Patient Access Clerk

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust; Brighton; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider in Brighton is seeking a highly motivated Patient Access Clerk to support the Oncology administration team. The ideal candidate will have excellent customer service, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work effectively both independently and within a team. The role involves managing patient bookings, supporting clinical services, and ensuring compliance with referral targets, providing a vital link between patients and healthcare teams.

Benefits

Extensive Wellbeing Programme

Inclusive workplace with staff networks

Opportunities for professional development

Qualifications

• Experience in administrative roles with public interaction is essential.
• Ability to handle complex inquiries, particularly in healthcare settings.
• Experience working independently and managing multiple tasks effectively.

Responsibilities

• Manage patient bookings from referral to discharge.
• Collaborate with clinical staff to facilitate patient access services.
• Ensure compliance with patient access policies and waiting time targets.

Skills

Excellent customer service skills

Good communication skills

Organizational skills

Ability to work under pressure

Computer literacy

Education

Good general level of education

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Social network you want to login/join with:

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Location:

Brighton, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Reference:

8e7575d3220f

Job Views:

5

Posted:

10.08.2025

Expiry Date:

24.09.2025

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Job Description:

Job overview

We require a highly motivated, flexible and enthusiastic individual with excellent customer service skills to join our administration team working in a friendly, positive and supportive environment within the Cancer Directorate. The available post will be based at Worthing Hospital.

Patient Access Clerk, Band 3:

• Full time - 37.5 hours per week, to be negotiated in line with the needs of the service.

You will be working within an established administration team supporting the clinical and nursing team within Oncology services. You will have administrative experience, a good general level of education and be computer literate. You will have experience of working with the general public and will have a good telephone manner. You must be able to work well both within a team and unsupervised, with good communication and organisational skills and the ability to work effectively under pressure.

You will work in close collaboration with Consultants, Clinicians, radiographers, nursing staff and the operational management team to facilitate the management of the outpatient waiting lists and recording of activity for the service. Working closely with the Patient Access Manager for Cancer Services, you will ensure compliance with BSUH Trust Patient Access Policy and 18-week referral to treatment and cancer waiting time targets.

Main duties of the job

To support the Patient Access Manager in the provision of an effective and efficient patient access service for oncology services.

To be responsible for managing the booking of patients from referral to outpatient attendance and to discharge from clinic or from treatment, working in collaboration with medical, nursing, paramedical, management and administrative staff across University Hospitals Sussex sites.

To analyse and validate Patient Targeting Lists (PTL), patient outcome data and cancer waiting time and 18-week validation reports and report issues to the Patient Access Manager.

To work as a member of a team in providing a flexible, efficient and high quality administration service for patients attending the hospital and to assist medical staff, allied healthcare professionals and nurses in the management of oncology, haematology and radiotherapy.

To recommend changes to policies and procedures in order to provide an optimum patient access service.

To support the secretarial team with audio typing as required

Working for our organisation

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and 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, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it - 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 and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.

Candidate information pack - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication

• To engage in collaborative problem solving with co-workers and staff and other outside agencies.
• To ensure that all telephone and email communications are dealt with in a timely and professional manner.
• To ensure that all telephone voicemail messages are updated, clear and concise and that all messages are dealt with promptly.
• To ensure that when on leave an out of office message is left detailing who to contact.
• To function as a ‘team player’, being considerate and flexible, taking the needs of peers into consideration.
• To exercise discretion to ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained and a professional, respectful hospital environment exists at all times.
• To provide and receive complex and sensitive information via telephone, face to face, or in writing, some of which may be contentious in nature, requiring interpersonal and communication skills to promptly assess each situation, escalating to or seeking advice from a health professional as necessary.
• To have good written and oral communication skills to enable clear and concise information, explanations and instructions are provided.
• To answer a range of complex and sensitive patient enquiries promptly and politely (via telephone and in person) and where necessary refer to the Patient Access Manager for advice/support.
• To advise patients of any delays to being seen for their appointment/treatment within the service.
• To ensure that all patients are given the opportunity to speak to a senior manager if they wish to make a complaint about the service that they have received.
• To be able to establish and maintain effective communication with all members of the public, including those with challenging behaviour, learning disabilities and those whose first language is not English, ensuring interpreters are booked for appointments as soon as the need is identified to comply with legislation.
• To liaise with clinical /nursing staff, porters and ambulance staff.
• To deal with all non-clinical queries in an efficient and courteous manner using judgement and prioritisation.
• To develop and maintain effective working relationships with nursing, medical, Allied Health Professionals and managerial staff within the department.
• To work with colleagues to ensure that relevant information is disseminated effectively and appropriately in a timely manner.
• To take clear and accurate messages and ensure prompt delivery to the appropriate person.

