Oncology Booking Officer

Job overview

Are you an experienced individual who is able to demonstrate excellent communication, operational and interpersonal skills?

If so, this could be the perfect role for you!

A patient-centred approach is a must for our teams who are proud of providing a courteous and friendly oncology booking service to our patients .

This is a fast paced, demanding environment and you should have excellent communication skills. You will be responsible for processing all new Oncology referrals including any subsequent requests relating to the XRT pathway, prioritising work and booking patient appointments whilst having full regard to achieving cancer targets.

You will communicate with our patients in a friendly and professional manner, demonstrating excellent customer care skills.

Main duties of the job

You will be responsible for ensuring that a professional, comprehensive administrative service is effectively delivered to all patients and members of the department. This will be through the correct processing of all new patient booking requests, monitoring breach dates and correctly making appointments with strict adherence to Trust protocols and cancer wait times. You will work closely with clinicians, clinical leads and managers to ensure the delivery of therapeutic pathways.

You will be multi-skilled, have a good working knowledge of appointment booking templates and an understanding of capacity and demand issues.

You will be required to rotate through all areas of Oncology booking services. This will include, but is not limited to: Flexibility will be key in supporting the department to meet the needs of the service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Responsible for accurate booking process.
• Utilise in-depth knowledge of appointment booking protocols to correctly book patient planning scan, treatment and any associated appointments and send detailed appointment letters containing instructions.
• Ensure maximum utilisation of appointment slots (including cancellation slots) and communicate changes to relevant staff.
• Demonstrate a specialised knowledge of cancer waits and how this affects the booking process, ensuring patients are booked accordingly via MOSAIQ booking system and Harris Flex.
• Use judgement and experience in dealing with patient queries and decide on the appropriate course of action.
• Provide advice and reassurance to patients on preparation for examinations, giving out complex and sensitive information, such as diet and starving instructions.
• Be a point of contact for patient queries relating to their radiotherapy schedule, ensuring a professional manner is maintained.
• Confidently provide information where there may be barriers to understanding.
• Communicate well with and respond to enquiries from the public, medical personnel and a wide range of colleagues at all levels across the Trust.
• Communicate with patients to understand if further investigation is needed prior to ensure appropriateness of booking.
• Recognise the need to involve and liaise with external bodies such as other hospitals, dental surgeries and care homes to obtain the necessary information.
• Demonstrate an approachable and helpful manner at all times.
• Give guidance and support to colleagues in the provision of an efficient service.
• Deal with queries relating to all aspects of the admin function.
• Deal with any problems/queries in a consistent and timely manner, ensuring that all relevant information is provided to assist in a quick resolution to any problem.
• Escalate any major issues, problems or complaints to supervisors, managers or relevant clinicians.
• Maintain confidentiality at all times as required by legislation and Trust policies.
• Support performance monitoring, ensuring patient appointments are booked in strict accordance with booking guidelines, with full regard to cancer and Trust RTT performance measures.
• Document all patient deferrals/amendments to bookings, contact patients to inform them of cancellations at short notice and ensure this information is cascaded appropriately.
• Act as a primary contact for cancer teams, work to ensure waiting times are strictly adhered to and arrange for any necessary adjustments to fall in line with Trust and national targets
• Work alongside teams of staff across the Trust to ensure that all required standards are achieved and maintained to meet departmental and Trust targets.
• Actively participate in the PDP process, undertaking any learning and development opportunities identified.
• Participate in the departments appraisal/monitoring system
• Undertake induction and training of band 2 staff and band 3 colleagues, identifying and carrying out training as required.

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.