Job Summary
An opportunity has arisen for a Band 3 Patient Care Advisor 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday 9-5pm) within the Patient Access Centre based at The Walton Neurology Centre.
The post holder will be responsible for providing a high-quality administrative service booking appointments, registering referrals, recording clinical outcomes and handling patients via phone; please see job description for full details.
The successful candidate will need to have excellent communication skills including outstanding telephone manner and organisational skills and work well under pressured environment. They should possess excellent IT/Data input skills, be competent with keyboard skills and demonstrate an understanding of confidentiality.
Main duties of the job
* To provide an excellent customer service to patients, relatives, carers, colleagues and external organisations.
* To work as a member of a flexible team, enabling and supporting patients through the choice pathway to book outpatient service & Emergency appointments according to NHS targets in a knowledgeable and courteous manner.
* To confidentially receive and record accurately clinical information from GPs, Trusts etc at all times.
* To work in a centralised Patient Access Centre and provide cross-cover for other staff across the Centre to ensure a consistent and effective administration service is always maintained.
* Capacity & Demand Scheduling - identifying where extra clinics are needed to meet the outpatient waiting time targets and escalating appropriately.
* Support the Patient Access Supervisor/Team Leader to deliver RTT and other National Targets.
* To escalate any changes to clinics received where patients may breach waiting times to appropriate divisions.
About us
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only NHS trust to hold dual accreditation for the Investors in People. We invest in people and we invest in wellbeing standards and have been awarded Gold status for both. The Walton Centre is a leader in the treatment and care of neurology and neurosurgery, placing the patient and their family at the heart of everything we do. As the only specialist hospital trust in the UK dedicated to providing comprehensive neurology, neurosurgery, spinal and pain management services we are proud to be rated as an Outstanding Trust by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and champion change throughout the field of neuroscience. Originally formed in 1992, the Trust received Foundation Trust status in 2009.
With around 1,450 staff, The Walton Centre treats more than 127,000 outpatients and 18,000 inpatients each year. We have leading specialists and incredibly dedicated staff delivering excellent clinical outcomes for brain, spinal and neurological care nationally and internationally. Teams across our site in Fazakerley, Liverpool, offer a world-class service in diagnosing and treating injuries and illnesses affecting the brain, spine and peripheral nerves and muscles, and in supporting people suffering from a wide range of long-term neurological conditions.
Date posted
24 March 2025
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 3
Salary
£22,816 to £24,336 a year PA
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
160-7070614
Job locations
Patient Access Centre
Walton Neurology Centre
Liverpool
L9 7JL
Job Description
Job responsibilities
* Ensure adherence to the Patient Access Centre Standard Operating Procedures at all times.
* Participate in departmental shift patterns as required by the service and its patients, which include both early and late shifts.
* Provide cross-cover for other staff across the centre to ensure a consistent and effective service is maintained at all times.
* Register referrals and process via the WCFT Electronic Referral Management Standing Operating procedure including the NHS e-Referral Service.
* Register new patients onto the Patient Administration System accurately ensuring all RTT IPTAMDS information Is accurately recorded.
* Ensure patient details are obtained and recorded including mobile phone numbers and ethnic origin.
* Actioning rejected referrals ensuring that they are closed on the PAS system and returned to the referrer with the relevant advice or standard rejection letters, this includes requesting specific information as detailed by the triaging consultant.
* Where IPTAMDS is not provided, contact referrer to obtain and record.
* Courteous and efficiently receive all telephone enquiries from patients, carers and external agencies in relation to hospital appointments, admissions and general enquiries, ensuring that accurate records, both manual and electronic are maintained and any appropriate action is taken in a timely manner.
* Arrange Outpatient appointments as required, considering the direct & Partial booking systems used which also includes cancelling and changing of appointments as necessary.
* To manage appropriate Outpatient Waiting List (OWL) ensuring appointments do not breach waiting time targets. Liaise with Team Leader/PAC Manager around clinic capacity issues.
* To ensure that all clinic appointment slots are filled appropriately to reduce unused slots.
* Ensure patient is communicated with effectively in relation to their appointment via phone or letter.
* Action the trusts text messaging system ensuring that replies from patients are responded to in a timely manner.
* Ensure appointments are managed as per the Patient Access Policy.
* Ensure correct use of appointment scheduling systems appropriately (diaries, clinic templates etc.).
* Collaborate with other staff and departments as necessary to arrange appropriate appointments/investigations/admissions.
* Receive and respond to communications from patients wishing to change or cancel their appointments ensuring guidelines in the Patient Access Policy are followed.
* Ensure Outpatient Waiting entries have been recorded correctly and against the correct waiting list/booking group.
* Ensure that information received into the department is recorded accurately onto the appropriate system.
* Ensure all outcomes following patient attendance is captured and entered correctly; liaise with divisions/consultants for missing outcomes ahead of deadline and escalate to Team Leader/PAC Manager any issues for escalation.
* Ensure all satellite ward referrals are registered onto the PAS system and follow up appointments arranged where requested.
* Support Divisions and Management in service delivery.
* Work closely with and maintain excellent communication channels with both clinical and administrative Divisional staff.
* Arrange Translator if appropriate for new appointments.
* Ensure that patient risks or additional requirements are recorded onto the PAS system in line with Accessible Information Requirements. For example, visual or hearing impairments.
* As requested, ensure all relevant patients scans and diagnostic results are available for clinics.
* Assisting clinicians by sending any missing referrals to them on the day of clinic.
* Participate in the induction of new members of staff, sharing knowledge and expertise of the processes used.
* To be open to future changes involving the booking of appointments and to attend training when necessary.
* To participate in administration duties such as the answer phone, cancellation email, post, date stamping, photocopying, scanning.
* Responding to email queries sent to the generic PAC mailboxes.
* Participate in sickness and holiday cover at the discretion of Supervisor or Manager.
* Provide cover in other departments where booking services are provided by PAC as and when required.
* To be open to future changes involving the booking of appointments and to attend training when necessary.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
* Educated to GCSE level or equivalent.
Desirable
* ECDL or equivalent experience.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
* Experience of accurate and timely data entry.
* Good IT skills needed, preferably acquired through ECDL course to operate PAS system, local databases and internal software systems.
* Experience of working in a team.
Desirable
* Previous experience working in a hospital/Customer Services environment.
Skills & Attributes
Essential
* Excellent communication skills.
* Ability to work using own initiative.
* Reliable and committed.
* Professional approach to work and colleagues.
* Able to develop good working relationships.
* Ability to demonstrate understanding of issues relating to confidentiality and when dealing with sensitive situations.
* Ability to organise own workload and work under pressure to meet NHS targets/deadlines.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
Employer details
Employer name: The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Patient Access Centre
Walton Neurology Centre
Liverpool
L9 7JL
Employer's website: https://www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk/
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