Service Delivery and Improvement

• To work as a Patient Access Clerk in the support of oncology administration services.
• To be responsible for processing referrals, ensuring they are actioned in a timely manner in accordance with Trust Patient Access Policy and national guidelines and in compliance with national cancer waiting times guidance.
• To ensure that all outpatient referral letters are entered on to the appropriate outpatient waiting list within one working day of receipt, forwarded to the relevant clinician for prioritisation within one working day of receipt and received from the clinician subsequent to prioritisation within two working days.
• To be responsible for ensuring new, follow-up and treatment patients are identified on the waiting list and booked within the specified timeframe, escalating any capacity issues to the Patient Access Manager.
• To contact all patients requiring an urgent appointment by telephone and offer an appointment in accordance with Trust Patient Access Policy.
• To ensure that all appointments for services with the service are confirmed in writing and that patients receive the relevant documentation relating to their visit to or treatment in hospital.
• To provide patient choice in agreeing appointments within national waiting time targets and subject to clinician's triaged urgency of individual cases.
• To confirm with the patient/carer/relative on arrival within the service all necessary patient-information to include patient demographics, GP information, overseas visitors status, Ethnic Group Monitoring Data and referral information.
• To ensure any changes to patient information is followed by changes to medical case notes, Patient Administration System (PAS)/ electronic appointments system, patient identification labels and information sheets.
• To establish whether the patient is an overseas visitor, and inform the Trust Overseas & Private Patients Co-ordinator where appropriate to enable the necessary action to be taken.
• To ensure accurate and timely data collection and recording to maximise Trust income.
• To record patient outcomes and make outpatient follow-up and treatment appointments using Trust PAS / electronic appointments system following the patient’s consultation or treatment.
• To update treatment plans and dates where appropriate for patients attending for treatment using the departments electronic appointments systems.
• To be responsible for cancelling outpatient/planning clinics due to clinician’s leave and ensure appointments are rescheduled following Trust Patient Access Policy. Ensure patients are notified in a timely manner, informing the Patient Access Manager of any issues relating to the potential breach of national waiting time targets.
• To ensure that patient medical records are prepared and delivered to the health professional promptly for the patient’s attendance within the service as required.
• To ensure the appropriate patient outcome including outpatient procedure coding is recorded on Trust PAS and electronic appointments system for any outpatient or treatment attendance.
• To ensure adequate facilities for all outpatient and treatments are available in collaboration with departments, clinicians, radiographers, nursing staff and Patient Access Manager.
• To ensure that all work related to patients accessing oncology services is in total compliance with Trust Patient Access Policy, reporting any non-compliance issues to the Patient Access Manager.
• To report to the Patient Access Manager any issues related to the functionality of the Trust PAS and any other electronic systems used by the service relating to patient administration for which the post holder has been trained in but unable to resolve.
• To assist the Patient Access Manager in ensuring the delivery of the requirements of Trust Patient Access Policy with specific reference to the waiting lists for oncology, SACT, haematology and radiotherapy services.
• To reschedule, amend or cancel oncology outpatient appointments using a range of administration systems and notify all relevant parties of changes.
• To take the appropriate action for any patients who do not attend for their outpatient appointment, treatment or diagnostic test appointments in accordance with Trust Patient Access Policy.
• To have knowledge of and maintain procedures relating to the Trust Patient Access Policy, Data Protection Act, Caldicott guidelines and Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy.
• To maintain medical records including merging of duplicate patient medical records, filing all correspondence, clinical test and x-ray results, and uploading documents to PANDA.
• To organise all support services, e.g. transport, portering, domestic, interpreting services as directed and noting arrangements on the relevant electronic appointments systems.
• To ensure patient private health insurance documents are in order and passed to the appropriate department.
• To organise couriers if needed for urgent transfer of medical records/drugs.
• To chase investigation results as and when requested to do so by the clinicians to enable medical staff to make decisions regarding patient treatment plans/care.
• To be able to use own judgement to prioritise tasks in order to ensure patients are seen for their appointment/treatment in a timely way.
• To organise workload and ensure that national and Trust waiting list and national cancer waiting time targets are met.
• To be able to use own judgement to independently assess as first point of contact, a range of issues and situations.
• To prioritise and manage own workload with minimal or no supervision, seeking advice where necessary.
• The post holder is responsible for supporting the administration section of the Trust major incident plan.
• To report and record any equipment faults/repairs to relevant departments, e.g. IT, Department of Capital Development and Facilities.
• To be aware of and contribute to the management of Health and Safety in relation to the working environment.
• The post holder has freedom to exercise own judgement. Errors in judgement would have an effect on a range of services and/or the patient, therefore the post holder is expected to liaise daily with the Patient Access Manager or clinician in charge of the specific area regarding patient issues.

Person specification

Experience and Skills

• • Substantial experience of admin/clerical work
• • Experience of working with the general public
• • Computer literate with knowledge of Microsoft products to include Word & Excel
• • To be able to handle complex enquiries from patients, some of whom may distressed/anxious about their care
• • Ability to work unsupervised, plan, prioritise and manage own workload
• • Ability to concentrate on complex issues in an open plan environment when frequently interrupted
• • Experience in a hospital or healthcare setting

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role
• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues

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