Pathway Coordinator for General Paediatrics

Job overview

Please note this post could be closed early, once sufficient applications have been received

The General Paediatric Team has a vacancy for a part time Pathway Coordinator to work as part of the team at Alder Hey Children's Hospital to cover Maternity Leave.  Experienced and committed, you will provide an efficient and comprehensive secretarial service to the Consultants and MDT Team.

The successful applicant will need to have a good general level of education and formal secretarial experience/qualifications.   The successful applicant must possess the essential qualifications outlined in the Person Specification.

Main duties of the job

The post holder’s main duties will include planning, organizing, directing and coordinating the work of the department.  The Pathway Co-Coordinator will be expected to work with the minimum of supervision.  He/she will be able to demonstrate flexibility and use own initiative to carry out duties in such a way as to make a direct and positive contribution to the organisation, thus enabling the Consultant and his/her team to utilise their time in an efficient and effective manner.  The post holder will provide a confident professional service to all patients and their parents, whilst supporting them throughout their pathway of care.  It is vital that confidentiality be maintained at all times.  The post holder must adhere to Trust Policies and Procedures at all times.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Communicate professionally and effectively with patients/parents/carers, the general public and all internal and external agencies both verbally and non-verbally in a timely manner.
• Ensure diplomacy, empathy and confidentiality when dealing with distressed patients/parents/carers.
• Liaise with clinical and non-clinical staff to resolve any issues that may arise, to the mutual benefit of all concerned.
• Meet and greet external visitors to the department in a professional and polite manner.
• Attend and contribute to departmental meetings, team briefs etc.

ANALYSIS AND JUDGEMENT SKILLS:

• Typing of minutes of meetings and general departmental correspondence when required and within locally agreed timescales.
• Work in conjunction with Consultants and Central Admissions Office in relation to managing waiting lists, admissions, operating lists, adhering to the Patient Access and Bed Management Policy at all times.
• Work flexibly to ensure the needs of the service are met at all times.
• Assist the management team in addressing any complaints within the agreed timescales which may have been received within the Clinical Business Unit.
• Exercise judgement and initiative in order to manage the workload effectively and efficiently, taking appropriate action to resolve any issues, liaising with appropriate personnel and seeking guidance from the Line Manager when required.
• Support Clinicians in identifying how data can be captured and managed securely in line with the Information Governance and Data Quality Policies.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS:

Undertake a key role in ensuring the delivery of a high quality patient pathway by working closely with clinical teams to meet national and locally agreed targets for both in-patient and out-patient episodes by monitoring clinic templates, waiting lists and working closely with the management team to address any issues.

• Ensure Clinicians respond and action referrals within locally agreed timescales, ensuring a clear audit trail.
• Co-ordinate investigations and follow up on results, ensuring all results have been brought to the attention of the clinical team.  Establish a clear audit trail to ensure actions have been dealt with.
• Have a clear understanding of current Government and locally agreed targets, ensuring key performance indicators are achieved by working in conjunction with the clinical and management teams.
• Proactively support the confirmation of Clinician’s availability in relation to in-patient and out-patient sessions within the locally agreed timescales.
• Manage prescription requests, confirming patient demographics are recorded correctly and details checked for authenticity, ensuring prescriptions are issued in a timely and effective manner.
• Support the day to day organisation of the clinical teams by managing diaries, co-ordinating meetings, ensuring appropriate documentation available for meetings/lectures, preparation of documents/presentations, attending meetings to take minutes and typing of agendas/minutes.
• Co-ordinate national and international meetings/conferences including travel arrangements, accommodation etc.
• When required, assist in the co-ordination of training programmes for junior staff, whether it be medical or administrative staff, in conjunction with clinical and management teams.
• When required, assist Clinicians with preparation of lectures, exams, research articles and liaising with academic and Research & Development departments.
• Adapt a flexible attitude to meet the needs of the service, taking into consideration each department’s unique specialty and the subsequent requirements of such specialist services.

PHYSICAL SKILLS AND DEXTERITY:

Required to sit in a restricted position for prolonged periods whilst inputting data and typing.

• Required to have prolonged use of a VDU screen.
• The post holder may be required to handle and move heavy objects, such as case notes and stationery stores etc.
• The post holder may be required to pull, lift and carry case notes.
• The post holder will require advanced keyboard skills.

PATIENT/CLIENT CARE:

• Proactively manage telephone calls, many may be of a sensitive nature from patients/parents/carers or from other healthcare professions, all of which require a high level of patient confidentiality and sensitivity.
• Responsibility for providing accurate, up to date, non-clinical advice relating to queries into the department.

POLICY & SERVICE DEVELOPMENT:

• To comply with all Trust and local departmental policies and procedures.
• Undergo all statutory/mandatory training as and when required.
• To take reasonable care for the health and safety of oneself, as well as others.
• Adhere to Trust risk management policies to ensure a safe working environment.
• The post holder is required to comply with the Trust policies on infection prevention and control, bringing any deficiencies to the attention of the Line Manager.
• To be responsible for the general housekeeping of own work area, as well as departmental common areas, reporting any faulty or broken equipment and adhering to the Trust Risk Management Strategy.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL & OTHER RESOURCES:

• To ensure all charitable donations received are dealt with in line with Trust policies.
• Responsible for ensuring Trust equipment and resources are maintained, reporting any faulty equipment to the Estates Department.

HUMAN RESOURCES & TRAINING:

• To provide leadership and day to day supervision to the Administrative Clerks to ensure quality and consistent procedures and practices are in place to provide a high quality administrative service to the clinical and management teams.
• To provide full support to Line Managers at all times.
• To provide cover in the absence of other Pathway Co-ordinators to ensure the smooth running of the service during planned and unplanned leave.
• To use initiative, working autonomously within the remit of the role.
• Oversee the daily workload of the department, prioritizing tasks where appropriate and ensuring excellent communication skills at all times.
• Prepare and implement local induction packages to meet the needs of the service.
• Offer training and support to new members of staff or students within the department, including training in any new technology whilst ensuring some level of responsibility for their workload until competencies have been met.
• Undergo continuous professional development as identified in personal development plan/review, in conjunction with the Knowledge & Skills Framework (KSF) outline for this post.

IT OR OTHER INFORMATION SYSTEMS/RECORD KEEPING:

• Following consultation, co-operate in the introduction of new technology and new working practices, in addition to those already in place as it may apply to the work of the administrative service.
• Ensure all information on the Patient Administration System is updated and accurate, in line with the Trust Data Quality Policy and liaise with colleagues as required, ensuring any necessary changes are actioned.
• Ensure that information systems accurately record the stage of the patient journey in line with national and locally agreed policies and procedures.
• Undertake regular refresher training in information technology to ensure knowledge and skills are kept up to date.
• Ensure any other patient identifiable information (other than that stored on the Patient Administration System) is stored and used in line with the Trust’s Information Governance Policy.
• When required, create, maintain and update databases specific to the specialty requirements.

RESEARCH & AUDIT:

• The post holder may be required to undertake audits of their own workload, as well as that of the supporting team, in conjunction with the requirements of the management team, e.g. telephone audit.
• Update and maintain specialty specific databases for audit purposes as and when required.

MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP:

• Promote a working culture that improves quality and efficiency within the department.
• To support the management team with the identification of more efficient ways of working within area of responsibility.
• To comply with all Trust and department policies and procedures.