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Job description

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!

St Helens and Knowsley 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.

Please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated, should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed therefore you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience. The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience.

Interview date: 18th April 2023

• 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 good organisational and communication skills.
• To assist the Radiology Appointment Supervisors in providing an efficient and patient focussed appointments service within the Radiology Department; ensuring appointments are managed in accordance within legislation, policy guidelines and government targets.
• To assist in leading, training, motivating, developing and mentoring Appointment staff on the day-to-day operational activities within the Radiology Appointments Team.
• To maintain a high standard of customer care at all times in order to support a high standard of clinical care to the patients. To carry out clerical duties in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is the only acute Trust in Cheshire and Merseyside, and one of the few in the entire country, to achieve the title of OUTSTANDING, rated by the Care Quality Commission.

We provide a full range of acute adult services to our local population of circa 360,000 and provide tertiary services across a much wider area in the North West, North Wales and Isle of Man. We are a Major Trauma Unit and the Mersey Regional Burns Unit.

Our '5 Star Patient Care' strategy is at the heart of all that we do; supporting our vision to provide world class services for all our patients by getting it right for every patient, every time.

Our latest achievements include:

• Acute Trust of the Year – HSJ Awards November 2019
• Trust rates Outstanding by the CQC – Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers and Health Service Journal)
• Best acute Trust in the North West for quality of care (NHS Staff Survey 2021)
• Best place to work in the North West (NHS Staff Survey 2021)

In the NHS Staff Survey 2021 the Trust scored the highest marks in the North West for the following areas;

• Standard of care
• Best place to work
• Care of patients being the Trust’s priority
• Staff engagement
• Staff morale
• Compassionate and inclusive
• Providing a safe environment for staff

KEY DUTIES

• 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.
• 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: • Ask the appropriate clinical questions to assess appropriate preparation and time slot
• Discuss with the patient a mutually convenient date and time
• Book the appointment on the Radiology Information System
• Send an appointment letter, appropriate literature and preparation to the patient
• Record any significant information on the CRIS system
• Book Beds and TCI patients according to Trust policy
• Arrange appointments for inpatient referrals: • Book appointment on the Radiology Information System
• Liaise with the ward to arrange patient preparation and mode of transport
• Access ADT to locate patient
• 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.

CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

• To support the Trusts clinical governance agenda by understanding the key priorities for change and ensuring that new developments utilise the objectives within the governance agenda.