Urgent Suspected Cancer Booker Team Lead, Band 5

Job overview

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced and motivated Band 5 Team Lead to support the delivery of high‑quality, timely cancer pathways within our USC/2WW booking service.

This is a key operational role providing day‑to‑day leadership to the USC/2WW booking team, ensuring urgent suspected cancer referrals are validated, booked, and tracked in line with national Cancer Waiting Time standards. The role will work closely with clinical teams, diagnostics, MDT services, and Cancer Management to proactively manage pathways and minimise breaches.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to develop leadership skills within a supportive cancer services team, contributing directly to improved outcomes for patients at a critical point in their care.

Main duties of the job

Leadership & Line Management

- Provide day‑to‑day leadership and supervision of the USC/2WW booking team

- Allocate workload, manage rotas, and ensure adequate service cover

- Conduct 1:1 meetings, appraisals, and absence management in line with Trust policy

- Support training, induction, and development of new and existing staff

- Act as a first point of escalation for booking and pathway issues

2WW Booking & Pathway Management

- Oversee the receipt, validation, and booking of all USC/2WW cancer referrals

- Ensure patients are offered appointments within national best practice timeframes

- Actively monitor and manage breaches and potential breaches

- Liaise with clinical teams, MDT coordinators, diagnostic services, and external providers

- Ensure accurate pathway tracking from referral to first appointment/diagnostic

Performance & Data Quality

- Monitor daily and weekly performance against Cancer Waiting Time (CWT) targets, slot utilisation, demand and capacity trajectories

- Ensure all referrals are correctly recorded on relevant systems (e.g. Trak, E‑RS, Infoflex)

- Investigate data quality issues and correct pathway errors promptly

- Prepare reports and provide assurance information to management

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Leadership & Line Management

- Provide day‑to‑day leadership and supervision of the USC/2WW booking team

- Allocate workload, manage rotas, and ensure adequate service cover

- Conduct 1:1 meetings, appraisals, and absence management in line with Trust policy

- Support training, induction, and development of new and existing staff

- Act as a first point of escalation for booking and pathway issues

2WW Booking & Pathway Management

- Oversee the receipt, validation, and booking of all USC/2WW cancer referrals

- Ensure patients are offered appointments within national best practice timeframes

- Actively monitor and manage breaches and potential breaches

- Liaise with clinical teams, MDT coordinators, diagnostic services, and external providers

- Ensure accurate pathway tracking from referral to first appointment/diagnostic

Performance & Data Quality

- Monitor daily and weekly performance against Cancer Waiting Time (CWT) targets, slot utilisation, demand and capacity trajectories

- Ensure all referrals are correctly recorded on relevant systems (e.g. Trak, E‑RS, Infoflex)

- Investigate data quality issues and correct pathway errors promptly

- Prepare reports and provide assurance information to management

Patient Experience & Communication

- Ensure patients are contacted in a timely, sensitive, and professional manner

- Deal with complex queries and complaints relating to appointments or delays

- Ensure reasonable adjustments are made for patients with additional needs

Governance & Compliance

- Ensure compliance with NHS Cancer Waiting Time guidance, Trust policies, and SOPs

- Identify risks within pathways and escalate appropriately

- Support audits, service improvement, and pathway redesign initiatives