JOB DESCRIPTION

Pre-operative Assessment Clinic Booking Clerk

Peri-operative Services

Whangarei Hospital

Position Title: / Pre-operative Assessment Clinic Booking Clerk
Organisation Unit: / Pre-operative Assessment Clinic, Peri-operative Services
Location: / Pre-operative Assessment Clinic, Theatre complex, WhangareiHospital, Northland District Health Board
Responsible to: / Clinical Nurse Manager PACU/SAU, Peri-operative Services
Northland District Health Board
Primary Functions of the Position: / To provide effective and efficient management of the Booking System for the Pre-operative Assessment Clinic.
To ensure a customer focused service to the patients and their families/Whanau.
To provide efficient and accurate administrative and clerical services to the Pre-operative Assessment Clinic

Functional Relationships

The Pre-operative Assessment Clinic Booking Clerk will develop and maintain excellent relationships with:

Internal / External
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist – Pre-assessment Clinic
  • Pre-assessment Clinic Staff
  • Clinical Nurse Manager, PACU/SAU
  • SAU reception staff
  • Patients & Families/Whanau
  • Medical Staff
  • Admission Staff
  • Nursing Staff
  • Anaesthetists
  • Waitlist Booking Clerks
  • Other Clerical and Administration Staff
  • Medical Records
  • Coding Department
  • PeripheralHospital Clinics
  • Takawaenga Services
  • Radiology
  • Clinical Nurse Specialists – other specialities
  • Clinical Support Staff
  • Information Systems Personnel
  • Transport department
/
  • General public
  • GP’s
  • Primary Healthcare Providers
  • PeripheralHospital Staff
  • Community agencies
  • Other DHB’s

Key Responsibilities and Expected Outcomes

Northland District Health Board has established a set of values by which the organisation will respond, in part, to achieving its goals and objectives through their workforce. The following Values and supporting statements are expected behaviours of each individual employed with NDHB:

Values / Supporting Statement
People First
Tangata I te tuatahi / People are central to all we do
Respect
Whakaute (tuku mana) / We treat others as we would like to be treated
Caring
Manaaki / We nurture those around us, and treat all with dignity and compassion
Communication
Whakawhitiwhiti korero / We communicate safely, openly and with respect to promote clear understanding
Excellence
Taumata teitei (hirangi) / Our attitude of excellence inspires success, competence, confidence and innovation

The position of Pre-operative Assessment Clinic Booking Clerkencompasses the following major functions or key result areas:

  • Pre-operative assessment Clinic / Bookings
  • Administrative Duties / Professionalism / Customer Service
  • Communication & teamwork
  • Professional Development
  • Treaty of Waitangi
  • Health Safety

The outcome requirements of the above key responsibility areas are outlined below:

