ED/SDEC Patient Navigator

NHS; Carshalton; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals seeks an administrative professional to support the Emergency Department. The post involves coordinating patient flow, liaising with clinical teams and managing data across patient journeys from admission to discharge.

The role requires good GCSE English and experience with NHS patient administration systems, with a focus on accuracy, discretion and excellent customer service in a busy hospital setting.

Qualifications

• Good general education with GCSE or equivalent in English.
• NVQ level 2 in Business Administration or equivalent experience.
• Experience using IT/patient administration systems in a healthcare setting.

Responsibilities

• Oversee patient flow through the department in liaison with clinicians and nursing staff.
• Maintain accurate records and ensure timely admission, transfer and discharge processes.
• Coordinate patient transport and bed management across the hospital.
• Support ward handovers and ensure documentation is complete and up to date.
• Liaise with clinical teams to facilitate efficient patient pathways.
• Provide general reception duties and handle queries from patients and relatives.

Skills

Administrative skills

Customer service

IT literacy

Education

GCSE English

NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration or equivalent

Tools

NHS patient administration systems

Job description

Main area Emergency Department Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent: Full time Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (shifts 24 hour shift cover) Job ref 343-8242702-MT

Site St Helier Hospital Town Carshalton Salary £33,262 - £36,027 pa incl HCAS Outer Salary period Yearly Closing 12/11/2026 23:59

At Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, above all we value respect. We put respect at the heart of all we do, by living up to our shared behaviours of kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork. This enables us to provide great patient care and make ESTH a great place to work. When you sign up to work with us, you sign up to this and we welcome applicants who share our values.

Job overview

The post holder will provide high quality patient care through dedicated administrative support as part of the multi-disciplinary team, being the point of contact for all administration and clerical issues relating to patients’ pathway of care, tracking and supporting them from admission to discharge ensuring the best use of resources.

The post holder will be accessible, customer focused, visible and knowledgeable, displaying sensitivity and tact and have the skill to prioritise tasks with discretion to organise a varied and changing daily workload. The post holder will display sensitivity and tact when dealing with patients and relatives, prioritising tasks with discretion to organise a varied and changing daily workload.

Main duties of the job

Main Duties and responsibilities:

• To be responsible for the oversight of patient flow through the department, liaising with clinicians and nursing staff to ensure that the patient journey throughout the department is completed in a timely way
• To liaise with Clinical Site Management Team and ED and SDEC staff to enable efficient bed management for those patients who need onward admission to a ward in the main hospital ensuring the patient flow is as seamless as it can be
• To monitor patients journey time within the ED Department and highlight to the NIC if patients are nearing their 4 hour journey time
• To ensure coding on patient management systems is completed before patient transfer or discharge
• Prompt and facilitate the 2 hour huddles with NIC & CIC
• To chase clinicians for patient plans and assist with bleeping speciality teams
• To ensure that patients are going for their scans promptly (liaising with the ED team and radiology)
• To book / chase inpatient beds when required (including liaising with the site team)
• To book in ambulances and patient transport

Working for our organisation

As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination uptake as this remains the best line of defence against COVID19.

At Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, above all we value respect. We put respect at the heart of all we do, by living up to our shared behaviours of kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork. This enables us to provide great patient care and make ESTH a great place to work. When you sign up to work with us, you sign up to this and we welcome applicants who share our values

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Provide general reception duties for patients. Be aware of the needs and concerns of patients and provide a friendly, efficient and courteous service to patients, relatives and visitors, providing them with advice and information as appropriate. Inform teams of patients’ arrival and deal with telephone queries and internal security access. Use empathetic approach to patients and/or relatives seeking assistance from clinical staff/senior managers as appropriate.
• To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team maintaining efficient systems and processes relating to patient attendances and admissions. This includes maintaining accurate computerised and manual records, inputting registration and waiting list data onto the Trust’s computer systems and ensuring that all patient records are kept up to date with any details relevant to the patient’s attendance and/or admission. This may include registering new patients within a clinic setting and checking demographic information during patient encounters.
• To accurately record patient activity on the Trust Patient Management systems, including day case and outpatient clinics and keep all relevant clinical systems and diaries up to date, as a permanent record of attendances.
• To ensure all patient records are available to clinical staff. This may include receiving discharge summaries, histology reports etc and preparing them and patients’ records for review by clinicians.
• Access X-rays through the trust systems and update doctors as required.
• Ensure that all patient documentation is filled in patients’ notes &/or transferred to appropriate ward, medical records &/or other departments as required
• To provide administrative support to managers to enable efficient processes.
• Facilitate discharge processes, including liaising with relatives, carers, patient transport and other involved agencies as agreed with the respective clinicians to ensure integrated approach to patient care.
• Ensure paperwork is accurately completed including admissions, discharges, transfer of patients and data entry requirements.
• To liaise with clinical staff to ensure that specialist equipment is available, where required, and that clinical teams are aware of patients with specialist needs.
• To liaise with other clinical/ diagnostic teams to ensure all diagnostics tests are carried out within an appropriate timescale.
• Liaise with appropriate Trust facilities managers to ensure premises are compliant with health & safety requirements and maintenance issues are reported and resolved effectively.
• Contribute to quality and service improvement initiatives to improve services.
• To arrange translation services, in liaison with the appropriate departmental manager, as required. This may include foreign language &/or sign language translation. Ensure that such services are available for the period of patient attendance &/or admission as appropriate.
• Use effective listening/communication skills when dealing with potentially distressed or bereaved patients and/or relatives.
• Promptly answer telephone enquiries, taking and relaying messages in a polite and helpful manner, taking action or signposting as appropriate.
• Provide cover for colleagues during periods of planned annual leave and sickness.
• To undertake additional administrative tasks and responsibilities as required.
• Adhere to all Trust policies including Infection Control, Hygiene Code, Data Protection Act, Uniform Policy, taking appropriate account of patients’ rights and diversity and ensuring fair access to services.

Qualifications

• Good general education with GCSE or equivalent in English at grade C or above
• NVQ level 2 in Business Administration or Customer Care or equivalent experience

Experience

• Experience of using a full range of IT/patient administration systems
• Experience of patient administration work in a healthcare setting
• Experience of face-to-face customer contact
• Experience of NHS or public sector

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and customer care skills and dealing with complaints
• Ability to recognise when to escape problems/ complaints
• The ability to prioritise tasks effectively and work without direct supervision
• Computer literate, with experience of using a keyboard
• Understanding of medical terminology
• Knowledge of policies such as Data Confidentiality Act

Safeguarding and DBS Checks
We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. All staff are expected to understand and uphold their safeguarding responsibilities as part of their role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.