NHSJobs.com

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Role Summary

This role is a key member of the Department’s management team, working towards the achievement of key patient access targets for the Directorate. Work will include:

- Ensuring the flow of patients into available clinics and theatre slots by setting up accurate templates.

-Managing outpatient and inpatient waiting lists (both RTT and non RTT patients) on behalf of the Directorate Managers, avoiding backlog through proactive management and opening of clinic and theatre list availability.

-Dealing with peaks in activity, by managing the allocation of extra capacity clinics.

-The early identification of capacity issues affecting performance of 18 weeks, 2 week wait and other referral to treatment standards.

 -Ensuring the ratio of new and follow up clinic slots is appropriate to meet demand. -being the main conveyor of information between the Directorate and the booking hub, with an overarching aim to facilitate the smooth management of our patient groups, depending on their waiting times and care pathways.

-Working closely with the validation team, the relevant booking colleagues and clinicians to ensure all data entries on PAS correctly reflect the patient’s RTT status data accuracy within their Directorate(s).

-Working with clinical teams to ensure they fully understand the requirements of the Patient Access Policy, ensuring adherence across their areas of responsibility.

Inform the development and implementation of service improvement policies, strategies and procedures which may impact upon a range of services, to ensure that the Trust meets its statutory obligations and NHS targets with respect to the service area.

2.Work closely with clinicians, nurses and all clinical staff to ensure that patients are actively managed through their pathways.

3.Responsible for the management of the patient’s pathway from triage, first outpatient appointment, through diagnostics, treatment planning and treatment, highlighting potential delays in the pathways to both Directorate Manager and Head of Booking & Clinical Administration Services, ensuring that all patients who are not on 18 week pathways also receive timely care and treatment

4. Responsible for checking and reporting on Consultant’s triaging of new referrals to ensure that the service meets the 48 hour target, ensuring that the coding proforma’s are current and up to date.

5.Responsible for the identification of extra capacity slots required by each Service, to meet national targets with identification of the correct staffing and skill mix required to treat the patient lists.

6.Responsible for the knowledge management of the PTL on behalf of the Directorate.

7.Being fully updated and aware of patient demand exceeding or diminishing in relation to current capacity and communication of the position to the Directorate Management Team.

8.Responsible for the review of the outpatient, inpatient and day case waiting lists and the continuous monitoring of all patient pathways, both patients on 18 week pathways and those awaiting planned care or who require regular follow up monitoring and review. This includes identifying blockages, bottlenecks in service delivery, a worsening treatment position and risk to patient from inadequate timescales to clinic availability.

9.Ensuring adherence to Trust policies and procedures, in particular the Patient Access Policy. To recommend systems and processes which improve compliance tothe policy.

10.Minimising clinic cancellations by ensuring a 6 week look forward of consultant availability is tracked to the clinic templates available, therefore avoiding late cancellations and where possible, arranging alternative availability.

11. Work closely with Head of Booking and Clinical Administration Services and Directorate Manager(s) to develop and refine policies and procedures to ensure seamless management of the patient pathway from referral to treatment.
12. Maintain up to date knowledge of all applicable targets and processes relating to the patient pathway and to be a point of reference within the directorate to be the main link between Directorate and Centralised Administration Teams and for patients, relatives and GPs where those queries cannot be resolved by the individual booking teams.
13. Actively manage the service’s waiting lists and maintain a clear overview of all patients currently active in their pathway and to be able to produce, analyse and present information on this at all directorate meetings.
14. Predict and prevent breaches of waiting time targets and delays due to problems in capacity, through liaison with clinicians. This includes highlighting performance risks and potential breaches to the Directorate Management team.

15.Ensure outpatient utilisation is on target by analysing the look forward reports and taking appropriate action with the clinicians.

16. Work with reception teams to ensure all outpatient clinic outcomes are recorded within 1 working day of the clinics.

17.Ensure all diagnostics are booked within pathway target times.

18.Maintain forward view of theatre lists and identify leave or lack of theatre availability and liaise with Inpatient booking team.

19.Review all waiting lists and take appropriate action in working with “The Booking Hub” in the booking of outstanding patients.

20.Work with the Booking Hub team leaders and booking appointments clerk in relation to correct adherence to the Patient Access Policy, ensuring all cancellations, DNA’s and patients affected by clinic changes are rebooked in an appropriate timely manner.

21. Mobilise additional clinical capacity as required on behalf of the Directorate manager. Ensure the Service Level Agreements between Centralised Administration Services and the Directorate(s) are followed and maintained.

22.Provide advice and guidance to GP’s, Consultants, patients, carers, wards, in how to access their individual services in a timely manner, taking into account 18 week rules and all Trust policies.

23.Identify demand and capacity issues and to work with Directorate Manager (s) and Directorate staff to find a resolution to these issues.

24.Analyse, investigate and resolve complex queries relating to the service.

25.Responsible for the maintenance of several information sources, in relation to projects.

26.Keep up to date with relevant Patient Pathway guidance, Patient Access Policy, Service Level Agreements and strategies, best practice and impending changes which could impact on the way of working.

27. Providing support to the Directorate Manager (s)for the attendance at key meetings in regard to the access target and PTL list, as required.
28. On behalf of the Directorate Manager, to investigate and respond appropriately to complaints received in a timely manner, escalating trends and areas of concern to the Directorate Manager(s) to address with staff member, patient representative or patient.

29.Constantly review working practices in the service departments in order to identify where operational improvements and policy changes are needed and make recommendations in response to the changing needs of the department.

30. Accountable for the delivery of a high quality, effective and flexible service in respect of the patient pathway from referral to treatment.