Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will join an exceptionally busy yet friendly team, and will be an integral part of the department.

Our clinics are held in Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals.

You may be required to work cross-site as necessary

Key Responsibilities 

Whilst the organisation and structure within specialties/divisions may vary the specific remit of this role will include: 

- Manage the patient telephone line with incoming and outgoing calls, and assist with enquiries; passing on accurate messages where required, using own initiative as appropriate and seeking guidance where required.

- Manage the patient inbound mailbox and ensure all queries are answered and actioned in a timely manner.

- Manage the patient inbound Voicemail box and ensure all queries are answered and actioned in a timely manner.

- To ensure that patients receive a supportive and responsive service tailored to their specific needs particularly where barriers to understanding exist.

- To assist in the booking of simple and straightforward appointments, using multiple screens and systems

- Assist with the completion of clinic change forms for the provision of adequate clinic capacity.

- Assist with training and sharing knowledge and skills with new employees as required.

- Assist with the recruitment of patients for the Mobile Chemotherapy Cancer Care Unit (MCCU) in the community.

- Assist with the management and clean-up of waiting lists and data reports for the service. 

Service Improvement

- Support the development of improvements to working practices and processes and contribute to service reviews and the implementation of new arrangements.

- As directed, support the resolution of complaints or concerns from patients/carers by helping to collate information and work with the supervisor to respond or escalate appropriately.

- Participate in Health & Safety within the Department which includes Manual Handling, Fire Warden etc.

Team-working

- To work as part of an administrative support team, working flexibly to ensure that administrative work is performed to excellent, efficient and safe standards

- To cover colleagues during absences as directed by the Pathway Supervisor. You may also be required to undertake job rotation for cross cover as well as for development and training purposes.

- Take the initiative as and when required as well as working flexibly and adapting to the demands of the department/team as appropriate

- Liaise with relevant team members to ensure that any process changes run smoothly and efficiently.

Undertake any other appropriate duties commensurate with the role, as required at the request of your line manager.

Communications and Working Relationships

- Medical staff including Consultant Clinical, Medical Oncologists and Specialty Doctors

- Nursing Staff including Advanced Nurse Practitioners

- Patients, carers and relatives

- Other Medical Secretaries/Administration staff and Ward Clerks

- GP’s and GP practices

- Service Line and General Management team

- Other NHS organisations

Most Challenging Part of the Job 
  
- Dealing with copious amounts of telephone calls with potentially distressing or emotional content

- Responding to anxious, angry and distressed patients, relatives and carers.

- Dealing with copious amounts of inbound patient emails

- Sitting at a desk and using a telephone and email for long periods of time. 

- The need to interrogate multiple clinic screens using multiple booking systems whilst conducting a transaction with patients.

- Using initiative to manage the daily workload in the allocated hours.

- Working in either or both departments / hospital sites as and when required

4.    Mental and Emotional effort

- Dealing with sensitive and confidential information.

- Dealing with anxiety and aggression from patients, relatives and carers.

- Due to the acute nature of Oncological and Haematological diseases there can be last minute additions to clinic lists which can be stressful.

- Working as part of a busy and pressurised team with the associated stresses.

- Ability to concentrate where work pattern is unpredictable and there are frequent interruptions.

- Ability to multitask.

5.    General Working Conditions 

- Prolonged use of telephone and computer systems in a call centre type environment. 

- Sitting at a desk for long periods of time.

- Work pattern unpredictable due to interruptions from telephone enquiries, emails, visits from colleagues/personnel.

- Working as part of a busy and pressurised team with the associated stresses.

- Priorities can, and often, change daily.

Benefits of working in our Trust include:

Holiday entitlement of 27 days per year, plus eight Bank Holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years' service

Annual personal development reviews to support your career aspirations

Occupational health services and support

Automatic membership of the NHS Pension Scheme

Additional Contact Details

Daniel Fletcher

email: [email protected]