Job overview
You will act as a main point of contact for the preoperative assessment team for patients. Your key working relationships will be with preoperative assessment nurses, and senior clinicians (e.g. consultants in anaesthesia or perioperative medicine). You will be expected to work within this team to provide a complete package of assessment and communication for patients waiting for surgery.
You will support patients to complete health forms and online pre – operative screening and assessment questionnaires, as well as helping patients who are unable to use digital resources.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for ensuring that all patients and their GP/GP practice is sent a copy of a letter outlining surgical risk and next steps. Encouraging and reminding patients to take this to any GP and practice nurse appointments that they have.
You will work closely with the pre-operative assessment nurses, arranging for patients to complete tests where there is information from their initial referral which is missing or out of date or where the patient’s health form indicates that more information is required.
Ensuring contact with all patients listed for inpatient surgery at least every three months, and more frequently if required. For most patients, automated contact by text or email is likely to be the most efficient approach; however, non-responding (or non-digitally enabled) patients will require telephone contact which the coordinator could implement using a call script or proforma.
Liaison with clinical validation and booking and scheduling teams under guidance of the pre – operative assessment nurse.
Notifying clinicians of any changes to a patient’s health status identified through the three monthly (or more frequent) contact point. Liaising with Booking and Scheduling teams in relation to planned surgery dates and to keep them informed and aware of when a patient is optimised for surgery
Collating information provided at point of referral from primary care and patient health forms.
Working for our organisation
We have 10000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area & give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire & Cumbria.
Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients & staff, ensuring we keep thriving & delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.
You’ll have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet fab people & do things you’d never have done. You’ll learn about working in a hospital, interacting with people from all different roles to build skills & enhance your career path.
You’ll make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold & help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care and enhancing their experience which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will act as a main point of contact for the preoperative assessment team for patients. Your key working relationships will be with preoperative assessment nurses, and senior clinicians (e.g. consultants in anaesthesia or perioperative medicine). You will be expected to work within this team to provide a complete package of assessment and communication for patients waiting for surgery.
You will support patients to complete health forms and online pre – operative screening and assessment questionnaires, as well as helping patients who are unable to use digital resources.
Ensuring that all patients and their GP/GP practice is sent a copy of a letter outlining surgical risk and next steps. Encouraging and reminding patients to take this to any GP and practice nurse appointments that they have. Where relevant, encouraging patients to find out if their GP practice has a social prescribing link worker and/or a health coach and how they can refer themselves. Following up on behalf of clinicians to ensure that referrals made to hospital medical specialities or to support in the community have been picked up and acted on by the receiving teams/services.
You will work closely with the pre-operative assessment nurses, arranging for patients to complete tests where there is information from their initial referral which is missing or out of date or where the patient’s health form indicates that more information is required.
Ensuring contact with all patients listed for inpatient surgery at least every three months, and more frequently if required. For most patients, automated contact by text or email is likely to be the most efficient approach; however, non-responding (or non-digitally enabled) patients will require telephone contact which the coordinator could implement using a call script or proforma.
Liaison with clinical validation and booking and scheduling teams under guidance of the pre – operative assessment nurse.
Notifying clinicians of any changes to a patient’s health status identified through the three monthly (or more frequent) contact point. 13. Liaising with Booking and Scheduling teams in relation to planned surgery dates and to keep them informed and aware of when a patient is optimised for surgery
Collating information provided at point of referral from primary care and patient health forms.
The post holder will be responsible for supporting the achievement of the 18-week referral to treatment target and the national cancer targets (31 and 62 day), including taking appropriate actions to ensure that the trust targets are being met for the Clinical Business Unit.
You will assist in the effective collection and recording of the patient pathways across the Unit and will support all administrative and clerical issues relating to patients’ pathway of care, tracking and supporting them from referral to treatment and/or discharge. This will include discussions with key members of the team including Waiting List, Outpatient Clerks, Medical Secretaries, Medical and Nursing Staff where appropriate in order to achieve patient care within target timescales. The post holder will be expected to produce weekly reports/updates for internal meetings on the 18 week and cancer target position. The post holder is expected to actively monitor the 18 week risks, the cancer charts – including tertiary patients, any over 18 week patients, giving regular updates of actions being taken.
The role will also involve an element of cross cover across the wider team including assisting the performance managers.
Person specification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
1. Experience of working/dealing with others
2. Experience of working in a busy NHS environment
3. A good understanding of clinical services within a hospital setting
4. Awareness/understanding of cancer targets
5. Sound understanding and operational experience of Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Excel and Databases.
6. Awareness/understanding of 18week RTT
7. Knowledge of patient pathway from referral to discharge
8. Proven ability in clinic management in order to ensure capacity meets demand together with the ability to think creatively in ways of delivering the required capacity.
9. Operational experience of managing clinic throughput to ensure all patients have an appropriate and timely appointment, whilst ensuring all supportive functions are in place
10. Understanding of patient priorities and performance targets
11. Experience of monitoring and auditing processes of work.
12. A sound understanding and operational experience of specialist clinical systems i.e. Quadramed and ALMA
Desirable criteria
13. Experience working in General Surgery
14. Evidence of improving patient pathways through change management and improved patient experience
15. Proven experience in successfully managing both National and Local KPI’s
Qualifications & Education
Essential criteria
16. English and Maths GCSE or equivalent (Grade C or above)
17. Good general educational standard