Receptionist and Patient Pathway Administrator

Job overview

The post holder will provide a high-quality reception and patient pathway coordination service within Trauma & Orthopaedics, supporting patients from referral through to discharge.

The role includes managing referrals and appointments, booking and rescheduling patients, processing clinic outcomes, maintaining accurate patient records and supporting the management of waiting lists and RTT pathways using CareFlow, NHS e-RS and other Trust systems.

The post holder will provide reception cover and support the Virtual Fracture Clinic (VFC), including managing referrals, booking patients and ensuring outcomes and follow-up actions are completed promptly.

The role requires excellent customer service and close liaison with patients, clinicians and administrative teams to support the effective running of T&O clinics and ensure patients are not lost to follow-up.

Main duties of the job

• Provide a professional, courteous and efficient reception service to patients, relatives, carers, clinicians and other healthcare professionals.
• Deal with face-to-face, telephone and email enquiries, resolving queries where possible and escalating complex or sensitive matters appropriately.
• Manage generic departmental mailboxes and ensure enquiries, correspondence and requests are actioned or forwarded promptly.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with information governance and data protection requirements at all times.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Reception and Patient Enquiries

Appointment and Clinic Management

• Book, cancel and reschedule new and follow-up appointments in accordance with clinic templates, clinical instructions and Trust procedures.
• Ensure clinics are appropriately utilised and escalate capacity issues, potential breaches and significant delays.
• Contact patients regarding appointment changes, including telephone contact where appointments are changed at short notice.
• Arrange interpreters and patient transport where required.
• Support clinic preparation, process clinic outcomes and ensure required follow-up actions are completed promptly.
• Support clinic cancellations and rebooking exercises, ensuring affected patients are appropriately communicated with and rebooked.
• Manage patients who cannot be contacted in accordance with Trust procedures and liaise with GPs/referrers where necessary.

Patient Pathway and Referral Management

• Process and manage referrals received through NHS e-RS and other approved referral routes, ensuring referrals are accurately recorded and progressed.
• Register patients and maintain accurate information on CareFlow and other relevant Trust systems.
• Monitor and action waiting lists, open referrals and Patient Tracking Lists (PTLs), escalating patients at risk of breaching waiting-time standards.
• Support validation of patient pathways and ensure patients who no longer require appointments are appropriately removed or discharged in accordance with agreed processes.
• Ensure patients are not lost to follow-up by monitoring outstanding appointments, outcomes and actions.
• Maintain accurate RTT and pathway information in accordance with Trust procedures.

Virtual Fracture Clinic (VFC)

• Provide administrative cover for the Virtual Fracture Clinic as required.
• Process VFC referrals and ensure patients are added to the appropriate clinic for clinical review.
• Action VFC outcomes promptly, including booking follow-up appointments, investigations or onward referrals as directed by the clinical team.
• Monitor outstanding VFC referrals and outcomes and escalate delays or capacity concerns appropriately. General Administration
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date electronic patient records and upload relevant documentation where required.
• Assist with monitoring service activity, waiting lists and performance information.
• Work flexibly across the T&O administrative service and provide cross-cover for colleagues during periods of absence or increased service demand.
• Participate in training, appraisal and continuous improvement initiatives and maintain compliance with mandatory training requirements.
• Undertake other administrative duties appropriate to the Band 3 role as required by the line manager.

Communication

• To ensure that confidentiality is always maintained regarding the business of the services.
• To liaise effectively with their line manager.
• To provide general non-clinical information and guidance regarding the Whittington Health Community Services to the referrers, patients, carers and the public, in an appropriate manner.
• To ensure that the patient understands the information regarding their appointment and their responsibilities in lines with Whittington Health Service guidelines.
• To manage all correspondence generated by the Community Services to patients, GP’s and other health professionals in line with the Whittington Health procedures and protocols.
• To be able to utilise sensitive communication skills to ensure the patient, carer or other health professionals are happy with the care processes

Training and Development

• To be appraised annually as part of the Trusts Individual Performance review and Personal Development Plan
• To take responsibility for self-development on a continuous basis, undertaking on-the- job training as required.
• To actively participate in the post holder’s own appraisal scheme in lines with the Whittington Health Service guidelines.
• To the complete of all mandatory training required by the organisation and ensure all modules are within date

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.