Outpatients Administrator in Manchester

We are looking for a friendly, professional and enthusiastic Band 2 Administrator to join our well-established SACT Services team within Department 1 Oak Road Treatment Centre (ORTC).

This is a varied role combining reception, outpatient administration and Bloods Closer to Home (BCTH) support. The post holder will act as a first point of contact for patients, visitors and healthcare professionals, providing a welcoming and efficient service while supporting the smooth day-to-day running of the department.

The role involves communicating with patients both face-to-face and over the telephone, managing appointments, supporting phlebotomy services, maintaining patient records and responding to a wide range of enquiries. You will work closely with administrative and clinical colleagues but will also be expected to use your own initiative to resolve routine queries and prioritise your workload effectively.

If you are organised, calm under pressure, have excellent communication skills, a caring and empathetic approach, and good IT and administrative skills, we would welcome your application. Full training will be provided.

Main duties of the job

The role involves acting as a first point of contact for patients, relatives, visitors and healthcare professionals, delivering a professional, welcoming and patient-focused service.

Duties include checking patients in and out of appointments, booking, amending and managing appointments, preparing blood request forms, supporting outreach services, updating patient records, and maintaining accurate data on Trust systems. The post holder will respond to telephone and face-to-face enquiries, provide information and advice regarding appointments, and liaise with clinical and administrative teams to support patient pathways.

The role requires effective communication skills, attention to detail, good computer and keyboard skills, and the ability to prioritise workload in a busy environment. The post holder will use Trust IT systems to manage patient information and appointments, maintain confidentiality at all times, and ensure work is completed accurately and in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

Working as part of a supportive team, the successful candidate will demonstrate flexibility by providing administrative support across different areas of SACT Services as required, while contributing to a positive patient experience and the efficient running of the department.

Working for our organisation

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery.

We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Reception and Patient Services

• Meet and greet patients, relatives and visitors, providing a professional and welcoming service.
• Receive, check-in and check-out patients attending treatment, blood appointments and other outpatient services.
• Provide advice and information regarding appointments and signpost patients to appropriate departments and services.
• Manage difficult, sensitive or emotive situations with compassion and professionalism, referring to clinical staff as required.
• Maintain patient confidentiality at all times.

Appointment and Administrative Support

• Book, amend and cancel patient appointments across relevant systems, including Careflow and Simply Book.
• Update patient demographics and appointment outcomes on Trust information systems.
• Enter patients onto Careflow and other relevant systems accurately and in a timely manner.
• Utilise Trust patient administration and information systems, requiring standard keyboard and computer skills.
• Use office equipment including PCs, telephones, printers and scanners.
• Accurately input, retrieve and update information on electronic patient record and appointment systems.
• Share responsibility for managing the phlebotomy telephone line and associated email enquiries.
• Prepare blood request forms and supporting paperwork for onsite and outreach locations.
• Liaise with patients regarding appointments.

Communication and Teamworking

• Communicate effectively with patients, relatives, clinical teams and external organisations.
• Liaise with colleagues regarding patient visits, appointments and records.
• Exchange information verbally and in writing, ensuring accuracy and professionalism.
• Work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team while also being able to work independently.
• Assist in the support of new administrative staff where required.

Service Support / General Responsibilities

• Use initiative to resolve routine issues, escalating more complex matters to senior management appropriately.
• Undertake audits, surveys and data collection activities as required.
• Plan, organise and prioritise workload effectively in a busy and frequently interrupted environment.
• Support other areas within Chemotherapy Day Services as required.
• Demonstrate flexibility and work across different service locations where necessary.
• Participate in mandatory and role‑specific training and take an active role in own learning, development and performance improvement.
• Demonstrate and uphold the Trust's values and behaviours, taking personal responsibility for own conduct, performance and contribution to the team.

The need for flexibility in this role is paramount as the post holder may be required to work in other locations and work flexible shifts.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Diploma or equivalent experience

Experience

• Experience of administrative or clerical work in a customer‑facing environment
• Experience of working with computerised information systems
• Experience of working within a health care system

  Skills

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Excellent telephone manner
  • Ability to prioritise workload and work under pressure
  • Attention to detail and accuracy
  • IT literacy and experience of data entry
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • Willingness to learn and undertake training as appropriate

  Knowledge

  • Knowledge of patient appointment and data recording systems
  • Understanding of confidentiality and information governance requirements
  • Knowledge of medical terminology
  • An understanding of Infection Control standards of practice

  Values

  • Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

  Other

  • Committed to delivering high standards of patient/ customer care
  • Empathetic and caring
  • Professional outlook and positive attitude
  • Honest and trustworthy

  The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.

  Application Information - If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, I regret that on this occasion your application will have been unsuccessful.

  Sponsorship Information - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

  Pre-Employment Checks - To confirm your suitability for the role, we will carry out pre-employment checks in line with NHS Employment Check Standards . These include:

  • Identity verification
  • Right to work check
  • Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role, payment of this will be the applicant's responsibility)
  • Professional registration and/or qualification check
  • Occupational health assessment
  • Employment history and reference validation

  All applicants external to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust will be required to provide their HMRC employment history to cover the most recent three years employment. This information will used to validate employment history andreferences.

  If you require sponsorship, we will assess your eligibility based on current government guidance. If the role is not eligible and you cannot demonstrate your right to work, your conditional offer may be withdrawn.

  If You're Offered the Role - you will be agreeing to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

  The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and will form part of the recruitment process. In the event that you are successful following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

  Sponsorship Information - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

  No Smoking Policy - You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.

  Additional Information - We want to ensure that everyone who works at the Christie or uses our services is welcomed, valued and treated with dignity and respect.The Christie values diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all and fair representation across the organisation at all levels. In support of these commitments, we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority people and people with disabilities for this post. Appointment will be only on merit.

  We are committed to creating a balanced and diverse workforce. As such we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Together we will foster inclusion and tackle inequity and health inequalities in cancer care.

  As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

  The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all our activities. We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery in any of its forms, including slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. We are fully committed to acting ethically and with transparency in all our business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our organisation or supply chains.

  Employer certification / accreditation badges

  The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

  Name Maxine Neille Job title Assistant Service Manager for SACT Services Email address maxine.neille1@nhs.net Telephone number 01619187669

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