Key Responsibility Area / Expected Outcomes
Pre-assessment Clinic /Bookings /
  • Co-ordinate and manage booking appointments for Pre-assessment clinics and Virtual Clinics in conjunction with Clinical Nurse Specialist.
  • Liaise daily with the Elective Orthopaedic Co-ordinator and Waitlist booking clerks for Pre-assessment Clinic appointments.
  • Manage appointments for referral patients according to the priority scoring of the Surgical booking cards.
  • Liaise with appropriate departments to organise assessments for Urgent Elective surgery patients.
  • Ensure appropriate completed packs received from waitlist booking clerks i.e. completed Surgical Booking card, patient health questionnaire and patient notes.
  • Make appointments for pre-admissions after notes / health questionnaire reviewed by Pre-assessment Clinic nurses.
  • Check all patients for previous appointments/admissions to avoid unnecessary appointments.
  • Book follow up appointments as required.
  • Book Anaesthetic Assessment only appointments.
  • Cancel and reschedule appointments as required.
  • Book Paediatric MRI Anaesthetic Assessment appointments. Prepare and send out Paediatric Admission to Discharge Planners. Following appointment, refer back to Radiology.
  • Send out Pre-assessment Clinic appointments including clinic information booklet via external mail.
  • Ensure the efficient tracking and co-ordination of clinical notes for Pre-assessment clinics.
  • Prepare and check the clinical notes and other documentation for patient clinics in collaboration with the nurse co-ordinating the clinic.
  • Maintain confidential patient files, collate and re-assemble outpatient files in accordance with Northland District Health Board policy.
  • Order and collate patient notes as appropriate.
  • Send out letters to patients informing them of unsuccessful attempts of contact.
  • Send reminder of appointment text messages to patients as required.
  • Organise Hospital bus transport bookings for patients attending clinic appointments.
  • Identify patients that require interpreter services and book Interpreter as required.
  • Execute computer skills as required for the Patient Information Management System.
  • Maintain excel spreadsheet of patient appointments attended.
  • Maintain daily lists for pre-admissions.
  • Ensure pre-admission charts from other departments/wards are in Pre-admission Clinic the day before required
  • Make up Pre-assessment Clinic information packs and send out to fast tracked patients.
  • Enter “walk ins” into relevant Pre-admission Clinic / Walk in Clinic / Anaesthetic Clinic appointment diary.
  • Forward Kaitaia patient packs to Kaitaia Outpatients department for triage by Kaitaia Pre-assessment Nurse.
  • Work within Pre-operative assessment clinic guidelines to ensure patients receive appointments within appropriate timeframe.
  • Create and complete “end of day” for Pre-admission Clinic, Anaesthetic Clinic and Virtual Clinics (VCARD & SCARD), including patient category and outcome.
  • Once patients are deemed fit for surgery by Pre-assessment Clinic, discharge pre-admission packs to Waiting list booking clerks.
  • Complete monthly statistics for Pre-assessment Clinical Nurse Specialist and Clinical Nurse Manager PACU/SAU
  • Virtual Clinics:- Organise and maintain Virtual Clinics
  • After receiving patient packs from Waitlist clerks, enter onto Spreadsheet and enter into Alpha as Virtual patient into Virtual Pre-admission Clinic.
  • Forward packs to Pre-assessment Clinic nurse to be triaged.
  • Following triage, patients will be separated into 3 categories:-
  • 1) Patients that need to be physically assessed and require an appointment in the Pre-assessment Clinic. Patient status should be changed from Virtual Pre-admission to Pre-admission Clinic and booked into appropriate clinic.
  • 2) Fast tracked patients – Information pack required to be sent to patient
  • 3) Fast tracked patients – Information pack not required to be sent to patient – Patient packs are returned to Waitlist booking clerks
  • Create Virtual Clinic for Pre-assessment Clinic Nurse who is allocated to triage for the day.
  • Enter Fast tracked patients into Virtual Clinic and print out clinic list for triage nurse. Add comments in “comment” field if required.
  • Following completion of clinic, process “End of Days” for Virtual Clinic.
  • Cardiology Virtual Clinic (V Card):- Physician will review patient notes twice weekly that have been put forward by the Pre-assessment Clinic Nurses. Place patient NHI label in desk diary.
  • Enter patients into Cardiology Virtual Clinic on Alpha.
  • Following Physician review, if patients need to be physically assessed and require an appointment in the Pre-assessment Clinic to be seen by the Physician, patient status should be changed from “V CARD” clinic to “S CARD” Clinic and booked into next available clinic.

Administrative Duties /Professionalism/ Customer service /
  • Maintain a tidy and welcoming area.
  • Receive and relay messages in a professional and courteous manner.
  • Telephone to be answered promptly and courteously.
  • Patients and visitors to be received in a courteous and respectful manner.
  • General office duties as required such as filing, photocopying and facsimile transmission.
  • Attend to incoming mail as appropriate.
  • Update patient details as required.
  • Refer enquiries to appropriate nursing/medical/ other staff when necessary.
  • Act as a liaison between patients, Pre-assessment team and other services to ensure information and requests are received and forwarded to relevant personnel as required.
  • Act as resource person for nursing staff on the operation of the Patient Information Management System.
  • Demonstrates a working knowledge of relevant Northland District Health Board Policies and Procedures.
  • Attend and record minutes of Pre-assessment Clinic staff monthly meeting. Distribute minutes via Email to clinic nurses and Clinical Nurse Manager PACU/SAU.

