Radiology Senior Appointments Clerk

Job overview

• hrs

1 X WTE

Do you want to be part of our very friendly, hard-working and forward-thinking Appointments Team? If yes - a vacancy has arisen in this area of the Radiology Department.

Merseyside and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals is a busy acute trust situated 8 miles from Liverpool City Centre, which is committed to delivering the highest quality patient care. It consists of two hospital sites – Whiston and St Helens Hospitals and three community-based departments.

The Radiology department performs over 310,000 examinations per year and provides a 7-day imaging service; therefore the post will include evening, weekend and bank holiday duties on a rota system.

The successful candidate will work as part of a team to ensure the smooth running of this very busy department, by booking a wide range of imaging appointments.

Applicants should be hard working, enthusiastic and well-motivated with excellent organisational skills and both written and verbal communication skills. Previous experience of telephone work will be an advantage.

Successful applicants will require a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau.

The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.

Main duties of the job

• Make appointments on the Radiology Information System following appropriate imaging services pathways and following the correct procedure to ensure accurate data entry.
• Monitor the radiology PTL and ensure no patients breech the 6 week diagnostic target, ensuring cancer patients and urgent patients are appointed within 7 days.
• Ensure correct procedures are followed in moving the patients from orders to waiting list to appointment with the correct urgency code.
• To deal with pending elective appointments and cancellations, liaising with all relevant staff (including Consultants, Managers, Lead Radiographers and clinical support staff). Escalating any issues/breaches to the Appointments Supervisor or lead radiographer.
• Responsible for booking Specialist Radiology appointments that may require a TCI. Ensure a bed is booked and all preparation has been communicated to the patient.
• Meet/liaise with Consultant’s on a regular basis in order to manage lists effectively whilst ensuring best use of capacity. Be responsible for the updating and accuracy on electronic systems.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Order interpreters for patients attending for radiology appointments by e-mail.
• Liaise with Consultant Radiologists regarding availability for lists dependent on annual leave.
• Register patients on relevant Trust Information System or update details if patient already registered
• Enter referrals promptly onto computerised Radiology Information System using waiting list coding.
• Ensure rapid justification of referrals by relevant radiographic staff to meet urgent/two week cancers.
• Take into account daily cancellations and alterations, contacting patients by telephone explaining in a polite and courteous manner reasons for cancellation. To follow the correct procedures and processes for all cancelled appointments and DNA’s to ensure dates are re-booked and/or removed according to the Trust Patient Access Policy, escalating any issues. Ensure all cancelation slots are backfilled to maximise capacity.
• Advise patients of all available options with empathy and discretion particularly when dealing with aggrieved patient’s regarding waiting list enquires. Significant conversations including outcomes are to be recorded on CRIS.
• Complete data checks on computerised systems (PAS, NHS e-referral, EDMS) amending any changes e.g. appointment procedures, patient details, patient/hospital cancellations or time changes due to allergy risks etc.
• Answer all appointment queries in accordance with departmental guidelines in a professional and courteous manner.
• When the patient is in contact with the appointment office:
• a. Ask the appropriate clinical questions to assess appropriate preparation and time slot b. Discuss with the patient a mutually convenient date and time c. Book the appointment on the Radiology Information System d. Send an appointment letter, appropriate literature and preparation to the patient e. Record any significant information on the CRIS system f. Book Beds and TCI patients according to Trust policy
• Arrange appointments for inpatient referrals:
• a. Book appointment on the Radiology Information System b. Liaise with the ward to arrange patient preparation and mode of transport c. Access ADT to locate patient d. Book porter on the Radiology Information System
• General Telephone enquiries relating to patient requests to re-arrange or cancel appointments.
• File referrals in date order once booking is complete.
• Filing and housekeeping of all paper and electronic documentation.
• Give general advice to Patients/staff in relation to appointments or re-direct to appropriate department/clinical staff.
• Ensure that all diagnostic targets are met.
• Deal with patients complaints over the phone on a first line basis or refer to the relevant department/member of staff. (N.B. may occasionally experience distressing situations).
• Provide support and guidance to other team members in dealing with enquiries and offer non-clinical advice to patients, staff and GP surgeries. This may require tact and persuasive skills when resolving problems or difficulties when there is a need to overcome barriers to understanding.
• Code all stages of booking to enable statistical information to be produced so that the service may be monitored/improved.
• Awareness of Records Management, Information Governance, Caldicott, confidentiality and data protection.
• Adhere to all aspects of Patient Access Policy.
• Liaise with consultants, Specialist nurses, wards, secretaries and other departments in relation to radiology appointments.
• The post holder will be responsible for undertaking clerical duties to support the process of the Trust’s patient activity and to meet the relevant departmental targets.
• Book Radiology Pre OP appointments on PAS, TCI day case radiology patients Arrange planned patient admission to Hospital liaising with the appropriate ward and admissions department.
• Liaise with the Lead Radiographer and Appointment Supervisors to open and close computerised diary pages as per departmental requirements and Consultant/Sonographer/Radiographer availability.
• Maintain effective track on patient referrals to ensure patient is imaged promptly.
• Monitor data quality on RIS and PACS systems.
• Monitor the ‘copy to appointment’ session to ensure urgent patients are given appointments
• Ensure appropriate follow up investigations are in place and rectify if not.
• Work from initiative using own judgment, acquired knowledge and tact to deal with queries and resolve situations or referring to appropriate person.
• Ensure all correspondence relating to patient care is acted upon in a timely manner.
• Attend appropriate training and education sessions at the request of manager.
• Under the direction of the Radiology Appointment Supervisors work with co-ordinators/leads/managers to review working practices, ways of working and find solutions to problems.
• The post holder will be responsible for undertaking clerical duties to support the process of the Trust’s patient activity and to meet the relevant departmental targets following departmental booking Policy and Procedures.
• Arrange ambulances or transport for appointments if required.
• To work in a flexible manner in accordance with the Trust Policy.
• Liaise with other hospitals both NHS and private, GP’s, secretarial, clerical, wards, and cancer services.
• Any other duties required by Line Manager.

The post holder will be expected to cover the duties of other clerical staff in the Radiology department during times of sickness absence or annual leave.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for accurate data entry on the Radiology Information System.
• To ensure the accuracy of data quality in line with departmental policies and procedures (i.e. name, date of birth, address, postcode, GP and telephone number) are all current and correct.
• Ensure all documentation associated with regulations are kept and stored appropriately.

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES

• Responsible for staff training new starters within the Appointments Team and act as a mentor throughout the process. Providing support to the appointments clerks in their day to day tasks.
• Ensure each appointments clerk has been advised of their responsibilities before being held accountable. Each member of staff must be provided with thorough training and have completed signed competencies for work that is assigned to them.
• Develop oneself within the job role to enhance performance and accept responsibility for achieving own development objectives.
• Ensure all staff are aware of the Data Quality Policy and are kept up to date with data quality issues to establish and maintain standards.
• Liaise with departmental manager to correct errors and agree corrective procedures if required e.g. retrain staff to reduce future recurrences.

LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide advice to the appointments staff regarding exam preparation in line with departmental protocols.
• Support appointments staff to deal confidentially and competently, as appropriate, with either distressed or aggressive patients/relatives.
• Ensure all appointment staff maintain high data quality standards and are aware of the Data Quality Policy.

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.