Ward Clerk

Ward Clerk (Band 3)

Newry

Temporary (6 months)

The Client: Local Healthcare body based in Newry

The Role: Ward Clerk

JOB SUMMARY

The post holder will provide a high level clerical service to Consultants, Medical Staff and other Professionals at ward level and work as an integral part of the team. They will be expected to work under pressure without direct supervision and be able to manage own workload. As the post holder, he/she will be ward based as frontline personnel of the ward and expected to answer and handle phone calls. They must have knowledge working with computer and Microsoft Office. They will use Patient Centre.

KEY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

The post-holder will be required to carry out a range of duties which may include the following:

• General reception duties which include managing the door systems, meeting and greeting patients, relatives, members of staff and clergy; also checking in and redirecting patients.
• Operate Patient Centre, computer database system, ensuring all information is accurate and up-to-date. Record manually the ward activity on daily ward return/reports. Record on Patient Centre all admissions, discharges and transfers on the ward, including reasons for delayed and complex discharges.
• Have charts available on war, ensure they are tracked to the appropriate ward, filed in a tidy manner and fastened securely with an adequate supply of documentation prepared for ward rounds. Daily print and file ward rounds from Consultants in case notes.
• Booking outpatient appointments. Use acquired knowledge and understanding of medical terminology (acquired through on-the-job training and experience) in order to book review appointments. Use judgement to book the appropriate appointment. Print and post out appointment letters to the patients and for short notice appointments, contact the patient directly by telephone. For some appointments liaise with secretaries (i.e. when no appointments available), Consultants (i.e. for difficult appointments) and booking centre (i.e. lifting suspended clinics).
• Add patients to urgent outpatient waiting lists.
• Cancel patient appointments and rebook.
• Record all patient activity for ward attenders.
• Book patients to Access Clinics, record attendances and book follow-up appointments
• Book interpreters for patients on ward and arrange interpreters for follow-up appointments.
• Work with theatre scheduler to ensure that patients who have cancelled are re-instated.
• Follow protocol and procedures to ensure the smooth administrative management of patients. This will require close liaison with Consultants, nursing staff, secretarial staff, medical records and relevant staff across the Trust.
• Take initial receipt of all incoming correspondence - telephone, written and enquiries. Using initiative, prioritise urgency of response required and bring to the attention of medical and nursing staff when necessary.
• Liaise with health records for case notes for new admissions on the ward. Preparation of case notes for planned elective admission. Check case notes have arrived on the ward and liaise with health records for missing charts and add-ons. Retrieve case notes for Ward Manager for complaints.
• Go to various libraries in health records and the secretaries' offices to obtain case notes for next day admissions.
• Split charts for ease of reference as per guidelines on splitting charts.
• Deal with general enquiries regarding case note retrieval and storage issues and liaise with a variety of staff regarding same. Transfer of case notes to secretarial offices, health records and other departments after discharge.
• Deal with telephone and face to face enquiries from all staff groups, patients (different cultures and languages, dementia, psychiatric), relatives and carers, providing non clinical information, directing and prioritising queries as appropriate to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.
• Forward clinical correspondence, discharge letters and referrals to secretaries, booking centre, Consultants and Consultants in other Trusts including red flag referrals.
• Provide induction and on-going training for new ward clerks within the directorate and monitor, giving feedback to the Line Manager in the first few months.
• Check, order and maintain adequate supply of stationery as required by the ward.
• Report faults to Estates/Maintenance Department and IT Department.
• Inform appropriate GP by telephone if requested, send letter of death of patient on ward.
• Book ambulance transport for patients on discharge or transfer.
• Undertake a range of clerical duties including photocopying, scanning and laminating.
• Update Immix/Flow Board daily.
• Fill in Data Dispute Form for discrepancies of a patient's details.
• Prioritise and manage own workload on a daily basis, escalating areas of concern to Line Manager as appropriate. Exercise judgement and use own initiative to provide non-clinical advice, information and guidance directly to patients and relatives.
• Contact nursing home and prison services by telephone about outpatient review appointments, enabling them to arrange transport in a timely manner.
• Fill in health insurance forms for patients to forward to Health Insurance Company and forward telephone queries from health insurance companies to Line Manager.
• Issue travel expense forms, inpatient hospital certificates and car vouchers.

• Liaise with appropriate members of staff to ensure smooth running of the department.
• Keep mandatory training up-to-date.
• Any other duties as may be assigned from time to time i.e. emergency cover for other wards when required.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The post holder will be required to:

• Ensure the Trusts policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his/her own actions and those of any staff for whom he/she has responsibility.
• Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Trust's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.
• Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example:
  • Smoke Free Policy
  • IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct
  • Standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour
• Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.
• Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.
• All employees of the South Eastern HSC Trust are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the South Eastern HSC Trust including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the South Eastern HSC Trust's policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.
• Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.
• Represent the Trust's commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant courteous and respectful manner.

Hours of work: Part-time

Requirements:

• 4 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English Language (or equivalent Qualification) plus 1 year's secretarial / admin / clerical experience.

OR

• NVQ Level 2 in Administration (or equivalent qualification) plus 1 year's secretarial / admin / clerical experience.

OR

• 2 year's secretarial / admin / clerical experience
• Experience in using Microsoft packages to include Word, Excel and Outlook

Other

• Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.

In Return:

• Rates of pay £11.67

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