Communication & teamwork /
  • Use communication skills to establish and maintain effective relationships
  • Communicate and liaise with nursing, medical, paramedical, Administrative staff and personnel in other departments in a friendly and courteous manner
  • Maintain harmonious interpersonal relationships and effective communication within the Pre-assessment team and within Northland DHB.
  • Assist to create an environment that is therapeutic.
  • Conduct self in responsible and professional manner.
  • Implement organisational vision and values
  • Respect individual patient’s beliefs/values.
  • Provide cover for Surgical Admissions Unit reception staff breaks as required.
  • Actively participate as part of the multi-disciplinary team
  • Participate in an environment of continuous quality improvement

Professional Development /
  • The Pre-assessment Clinic Booking Clerk will interact effectively with inter-disciplinary team members, patients and their families.
  • Demonstrates ability to work effectively with inter-disciplinary team and other health providers.
  • Participates in the quality assurance process, which leads to the adoption of improved policies / protocols / standards for the service.
  • In collaboration with peers, provides and seeks feedback constructively.
  • After identifying own learning needs will participate in education and courses relevant to practice and professional / personal development.
  • Is capable of working autonomously, whilst displaying a commitment to function as an integral team member of the organisation.
  • Formal appraisal will take place at three months then not less frequently than annually.

Cultural Safety &
Treaty of Waitangi /
  • The Pre-assessment Clinic Booking Clerk works in a manner which recognises and respects the unique cultural identity of all people.
  • Demonstrates an ability to understand differences in values and beliefs of self and others.
  • Demonstrates an awareness of patient’s cultural and spiritual beliefs ensuring the patient feels respected.
  • Identifies when policies and environments could be barriers to meeting health needs and refers appropriately.
  • Contribute to the promotion of the principles of Treaty of Waitangi and the involvement if Maori within the decision making process for their health and independence, within District Health Board management processes and procedures
  • Include the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi within all aspects of the role and its outcomes
  • Ensure that consultation and engagement processes include appropriate mechanisms to meet the need of Maori in a culturally appropriate and safe manner
  • Attend the Northland District Health Board Treaty of Waitangi Training

Health & Safety /
  • Ensure compliance with designated responsibilities detailed in Northland District Health Board’s Health and Safety Policy and annual objectives
  • Promote an environment of physical, occupational, cultural, ethical and legal safety
  • Participate in the organisation’s Health and Safety Management training programme.
  • Observe and promote safe work practices, rules and instructions relating to work, and be pro-active in hazard management
  • Willingly co-operate in the achievement of all health and safety goals and initiatives by:
Practicing and observing safe work methods;
The use of safety equipment;
Reporting unsafe conditions or equipment; and
Reporting and documenting all accidents or incidents

Variation of Duties

Duties and responsibilities described above should not be construed as a complete and exhaustive list as it is not the intention to limit in any way the scope or functions of the position. Duties and responsibilities may be amended from time to time, in consultation with the employee, to meet any changing conditions and service requirements.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications
Essential / Desirable
  • Excellent standard of written and oral English language
  • Competent Computer skills

Experience
Essential / Desirable
  • Experience in a customer service based role
  • Previous experience working with computers and data entry
  • Competent with the use of all Microsoft software packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and
/
  • Previous health-related experience
  • Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team
  • Previous experience in a clerical role
  • Previous experience with Northland DHB PatientInformation Management System

Awareness and Understanding of
Essential / Desirable
  • The Treaty of Waitangi and its application to the health setting
  • Privacy Act (1993) and Health Information Privacy Code (1994)
  • Health and Safety in Employment Act (1992)
/
  • Health and Disability Commissioner (Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights) Regulations (1996)
  • New Zealand Council of Healthcare Standards

Skills & Personal Attributes
Skills
  • Demonstrated excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Demonstrated excellent telephone manner
  • Demonstrated work organisational skills
  • Demonstrated time management skills
  • Demonstrated ability to respect the privacy of clients and treat all information in a sensitive and confidential manner
  • Demonstrated initiative and commitment to quality improvement

Personal Attributes
  • Ability to work autonomously
  • Ability to work as part of a team
  • Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people, including ability to manage telephone contacts
  • Ability to be flexible, versatile and open to change
  • Commitment to accuracy

Performance Development Review

An initial review of performance will be conducted after three months, with an annual review thereafter.

An individual Development Plan will be developed to reflect the contribution this position is expected to make towards achieving the team’s objectives and measures. Key result areas will be developed and agreed at this time.

Authorised by:
Signature:
Date:

Acceptance

Acceptance of the position implies acceptance of this position description.

Position Title:
Signature of employee:
Date:

Pre-operative Assessment Clinic Booking Clerk

Peri-operative Services

November 2013