Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services Controller Planner

NHS; Warrington; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 26,000

Job description

West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has become available with West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust for Controller Planners for our Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services contract in Warrington (covering shifts Monday to Saturday 0600 - 2000 hours).

Successful applicants will be responsible for planning and coordinating patients' journeys to and from their hospital appointments, along with discharges and transfers between hospitals. Good communication skills, team working, and analytical thinking are key for this role, as you will be liaising with operational crews and hospital staff on a daily basis to ensure the patients are collected in a timely manner and any issues are resolved promptly.

This role can be challenging at times; however, it gives an enormous sense of achievement when, at the end of your shift, all the patients have been seen, treated, and moved.

Full & Part Time positions are available; however, training must be completed on a full-time basis (2 weeks plus consolidation period).

Main duties of the job

West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to creating an inclusive, supportive, and accessible workplace for everyone where our colleagues feel empowered to succeed. Each person plays a vital part in ensuring our organisation meets the differing needs of our communities, ultimately enabling us to save lives. We acknowledge that a workforce that reflects the communities it serves provides better patient care, and we are therefore looking for self-motivated, enthusiastic people from all backgrounds that care about making a difference to our patients.

We are committed to diversity and inclusivity at all levels. We are proud to have maintained Disability Confident Leader status, and as part of our commitments to this, we guarantee to invite all applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role to attend assessment or interview. If you have a disability or learning difficulty and prefer to disclose it, please feel free to do so in your application. You can also contact the Recruitment Team via email at [e-mail] if you wish to have a confidential discussion. We use this information, with your permission, to ensure you are fully supported during the recruitment process.

The Trust is proud to support our Armed Forces community and has signed up to the Step Into Health initiative. We welcome applications from Armed Forces Veterans and Service leavers.

About us

We do endeavour to respond to all candidates on an individual basis. Therefore, we do ask for your co-operation and patience whilst the shortlisting process takes place. After the closing date, please ensure you check your emails (including junk mail) regularly as contact is usually made via this method.

We are proud to offer flexible working options to support our colleagues to have a greater choice in when, where, and how they work. During your interview, we will explore this with you and discuss your individual needs and how this could be facilitated for this role to benefit patient experience, service delivery, and the work-life balance of colleagues.

If this position involves a regulated activity, it will require an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check. The disclosure will, where appropriate to the role, include information against the Independent Safeguarding Authority barred lists for working with children, adults, or both.

Where a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is required for the post, all applicants are required to cover the cost of the check. The cost of £55.76 for an enhanced check is payable to our online provider at the time that the DBS application is submitted. Upon receipt of your DBS, you will then be required to sign up to the DBS online update service.

Job responsibilities

1. Operate communications and information systems to receive and make calls to/from patients, commissioners, healthcare professionals, and WMAS operational staff, taking patient demographics and a full presenting history.
2. Input details of bookings by telephone/fax/electronically from customer units/staff and transport enquiries from Healthcare Professionals and the general public applicable to the Trust Contracts.
3. Ensure the effective deployment of resources to meet contractual requirements, coordinating the work of others as required.
4. Make outbound calls to other professionals and the general public adhering to working practices and protocols, including contacting relatives, querying other professionals, communicating with hospitals, arranging breakdown recovery for ambulances, and reporting incidents to other emergency services.
5. Support the achievement of agreed National and Trust standards of service.
6. In conjunction with first line management, ensure that patient movement is coordinated and that a dialogue exists between local Operational Staff and/or Liaison Assistants and the Control Centre to maximize the effective use of available resources.
7. Report to first line management on the performance of operational staff in the delivery of the Service.
8. Through the process of planning/control, allocate and re-assign where necessary journeys to operational staff working for the Non-Emergency Service using a high level of organizational skill.
9. Receive and process sickness and fitness notifications from all Operational and Control staff.
10. Handle calls from Drivers regarding their work and shift arrangements.
11. Ensure that those areas of service provision under their control or jurisdiction conform to the WMAS Quality Procedures, Data Protection Act, and Caldicott Guidelines.
12. Assist first line management in ensuring the effective deployment of operational resources such as Voluntary Car Drivers and all other sub-contractors to support the Trust Non-Emergency Contracts.
13. Attend training courses, which are required to maintain professional knowledge and keep up to date with changing procedures and protocols.
14. Train new Call Takers on the telephone and computer system.
15. Identify and report IT related problems on computer software and workstations.
16. Undertake administration duties when required, including filing, faxing, and photocopying.
17. Any other duties consistent with the role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 GCSEs at Grade A - C including English or equivalent (must be able to provide evidence, certificates, etc).
• Willing to undertake required in-house training.
• Willingness to complete the Educare Training Programme within six months of commencing with the Trust.

Experience

• 1 year of Customer Care experience.
• Working as part of a team coordinating the work of others.
• Previous experience of working in a Control Centre environment or equivalent.
• Experience of a pressurised working environment.
• Advanced keyboard skills.

Skills and Knowledge

• Able to work as a member of a team and on own initiative.
• Concerned for Quality and Customer Care.
• Excellent communication skills (both verbally and in writing), empathetic, tactful, and diplomatic.
• The ability to adapt and communicate effectively with patients/callers who may be abusive, elderly, severely distressed, have language difficulties, or mental illness.
• The ability to remain calm whilst maintaining a courteous, caring, professional attitude when dealing with callers.

Employer name

West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust

£24,071 to £25,674 a year plus the relevant unsocial hours as per section 2.