Job summary
- Main area
- MSK Single Point of Access
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 220-WHT-3450
- Employer
- Whittington Health NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Whittington Hospital
- Town
- Islington
- Salary
- £33,094 - £36,195 per annum inclusive of HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 19/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading
SPOA Team Lead
NHS AfC: Band 4
Covid-19 Vaccination
Getting vaccinated, and getting a booster, remains the best defence against COVID-19.
We encourage and support staff to get COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose as and when they are eligible.
Please note in order to progress your application, your data will be processed by our 3rd party recruitment providers – North London Partners Shared Service, who conduct recruitment activities on behalf of Whittington Health NHS Trust.
For our current apprenticeship vacancies, please go to https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship and use Keyword ‘Whittington’
By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which is aimed at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.
Job overview
This position is an integral part of the administrative team for the MSK Service; the post holder will be the lead administrator for the MSK Single Point of Access (SPOA) referral pathway. They will be an important member of the SPOA team and will support the MSK Service Manager in finding innovative ways of working to streamline the referral and appointment booking processes.
The post holder will cover the SPOA administrative/clerical duties as well as other RIO, MEDWAY and eRS (choose and book) administration associated with referrals and booking of appointments. They will support patients and referrers (GPs) with appointment and booking queries. This also includes working closely with the CBS team to ensure timely access to the most appropriate service
The post holder will also work closely and support the MSK CATS team with administrative support. They will ensure that staff are maintaining triage in a timely manner for referrals to be processed.
Main duties of the job
The main duties of this administrative role involve managing the referral process for the MSK SPOA service. This includes triaging and processing referrals through various digital systems (e.g., e-RS, Medway), booking and managing patient appointments, and redirecting inappropriate referrals. The role requires extensive communication with patients, GPs, and other healthcare professionals to coordinate care, which includes arranging interpreters and handling sensitive enquiries. Key responsibilities also encompass providing comprehensive clerical support, such as data entry, constructing correspondence, managing departmental diaries, and maintaining office supplies. Additionally, the position involves supervising junior administrative staff, contributing to activity reporting, and ensuring the smooth daily operation of the service across multiple sites.
Working for our organisation
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clerical Duties
To manage the referral process for the MSK SPOA service for Haringey and Islington GPs
To ensure referrals are triaged in a timely manner, liaising with physiotherapists and service lead as appropriate if any issues arise
To ensure referrals are processed through e-RS and an appropriate and timely appointment is booked. Liaising with other service leads if needed (eg urgent Rheumatology or Orthopaedic referrals)
To redirect inappropriate referrals as required
To receive and respond to voicemail messages in an appropriate manner, maintaining that person’s privacy and dignity.
To carry out cancellation and booking of patient appointments face to face, by telephone or via text/email.
To ensure that the patient understands the information regarding their appointment within the MSK Service
To organise the booking of interpreters and transport for patient appointments. This may include discussion and negotiation with staff and the relevant services in order to clarify/complete bookings.
To assist in the management of the departmental diaries in line with the needs of the department as deemed appropriate by the MSK Service Manager identifying and reporting where problems may arise e.g. lack of staff on site, double booking of patients or holidays/meetings not marked out in the diary.
To complete accurate data entry for patient registration, uploading referral and appointment information.
To be competent in the use of data entry systems e.g. e-RS, Medway, EDMS, RIO, EMIS
To be competent in the use of word processing application
To be able to construct letters to patients and other health professionals in lines with the MSK SPOA templates or under instruction of the senior members of staff.
To discharge patients as allocated, and in discussion with, the MSK Service Manager and senior team in lines with service guidelines.
To receive, sort and distribute incoming mail.
To provide photocopying and filing as per the demands of the department.
To ensure that legal requests are dealt in accordance with the Legal Reports and Notes Protocol.
To be able to analyse and prioritise multiple tasks allocated by the manager.
To be able to problem solve issues as they arise at the reception area and identify when further assistance is required from other members of the team in order to gain a resolution.
To be responsible for the attainment of medical records, investigation reports and medical correspondence information as directed by the manager.
To provide administrative support to Advanced Practice Physiotherapists in the MSK CATS team, including collating reports and chasing referrals.
Organisational Duties
To report to the Band 5 MSK Services Business manager.
To support and appraise the Band 3 administrative staff within the MSK SPOA Administration Team.
To calculate statistical data as required for monthly activity reporting.
To undertake activity analysis of self, and others within the department, for simple audit as required.
To ensure an adequate level of equipment is maintained by monitoring stationery stock levels and ensuring re-ordering is timely and appropriate. May also be required to order other stocks as required.
To report any faults in IT and office equipment and take appropriate action.
To actively participate in the post holders own appraisal scheme in lines with the MSK Service guidelines.
To take an active role in the local site staff meeting.
To assist in the induction of new members of staff to associated administrative and clerical MSK Single Point of Access Service protocols and procedures.
To maintain safe and hygienic working practice within the reception and treatment areas, in accordance with the Whittington Manual Handling Guidelines.
To be able to cover administration and clerical duties over another site e.g. to cover annual leave or sick leave
Person specification
Knowledge / Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to GCSE/O-level or equivalent.
- Excellent written and spoken English.
Desirable criteria
- Higher education to A-level or equivalent work experience
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous experience dealing with the public face-to-face and over the telephone.
- Experience in using the RIO system
- Previous experience of working within an NHS environment
- Experience in managing others, including supervision and appraisals
- Experience with hospital systems such as Medway/Careflow, ICE, PACS, eRS, ORMIS, and procurement
- Previous experience in a secretarial/administrative environment
Ability
Essential criteria
- Ability to work as part of a team.
- Ability to communicate in a clear and professional manner
- Ability to act appropriately in stressful situations
- Ability to work using own initiative
Personal Quality
Essential criteria
- Good organisation, time management, and prioritisation skills
- Ability to self-motivate and work under own initiative
- Ability to cope with occasional exposure to distressed, aggressive, or abusive patients
- Ability to escalate issues in appropriate situations
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Darren Marsh
- Job title
- Service Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 02033168839
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