Job overview
The role of a PPC (Patient Pathway Co-ordinator) is to manage the radiotherapy patient’s pathway, by working with all members of the MDT (multi-disciplinary team). The post holder will ensure all patients are referred and progressed through the complex radiotherapy pathway and ensuring all patient and clinical information is available for clinicians to make informed treatment decisions. The PPC must ensure all treatment decisions are followed up and organise and inform any changes to referrals.
The PPC will monitor and help ensure that all referrals are managed and meet the measures set out in the NHS Cancer Plan and Cancer Peer Review Measure, particularly the Cancer Waiting Times - 31 Day and 62 Day targets. The PPC will work with the Head of Radiotherapy to develop a service improvement program and implement any actions.
To ensure that CWT, COSD, and audit data are meticulously captured, accurately documented and consistently maintained in alignment with the highest standards of quality and compliance.
Main duties of the job
1. The PPC must work with the Radiotherapy Managers and Head of Radiotherapy, to ensure the service is improving constantly and that all services are monitored.
2. The PPC must complete continuous review of the patient pathway optimisation tools within MOSAIQ. This involves, routinely auditing and tracking patients through the radiotherapy pathways and monitoring their wait from referral to final treatment. The PPC will then process map problem areas, to aim to reduce waiting times. The PPC will have training on process mapping. The PPC will also produce an action plan from the process map and set targets the Radiotherapy team will use to ensure improvements are made. The PPC will monitor the action plan and report back the findings to the Radiotherapy managers. The PPC will present these findings to the Consultants, Radiographers and Radiotherapy Physics teams at weekly PTL meetings.
3. Please see job description for full duties.
Working for our organisation
At UHSussex (UHSx), diversity is our strength, & we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness & experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, & can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) & a Veteran Aware Trust.
We treat our patients & staff with the same compassion & empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above & beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our candidate information pack & wellbeing programme, for staff which is extensive & designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching & training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us & throughout your career we will help you to grow & develop. We hope that in choosing UHSx you are choosing a long & happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make & feel valued for all that you do.
We look forward to receiving your application & the start of your journey with UHSx.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
4. The main role of the PPC is to ensure radiotherapy patients pathways have the shortest waiting times possible from referral to treatment. This includes providing administrative support for the Radiotherapy Management team, Operational Manager and Consultants by producing and circulating lists of cancer patients to be discussed at the weekly Patient Time Line (PTL) meeting. To be responsible that the patient details on the list are correct. This will involve communication with admin staff, registrars and consultants. The number of patients on the list can vary from tumour site to tumour site, but there could be up to 100 patients for discussion.
5. There is no standard pathway of patients for each tumour site for radiotherapy treatment and the PPC must plan and manage this process.
6. To ensure any emergency and palliative patients are appropriately discussed, referred and added to treatment lists. The PPC must be able to work under differing timescales and manage their own time to ensure the information is available.
7. To attend the PTL and Bookings meetings and be part of the team and communicate complex information including patient history and diagnosis.
8. To record the treatment decisions, and pathway changes within the PTL meeting and communicate complex information to the wider MDT to ensure full awareness of pathway optimisation for radiotherapy patients. The post holder must complete the notes of changes extremely quickly and with great accuracy.
9. To follow up with all departments the treatment decision, for example arranging pre-treatment, treatment, planning, rescans and mouldroom appointments.To also ensure patient information, such as radiology and patient notes are transferred to the next stage of the patient pathway. The post holder will need to become aware of a number of different hospital procedures, such as how outpatients are booked, referrals to other hospitals are made etc., so the patient moves through the pathway as quickly as possible.
10. The PPC will need to monitor patients though their pathway, so the patients can be brought back to the PTL to discuss various complex issues.
11. The PPC will need to liaise with a number of departments i.e. oncology, radiology and pathology to ensure patient appointments are made as soon as possible and the results are reported quickly.
Please note: This role does not meet the minimum criteria for visa sponsorship under the current UK immigration rules, which set specific salary and skill thresholds. As such, we are unable to provide sponsorship for this post. Applicants will therefore need to already have the right to work in the UK to be considered. We include this information at the outset to provide clarity and avoid unnecessary inconvenience for applicants.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
12. Degree or Experience
Desirable criteria
13. Data entry
Experience
Desirable criteria
14. Experience in working with Elekta machines
Experience
Desirable criteria
15. Experience of working in the NHS
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Essential criteria
16. Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
17. Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
Important information for applicants:
A Note on AI Use in Applications
We value the individuality and authenticity that each candidate brings to the application process. While AI tools are increasingly accessible, we strongly discourage their use in completing your application. Your responses should reflect your own voice, experiences, and motivations—elements that are essential to a fair and accurate evaluation.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may misrepresent your abilities and could result in your application being rejected. We encourage you to take the time to present your genuine self, as this helps us better understand your potential and ensures a transparent selection process.
Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.
Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.
Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.
DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check. We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.
Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.
UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications