Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for the position of a Service Coordinator role within the Obesity department at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital, part of Bedfordshire NHS Trust.
The Service Coordinator role is challenging and will require attention to detail as well as being able to work under pressure.
The post holder will work alongside the Service Manager, pathway coordinator and the MDT which includes a consultant, dietitians, nurses, psychologists and a wider admin team.
This is an exciting time for clinical service lines at Bedfordshire NHS Trust following the merger of Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable Hospital in April 2020.
The successful candidate will need to be compassionate, resilient and self-motivated. This includes a positive approach to team working and have excellent interpersonal and problem solving skills. The ability to produce high quality work to timelines whilst managing conflicting priorities is essential.
If you are an excellent communicator, passionate about providing high quality care and you thrive in a complex and fast-paced environment we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
The function of the Obesity service co-ordinator is to provide leadership to the administration team that will support an efficient service to the Obesity and Bariatric Services to work closely with clinicians, consultants and Managers, to assist with referral triage, ICB funding management and line management of junior admin staff, where requested and/or appropriate. To be instrumental in the smooth running of the department and work without supervision, using initiative when dealing with enquiries and escalating concerns such as patient complaints efficiently. The service coordinator will also be responsible for organising and attending departmental meetings, taking minutes and any other duties incurred thereof.
The Service Coordinator may also be involved in any research projects that the Department may undertake, both from internal and external sources, and will therefore need to work in an extremely organised and accurate manner and undertake any training that may be required for same.
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology.
Our Values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Provide the focal point of communication for all medical, professional and allied medical staff, both within the Trust and with external organisations, and patients using judgement to facilitate successful outcome of enquiries.
Provide joint line management to the administration team.
Assist in the interview process for team members including sitting on interview panels.
Monitoring of clinics to ensure targets are met consistently. Escalation to Manager for capacity concerns.
To triage referrals coming into the department and liaise with GPs and other organisations as needed and deal with them in a prompt manner, independently generating correspondence where necessary. To deal with all other correspondence, including clinical letters, medical reports, results, etc. or to supervise other administration staff/typists of the same.
Deal with concerned patients / relatives with tact and patience. Patient contact by telephone is an integral part of the role. Use judgement to assess whether a query is urgent and requires immediate escalation.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
1. Substantial experience in a similar role
Desirable criteria
2. Proven track record and experience of successful working with colleagues, senior managers and clinicians
Skills
Essential criteria
3. Experience in Microsoft Office, Powerpoint, Word and Excel
Desirable criteria
4. Knowledge and experience of internal IT apps including iPM, Evolve, ICE, e-RS, Nervecentre
Qualifications
Essential criteria
5. Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
Desirable criteria
6. Training in advanced communication skills or audit and data collection
Experience
Essential criteria
7. Staff Management Dealing with difficult and sensitive situations requiring considerable discretion
Desirable criteria
8. Dealing with patient complaints or concerns
Knowledge
Essential criteria
9. Knowledge of patient confidentiality
Desirable criteria
10. Knowledge of Tier 3 or Tier 4
Skills
Essential criteria
11. Ability to prioritise, work under pressure and multi-task
Desirable criteria
12. Knowledge of Root Cause Analysis