Waiting List Clerk

NHS; Dewsbury; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

An acute trust in Dewsbury is seeking a Centralised Waiting List Office Clerk to manage patient admissions and waiting lists. The role requires excellent customer service and communication skills, working within a multidisciplinary team. You will be responsible for ensuring efficient patient-centered service delivery while handling sensitive information. Join a supportive and innovative team dedicated to improving patient experiences.

Benefits

NHS pension

Generous holidays

Wellbeing services

Qualifications

• Experience in a busy, demanding environment.
• Previous NHS knowledge and experience managing waiting lists is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Manage waiting lists across specialties and ensure efficient use of theatre sessions.
• Serve as a contact for patients and manage admissions.
• Communicate sensitive information empathetically.

Skills

Customer Service

Communication

Teamwork

Job description

We are looking for friendly, outgoing individuals with experience working in a busy, demanding environment and within customer service. You will enjoy working as part of a team and have experience communicating and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team. Previous NHS knowledge and experience managing waiting lists is desirable, as you will have significant direct telephone contact with patients and face-to-face interactions with internal and external staff to support smooth waiting list management at MYHT.

Main duties of the job

Our Centralised Waiting List Office Clerks manage waiting lists across specialties, operating Trust-wide in accordance with Government Access Standards, NHS Constitution, and Trusts' Patient Access Policy, ensuring efficient use of theatre and procedure sessions. They exercise initiative and use independent judgment to book patients based on their clinical needs, complexity, and case mix. The role involves working in a demanding environment with complex, sensitive information, providing an information and communication link between patients and their elective hospital admissions. You will be responsible for decision-making to ensure an effective, organized, and high-quality patient-centered clerical service.

About us

We are an acute trust caring for over one million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff work in patients' homes, the community, and across our three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield). Committed to continuous improvement, we prioritize our people and values to deliver excellent patient experiences. Our team is friendly, passionate, and innovative, supporting work-life balance and fostering a diverse, inclusive environment. We offer extensive benefits, including NHS pension, generous holidays, and wellbeing services. Join us to make a difference every day.

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a named contact for patients, relatives, carers, medical staff, GPs, and support services to plan and manage admissions, via face-to-face, telephone, written, or electronic communication.
• Support patients facing barriers due to cultural, language, physical, mental, or age-related needs, using tact and persuasion to negotiate suitable appointment dates.
• Communicate sensitive or unpleasant news empathetically over the phone, providing reassurance during distressing discussions.
• Accurately add patients to waiting lists and record relevant notes.
• Advise patients regarding their admission, pre- and post-operative guidance, and waiting list status.
• Provide high-standard customer service in a courteous, empathetic, and diplomatic manner.
• Plan theatre/procedure lists up to six weeks ahead, using clinical knowledge and medical terminology to meet NHS targets.
• Attend weekly meetings with the Patient Service Manager to discuss capacity issues and contribute to solutions.
• Maximize theatre/procedure list utilization, considering guidelines, patient needs, cancellations, staffing, and resource arrangements.
• Communicate information about elective admissions, theatre lists, equipment, and anesthesia requirements to relevant staff.
• Ensure funding is in place for patient admissions, including out-of-area cases.
• Monitor waiting list data to ensure compliance with national standards, escalating capacity issues as needed.
• Accurately add patients to the waiting list, understanding RTT pathways and ensuring data quality across multiple systems.
• Handle sensitive information in compliance with data protection policies.
• Coordinate admissions for patients with complex needs or planned care sequences.
• Work independently within policies and procedures, making decisions to ensure efficient, patient-centered service delivery.
• Implement specialty policies and contribute to improvements.
• Arrange additional resources for safe, patient-centered admissions, such as transport or interpretation services.
• Prioritize workload daily, escalating issues to management when necessary.
• Multi-task effectively, handling interruptions and reprioritizing as needed.
• Apply procedural knowledge and problem-solving skills to non-routine issues.
• Maintain concentration while working at VDUs, inputting data across multiple systems.
• Assist in training and supporting new staff members.
• Work flexibly to cover service needs, including colleague leave.

Please see attached Job Description for the Person Specification which details the essential criteria needed to apply for the role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Please click 'apply now' to view full person specification (there is no obligation to submit an application).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, requiring a Disclosure check for any criminal convictions.