We are looking to recruit a full‑time member of staff for a 34‑hour per week role as an Outpatient Booking Clerk at Wrightington Hospital.
You must have experience working within a busy, pressurised, customer‑focused administrative environment and the ability to cope with frequent interruptions. You should also have experience of using IT systems in the workplace and be able to demonstrate keyboard skills with a high level of data entry accuracy. The ideal candidate is a motivated, enthusiastic individual with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to work independently and within a team.
Flexibility and the ability to adapt quickly to changing work patterns are essential. You will cover various administrative and clerical duties in line with service demands.
It is important that you detail in your supporting statement how you meet the essential/desirable requirements given on the person specification.
**PREVIOUS APPLICANTS NEED NOT APPLY**
Main duties of the job
The main duties of this role are to provide an efficient and flexible administrative service that supports the clinical staff in delivering an effective booking service. Patient‑centred service and a professional telephone manner are essential.
Working for our organisation
Choose Well – Choose WWL
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provide acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff and believe that ‘happy staff, makes for happy patients’. We are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and we value staff engagement and the values of the WWL Way.
Key results from the job holder
* Book appointments for patients attending outpatient clinics, pre‑operative assessment and admission for elective surgery in accordance with booking rules.
* Display a professional attitude at all times and use effective communication skills to address concerns.
* Receive patients for elective admission or pre‑operative assessment and update patient demographics on PAS and in case notes.
* Assist members of the clinical staff with any queries concerning administrative processes.
* Support and assist team members across sites during staff shortages, working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
* Deal with enquiries from patients, GP’s and other disciplines regarding bookings.
* Liaise with consultant staff and medical secretaries for urgent admissions or outpatient appointments.
* Process referrals to consultants for assessment of priority, ensuring timely booking and documentation.
* Ensure seamless service delivery for patients attending as outpatient or inpatient.
* Promote and develop good communication links with all disciplines involved in the booking process, both internal and external to the Trust.
* Locate and prepare case notes for patients attending elective admission and pre‑operative assessment, recording all patient outcomes within agreed deadlines.
* Apply Trust and National policies and procedures to achieve internal and external targets and deadlines.
* Ensure quality and accuracy of all data input of both written and electronic information.
* Resolve queries and redirect enquiries utilising knowledge of the ‘Booking Methodology’ and ‘Waiting Time’ targets.
* Perform general clerical tasks such as filing and photocopying.
* Report any incidents or accidents to the supervisor and participate in investigations, completing necessary documentation and follow‑up processes.
* Produce and send all patient correspondence and booking information in accordance with procedures and data‑quality standards.
* Handle cancellations of clinic or theatre sessions and rearrange bookings as per instructions.
* Maintain the accuracy of the IP/OP waiting list by consistently validating compliance with access times and targets.
Communications and Key Working Relationships
* Demonstrate effective communication using spoken and written words.
* Show awareness and sensitivity to patients with hearing difficulties and to those whose primary language is not English.
* Receive and process all messages in accordance with instruction.
* Use Trust IT resources appropriately, inline with policies and procedures.
Responsibility for Finance
* Be aware of the need for cost‑effective use of resources when delivering the service.
Responsibility for Human Resources
* Adhere to Trust policies, procedures and guidelines.
* Ensure compliance with mandatory training requirements in accordance with Trust policy.
* Maintain compliance with Trust policies and procedures.
Responsibility for Health & Safety
* Summon security personnel to the department and act when required using own initiative.
* Take a proactive role in managing health and safety risks, including reporting and reducing risk.
* Be involved in related risk assessments and take responsibility for including others affected by actions.
* Be proactive regarding potential health and safety issues.
Responsibility for Teaching
* Support developments that contribute to individual and departmental goals.
Person specification
Additional
* Must be able to work flexibly and cover annual leave or sickness as needed.
* Speak English to an appropriate standard, using correct sentence structures, vocabulary and without hesitation.
Knowledge
* Knowledge of general office systems and protocols in a customer‑related environment.
* Ability to follow guidelines and procedure.
* Knowledge of IT systems and packages within the workplace.
* Good understanding of customer care packages and procedures.
* Awareness of the Data Protection Act.
Skills
* Demonstrate keyboard skills with a high level of data entry accuracy.
* Work well as part of a team and on own initiative.
* Excellent communication skills with all disciplines of staff.
* Good organisational skills.
* Work effectively to targets and deadlines, prioritising workloads.
* Learn quickly and adapt to change in circumstances.
* Deliver high level of customer service using electronic, telephone and other communication channels.
Experience
* Experience working in a busy, pressurised, customer‑focused environment with frequent interruptions.
* Recent work experience in an administration/office setting.
* Experience using IT systems in the workplace.
* Recent work experience in a healthcare administration setting.
Qualifications
* Educated to GCSE level (or equivalent/experience).
* ECDL or equivalent IT qualification.
* Hold an NVQ Level 2 clerical qualification or equivalent.
Our Trust prefers candidates to submit applications online. If you have difficulty applying online please contact the Recruitment Team on 01942 244000.
Using AI when writing job applications
If you choose to use Artificial Intelligence or other tools to assist in writing your application, personalise the information to reflect the skills and experience that match the role. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting statement is not advocated by Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as it could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process. Please refer to the attached “Applying for a role in the NHS guidance” for further information regarding the use of AI.
The Trust reserves the right to close adverts earlier than the stated closing date if there is a high volume of applications.
We endeavour to inform all applicants of the outcome of their application by email or SMS text message.
Applications are scored against the person specification. We recommend that you use the supporting information section of the application form to demonstrate how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role, providing illustrative examples where possible.
On‑Call
Please note that some roles may require participation in an on‑call rota, if the role is predominantly operational.
WWL has signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment and will recognise your continuous or ‘unbroken’ service in any Greater Manchester Local Authority or NHS organisation, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or Greater Manchester Combined Authority, giving you access to our service‑related benefits.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Contact Information:
Jenny Guy – Office Manager
Email: jenny.guy@wwl.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01257 488244
If you have problems applying, contact
Address: Buckingham Row
Brick Kiln Lane
Wigan
WN1 1XX
Telephone: 07786 529678
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