Waiting List / RTT Clerk

Job overview

We are seeking an organised, detail-oriented, and motivated individual who is passionate about supporting patient care behind the scenes. As a Waiting List RTT Clerk, you will join our dedicated administrative team and play a key role in the effective management of patient pathways across the Trust.

Working closely with consultants, Cath Lab and theatre co-ordinators, and Pathway Co-ordinators, you will help ensure elective day case and inpatient pathways are managed efficiently. You will be responsible for ensuring that procedure lists are consistently booked to maximise utilisation, minimise on-the-day cancellations, and support the achievement of national RTT targets.

A key part of your role will be carrying out comprehensive validation of patient pathways in line with Department of Health Referral to Treatment (RTT) guidelines, ensuring accuracy and timeliness throughout the patient journey.

Main duties of the job

• To be a member of the professional waiting list/ RTT Team that provides comprehensive, high-quality outpatient and waiting list management services for the organisation.

To manage a number of specialty patient lists operating in accordance with the Trusts Access Policy and in line with national Targets ensuring efficient and effective use of cath lab and theatre sessions.

Exercise initiative and use independent judgement, knowledge and analysis to book patients, dependent on their individual clinical needs and their complexity. Work in a demanding environment dealing with complex and sensitive information on a daily basis.

Provide an information and communication link between the patient and their admission to hospital.

Responsible for decision-making with situations arising from the duties and responsibilities described below to ensure an effective, organised, comprehensive and efficient, high quality patient centred clerical service.

Working closely with the operational management teams and clinicians to enable effective management of the patient pathway.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Main duties & responsibilities
• To provide a comprehensive inpatient service to Patients and RTT validation.
• Waiting list/Inpatient Management
• To be named contact point liaising with patients, relatives and/or carers as well as medical representatives, GP’s, nursing staff, clinicall team and support services to ensure the admission is appropriately planned and managed. This can be face to face, over the telephone, in writing or electronic.
• Accurate addition of patients to the waiting list ensuring any relevant notes recorded.
• To provide advice to patients with matters relating to their admission (pre and post operative guidance) and with regard to their position on the waiting list.
• To plan multiple cath lab/theatre/procedure lists up to six weeks in advance, using clinical knowledge, medical terminology and information to meet the patients’ 18 week, diagnostic, cancer and/or 28 day rescheduling targets.
• Ensure that with effective planning and organisation the cath lab/theatre/procedure lists are utilised to their maximum potential which requires taking in to account specific patient needs, cancelling/rescheduling patients, replacing short notice cancellations, liaising with the clinicians to ensure theatre list order taking into account all patient and theatre information.
• Responsible for communicating information and changes relating to elective admissions, cath lab theatre lists etc with regards intended procedures, specific kit requirements, specific anaesthetic input to relevant staff Trust wide.
• Identify, attempt to resolve and pre-empt situations which may result in a breach of access targets. Regularly analyse waiting list information to ensure compliance with national waiting time standards and escalate in a timely manner any requirements for additional capacity to ensure patients are treated within waiting time standards
• To work flexibly according to the needs of the service including covering for colleagues during periods of leave.
• Liaise with flow co-ordinators in the case of patients being put on ‘stand-by’ or cancelled due to extraneous circumstances (i.e. bed unavailability)
• Ensure that all patients are placed on PAS as soon as patients’ booking is confirmed.
• Ensure finalised lists are forwarded to the respective pathway coordinators for circulation allowing adequate preparation by cath lab and theatres in order to minimise cancellations (currently 48hours circulation)
• 18 Week RTT Validation
• To monitor patients on the PTL by investigating each individual patient pathway, utilising multiple Trust information systems to identify and validate the RTT status.
• To assess, analyse, interpret and adjust information recorded on the Trust’s Patient
• Administration System using own judgement to ensure the accurate recording of a patient’s pathway.
• To work in conjunction with the Information Department to provide support in processing error/exception/duplicate reports and with the management of the 18 week PTL.
• Monitor the 18 week pathway for allocated specialties and liaise with various staff, including pathway, operational/service managers
• To ensure action is taken to resolve issues or escalated as necessary.
• To maintain an up to date understanding of relevant local and national policies and procedures pertinent to 18 week RTT rules.
• To understand and be able to apply the 18 week RTT target rules to individual patient pathways, ensuring that all admissions, waiting list entries, outpatient appointments and attendances outside of clinic are linked to the correct pathway ID.
• To have an understanding of, and to fully utilise Trust systems to monitor and maintain the 18 week PTL accurately, including:
• PAS (Patient Administration System)
• EMIS
• Power BI reporting tool

The purpose should remain constant, but the duties and responsibilities may vary over time within the overall role and level of the post.

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.