designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.



As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching & training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us & throughout your career we will help you to grow & develop. We hope that in choosing UHSx you are choosing a long & happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make & feel valued for all that you do.



We look forward to receiving your application & the start of your journey with UHSx.

Candidate Information Pack:

https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/resources/candidate-information-pack/



Role Summary



This is a multi-skilled role whereby the post-holder will be required to gain a strong knowledge of outpatient clinics to make, amend, and cancel outpatient appointments in line with the patient access policy, and according to waiting time and clinical urgency. The post holder will handle incoming telephone calls from patients, GP's, and other hospital staff with a range of queries. The post holder will gain an in-depth knowledge for clinics within a designated specialty area but will also be expected to gain a broader knowledge of other clinics. This role will range from the registration of new patient referrals, to handling GP and patients queries for clinics to making/amending and cancelling appointments. The post holder will have an impact on a patient journey throughout all aspects of the outpatient booking process and will be responsible for recording all patient contact and bookings on the patient administration system.

The main duties of the post are:

To register new patient referrals and send these for clinical triage so that the urgency of the appointment can be highlighted by a clinician.



To book, amend and sometimes cancel outpatient appointments for patients via the telephone and to confirm these details by letter using the patient administration system.



To answer telephone calls from patients, GP's, and other Trust staff, always maintaining confidentiality and ensuring that a patient focussed/professional service is maintained.



Key Working Relationships



Patients and their Relatives/Carers/Parents/Guardians



Renal admin team



Clinicians



Outpatient Nursing



Clinical and Directorate Management Teams



GP and Community Services



Outpatient Reception Services



Main Duties and Responsibilities



To register new patient referrals and send these for clinical triage so that the urgency of the appointment can be highlighted by a clinician.



To index referrals in the Trust referral management system so that the correct clinician can review the referral.



To update patient demographics in the Trust patient administration at time of referral registration.



To book, amend and sometimes cancel outpatient appointments for patients via the telephone and to confirm these details by letter using the patient administration system if required.



To work to targets and objectives, managing a workload or phone calls, booking of appointments, dealing with queries, data management and general daily duties.



To respond to patient needs and ensure that their individual needs are always met, making adjustments where required in order for them to access the care that they need. For example, booking interpreters for patients whose first language is not English.



To provide and receive complex and sensitive information to and from patients about their appointment and give explanations and instructions clearly and concisely where barriers to communication may exist.



To raise and escalate any questions where you do not have a solution for the patient so that this can be investigated to ensure that there is no delay to patient treatment.



To follow the patient access policy when booking and amending patient appointments and to always book patients in order, by waiting time and by clinical urgency.



The postholder must advise the Access Manager if the clinic capacity is insufficient to accommodate number appointments required and ensure the Access manager is always informed.



To provide information to the Access Manager regarding the number of patients still waiting to be booked as requested.



To ensure that when a patient or referrer cancels a routine appointment, and no further appointment is required that the waiting list and referral entries are closed on Care Flow.



To regularly validate the Patient Tracking List for any discrepancies, action as appropriate and audit against referrals received.



To ensure that the correct appointment type is booked i.e., new/follow up, face to face or telephone.



To update referral urgency and sub-specialty information on the Trust patient administration system following a clinical review of every referral.



To answer telephone calls from patients, GP's, and other Trust staff, always maintaining confidentiality and ensuring that a patient focussed/professional service is maintained.



To cancel clinics in line with the Trust policy, ensuring that the correct approval process has been followed. This will involve cancelling patient appointments and where possible re-booking to another date.



To ensure the correct recording of cancellation reason and reason in the Trust patient administration system, ensuring that all updates are recorded in the referral comments.



To update patient demographics on the Trust patient administration system at time of booking if there has been a change.



To ensure that text message confirmations are sent when making or amending appointments.



To work under pressure, maintaining the ability to multi-task whilst dealing with complex and sometimes emotional situations, such as cancelling patient appointments at short notice.



To problem solve and escalate any issues and record all information accurately.



To always maintain professionalism when dealing with patients and colleagues, ensuring that the expected standards at work are maintained.



Organise and prioritise assignments to complete work in a timely and efficient manner, particularly when there are changes in workload or demands. Escalate as required so that help/assistance can be arranged.

Please note:

This role does not meet the minimum criteria for visa sponsorship under the current UK immigration rules, which set specific salary and skill thresholds. As such, we are unable to provide sponsorship for this post. Applicants will therefore need to already have the right to work in the UK to be considered. We include this information at the outset to provide clarity and avoid unnecessary inconvenience for applicants