Patient Access Officer, Band 3
Closing date: 20 May 2026
Location: Head & Neck, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Main duties of the job
* Contact patients for admission and negotiate appointments.
* Book patients within clinical and Trust waiting time targets.
* Process cancellations and re‑appoint patients.
* Use the Patient Travel List (PTL) to book patients according to guidelines.
* Ensure patients are aware of their appointment dates and receive all necessary information.
* Fully utilise all clinic and theatre capacity, maintaining a list of patients fit for short notice.
* Liaise with clinical staff and their secretaries regarding waiting lists.
* Book investigations as requested by the clinical team, negotiating dates and creating correspondence as appropriate.
* Validate each patient’s pathway by checking and updating RTT codes.
* Inform the Unit Coordinator of progress, flagging any urgent capacity or delay issues.
* Support development of improvements to working practices, contribute to service reviews and new arrangements.
* Assist in resolving complaints or concerns from patients/carers, collating information and working with the supervisor to respond or escalated.
* Work flexibly and proactively as part of a team, adapting to departmental demands.
* Cover colleagues during absences, annual or sick leave as directed by the Unit Coordinator.
* Undertake routine office duties including photocopying, faxing, filing and other relevant tasks.
* Work with the Supervisor and Booking Coordinators to ensure smooth process changes.
Professional Development, Education and Training
* Participate fully in the Trust’s appraisal system review and personal development planning annually.
* Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with the line manager.
* Achieve agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales.
* Contribute positively to the effectiveness and efficiency of teams.
* Adhere to the Trust’s Kindness and Respect Policy.
Management and Leadership
No budgetary or supervisory responsibility.
Communications and Working Relationships
* Patients, relatives and/or carers.
* Consultants and their teams.
* Nursing staff.
* Medical secretaries.
* General practitioners in primary care.
* Theatre management and administration.
* Day surgery staff.
* Health records staff.
* Elective bookings supervisor and booking coordinators.
* General management team.
General Working Conditions
* The role operates in a stressful and challenging environment, requiring tact and diplomacy with difficult situations.
* Movement of medical notes may be required, ranging from one set of notes to bags weighing up to 10 kg.
* Daily use of a visual display unit (VDU); sitting at the desk for the majority of the day.
* Handling sensitive and confidential information.
* Work pattern unpredictable due to telephone enquiries, emails, clinician visits and external personnel.
* Priorities can change throughout the day.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Educated to GCSE grade C or above (or equivalent) in literacy and numeracy.
* NVQ Level Three in administration or equivalent experience.
Experience
* Appropriate experience in a hospital or office environment.
* IT experience with Microsoft Office packages; computer literate with data input, retrieval and manipulation.
* Understanding and previous experience in medical terminology/procedures.
Knowledge / Skills
* Personally resilient, able to manage complexity in an ambiguous environment.
* Excellent interpersonal, communication and organisational skills.
* Good command of written English, punctuation and grammar.
* Able to effectively and appropriately raise concerns to reduce risk and promote patient safety.
* Proven organisational and prioritisation skills.
* Ability to maintain focus with unpredictable work patterns and interruptions.
* Self‑motivated, able to work under own initiative, prioritising workload.
* Knowledge of health and safety, risk management and the Data Protection Act.
Qualities
* Enthusiastic and self‑aware.
* Creative and flexible.
* Team focused.
* Reliable, adaptable and dependable.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and will require submission for Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) to check for any previous convictions.
Employer name
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Salary
£25,760 to £27,476 per year (pro rata if part‑time).
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