Patient Access Coordinator

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS healthcare provider in Greater London is seeking a motivated Patient Access Coordinator. The role involves managing outpatient appointments, responding to patient queries, and supporting the cancer services team. Ideal candidates will have previous administrative experience, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work under pressure. The position requires an NVQ Level 3 and offers a salary range of £30,546 to £32,207 per annum. There is flexibility for remote work after training.

Qualifications

• Proven experience of working in an administrative role.
• Experience of working in a customer-focused environment.
• Knowledge of medical terminology.
• Experience of an administrative role within the NHS.

Responsibilities

• Respond to patient queries effectively and professionally.
• Book, cancel, and reschedule outpatient appointments.
• Support waiting list management for oncology services.
• Ensure patient reminders and billing are accurate.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Organizational skills

Customer service skills

Proficient IT skills

Education

Good general Education with English & Maths to GCSE standard

Relevant NVQ 3 or equivalent qualification

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

Go back Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Patient Access Coordinator

The closing date is 02 February 2026

We are excited to offer Band 3 Patient Access Officer opportunities within Guy's Cancer Centre, part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

We are offering an excellent opportunity for a motivated and organised individual to join Guy's Cancer Centre, part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

This role is ideal for someone looking to develop their administrative experience within a busy oncology setting. You will be required to prioritise a high-volume workload, work effectively under pressure, and provide a professional, compassionate service to patients and carers.

Working closely with clinicians and multidisciplinary teams, you will support the smooth delivery of cancer services by covering reception areas, booking outpatient appointments, and managing calls within a busy call-centre environment. As a key point of contact, you will play an important role in ensuring patients experience a safe, efficient, and supportive pathway of care.

We are looking for someone who is highly organised, reliable, and committed to delivering excellent patient-centred care in line with Trust values.

Once fully trained and established in the role, there is an opportunity to work from home one day per week, subject to service needs and manager approval.

Please note due to high response rate we sometimes close adverts early and we advise you apply as early as possible.

Main duties of the job

We currently have two full-time posts (37.5 hours per week), working on a rotating shift pattern Monday to Friday between the hours of 08:00 - 18:00 (including Bank Holidays & occasional Saturday's, subject to service demand). There is also an expectation for cross-site cover/working, between Guy's Cancer Centre, Guys Hospital, and Guy's Cancer Centre at Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup.

We are seeking dedicated and enthusiastic individuals with excellent attention to detail and strong customer service skills. You will need the ability to prioritise a busy workload, work effectively under pressure, and demonstrate a good understanding of the 18-week RTT pathway, particularly within a cancer services setting.

The successful candidates will join a large and supportive Patient Access team and will be responsible for:

• Responding to patient queries or concerns in an effective and professional manner.
• Booking, cancelling, and rescheduling outpatient appointments across cancer pathways
• Supporting day-to-day waiting list management for oncology and haematology services
• Liaising closely with clinicians and the wider multidisciplinary team to ensure patients are booked within agreed time frames
• Escalating capacity or pathway issues to Team Leaders to support timely resolution

A good understanding of the 18-week patient pathway and previous hospital administration experience are essential for this role.

About us

Organisational Values: Our values help us to define and develop our culture, what we do and how we do it. It is important that you understand and reflect these values throughout your employment with the Trust. The post holder will be: a. Caring b. Ambitious c. Inclusive. Our values and behaviours framework describes what it means for every one of us in the Trust to put our values into action. The framework can be found on our Trust careers pages and GTIntranet.

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities: The duties and responsibilities listed below are representative of the Patient Access Coordinator role and its purpose within the service; they are not exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake additional or alternative administrative duties and responsibilities commensurate with the level of the post, to support the smooth running of the service.

Main Duties: Act as the first point of call for all patient access queries to the Trust.

Be responsible for the scheduling of outpatient appointments according to clinical urgency and length of wait in accordance with departmental procedures and Trust Policies.

Liaise with patients prior to their hospital visit to ensure that a mutually convenient date and time is agreed.

Ensure that patients are appropriately reminded of their appointments. This may include sending reminder letters or contacting patients by telephone, up to seven days before their visit to re-confirm attendance in line with departmental protocols.

Ensure that departmental standards are met for patients receiving notification or acknowledgement of their visit.

Provide a courteous and efficient point of contact for patients both face to face and over the telephone.

Ensure that each patient is treated as an individual and their individual needs are met (i.e. appropriate support is in place for their appointment, such as interpreting support).

Ongoing pathway management: Develop expertise in all aspects of the multiple sub-speciality pathways in the department.

Using the Waiting Lists, ensure that the booking of all patients is in line with Trust and National waiting time targets and escalate exceptions.

Respond to patient queries or concerns in an effective and professional manner, escalating where appropriate to Team Leaders.

Responsible for the accurate input and maintenance of confidential data onto relevant Trust IT systems.

To have a clear and up to date knowledge of the rules and protocols of the service to ensure full and effective utilisation of clinical capacity. Ensure regular, efficient validation of all waiting list data in accordance with Trust Policies.

In conjunction with Team Leaders, review cancelled/suspended/deferred patients ensuring appropriate action is taken.

Work flexibly to ensure the department operates effectively, including working across both acute hospital sites and across all speciality boundaries.

Assist in investigating any complaints or incidents that arise in relation to appointments or admissions for your speciality.

Ensure that any telephone, e-mail or written queries are responded to within the appropriate time frame and escalated if necessary.

Develop and maintain relationships with all staff groups to ensure the patient access teams function as effectively as possible.

Standards monitoring: Ensure telephone calls are answered within the agreed time and in line with the Trust greeting policy.

Ensure that all patient demographics are checked and updated on all Trust systems.

Ensure patient cancellations/changes are recorded appropriately on all relevant Trust systems.

Ensure that any patient initiated pauses to appointment or admission dates are recorded accurately and in real time on EPIC.

Ensure that Patient Waiting Lists are proactively managed in line with Patient Access targets.

Ensure that local and Trust policies are adhered to at all times.

Ensure that all clinics are cashed up within 24 hours of the end of the clinic with all appropriate outcomes completed.

Ensure urgent referrals/queries are dealt with in line with agreed protocols.

Escalate any issues and breaches of the above standards to the Team Leader in the first instance.

Support the Team Leader to investigate any breaches of the above standards.

Other: Work within a multi-disciplinary team in developing the service in line with departmental plans and Trust corporate objectives. Participate in department development as appropriate and participate in department meetings. Undertake any other duties commensurate to the grade, required to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the department. Undertake any training as required to complete the tasks associated with the job role. Ensure that all health records are appropriately tracked and securely stored whilst in the department according to the Health Records Policy. To provide general administration support as directed by management.

Please see the job description attached for further details of the post and the main responsibilities.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Education

• Good general Education with English & Maths to GCSE standard or equivalent
• Relevant NVQ 3 or equivalent qualification or experience

Previous Experience

• Proven experience of working in an administrative role
• Experience of working in a customer focused environment demonstrating the ability to deal with difficult customers and challenging situations
• Experience of working both autonomously and in a team
• Experience of an administrative role within the NHS
• Knowledge of medical terminology

Skills and Knowledge

• Excellent communication & organisational skills
• Proficient IT skills experience of using Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
• Understanding of confidentiality and its application and maintenance in and out of the workplace
• Knowledge of the key waiting times targets including 18 weeks
• Use of Trust systems (EPIC, e-RS etc)

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.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

£30,546 to £32,207 a year Per annum inc HCA