Overview
Team Leader - Patient Access (West Middlesex site)
We are looking for an enthusiastic patient focused individual to join our Outpatients team. If you thrive on a challenge and enjoy working in a very busy and demanding environment this could be the role for you.
The closing date is 09 November 2025.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will manage the delivery of a high quality, safe and compassionate healthcare service to patients. They will manage and lead a team of administrators, organise workload and cover, recruit and induct new staff, identify training and support required by individuals and manage performance. The post holder will have responsibility for driving forward excellent standards of customer service and taking action where levels of service delivery fall short of what is required or do not uphold Trust values.
They will be responsible for ensuring that all administrative processes are efficient and effective and enable the team and the Trust to meet high standards of performance within Outpatients. They will have excellent communication skills, the ability to prioritise own workload, the ability to motivate and enthuse others, and a positive and flexible approach to the changing demands and opportunities of the service.
About us
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—along with award-winning clinics across North West London.
Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services, including maternity, A&E, and children's services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and 'Outstanding' in leadership and resource use.
We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex. We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs.
The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background. Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates. Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven't heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period.
Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.
Job responsibilities
Roles and responsibilities
* Take overall responsibility for efficient running of the administrative function, maintaining effective office/ departmental systems and processes.
* Work with other members of the wider team to ensure quality standards are adhered to.
* Ensure that the team is aware of relevant Trust policies and procedures relating to service delivery.
* Develop new processes for the service with a view to continuously improving the patient experience.
* Create and prepare reports relating to service delivery and performance and recommend actions where areas of improvement are identified.
* Take responsibility for the even distribution of workload within the department, initiating amendments or improvements where necessary
* Take responsibility for patient/client care in terms of dealing with complex patient queries, particularly where patients are distressed and emotional.
* Manage complex patient queries referred from other staff to an appropriate resolution
* Manage any complaints in accordance with the directorate's clinical governance/ complaints guidelines.
* Ensure appropriate training and induction is in place for new members of the team, and refresher and mandatory training takes place for all members of staff
* Provide cross cover for Team Leader colleagues across the clinical administrative teams where necessary
* Organise and conduct annual appraisals with staff and develop PDPs, ensure training and development needs are met. To evaluate staff performance against PDPs taking appropriate action to ensure that staff abilities and aptitudes are developed and potential maximized in line with KSF
* Co-ordinate regular team meetings and include other relevant key personnel
* Maintain personal files for individuals and maintain as confidential
* Effectively address issues of poor performance, conduct and attendance
* Co-ordinate and formulate appropriate responses to patients and other complaints and work with PALS and the complaints department
* Investigate complaints within specified timeframes, liaising with divisional managers and clinicians as necessary to obtain required information to formulate a response
* Collate staff attendance figures and manpower returns and send to the appropriate department
* Ensure that the team is aware of relevant Trust policy & procedure updates
* Oversee stationery supplies and other stock and non-stock items and authorise new orders in line with budgetary constraints.
* Ensure trust-wide standard operating procedures and policies developed for clinical administrative processes are adhered to; participate in the review of and development of new procedures
* Assist line Manager in maintaining a quality assurance process to ensure SOPs, policies and procedures are being adhered to within the clinical administrative team
* Pro-actively monitor all administrative processes and responsibilities highlighting any system, procedural or capacity issues in line with the needs of the service
* Attend on behalf of the service all relevant Trust wide user groups cascading relevant information to staff
* Ensure the office environment is maintained within Health and Safety standards and projects a professional image
* Comply with Trust procedures for tracking the whereabouts of patient records at all times
* Assist all members of staff and patients with the uptake of new technologies, and where required become a user champion to embed learning
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
* Educated to degree level or equivalent
* Junior management qualification or equivalent experience to demonstrate competency
Experience
* Staff management including objective setting and appraisal, performance review & people development
* Experience of working with clinicians and healthcare professionals at a senior level
* Significant experience working in the NHS
* Experience of a range of Patient Administration Systems (PAS)
* Experience in dealing sensitively with a range of people issues and complaints
* Ability to prioritise and delegate tasks appropriately
* Good communication skills, written and verbal. Should include the ability to overcome significant barriers with developed interpersonal skills when providing and receiving highly sensitive/highly contentious information in antagonistic or highly emotive environments
* Proven ability in managing people, process, quality and productivity
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
£35,763 to £43,466 a year per annum incl. HCAS (pro rata)
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