Job summary
As an Access Booking Officer at MWL NHS Trust, you will play a vital role in ensuring patients are booked efficiently and appropriately for Inpatient appointments and diagnostic procedures. Based within the Access Centre at Ormskirk District General Hospital, you'll be responsible for the day-to-day coordination of outpatient bookings.
You'll work closely with team leaders and administrative teams to ensure that patients are scheduled according to clinical priority, waiting times, and procedural requirements. This role demands excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
Your contribution will directly support the Trust's commitment to delivering Five Star Patient Care to a population of over 600,000 people across the Merseyside, West Lancashire, and surrounding areas.
Main duties of the job
As an Access Booking Officer at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (MWL), your role is central to ensuring smooth and efficient patient access to outpatient services. Here's a summary of the main duties:
- Administrative Support: General office duties include updating records, handling correspondence, and maintaining accurate data on the Hospital Patient Administrative System (Medway).
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Communication: Strong telephone and interpersonal skills are essential, as you'll be in regular contact with patients and other departments.
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Independence and Initiative: The role requires someone who can work autonomously, manage time effectively, and adapt to changing priorities.
This position is typically based at Ormskirk District General Hospital and supports the Trust's commitment to delivering Five Star Patient Care
Details
- Date posted: 03 November 2026
- Closing date: 15 November 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 3
- Salary: £25,760 to £27,476 a year Per Annum pro rata
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Part-time
- Reference number: 409-8378515
- Job locations: Ormskirk Hospital, Ormskirk, L39 2AZ, United Kingdom
Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- To provide a comprehensive inpatient and outpatient service to patients. The post will rotate through each of the areas within the access office to enable cover in all respects of the service.
- To be named contact point liaising with patients, relatives and/or carers as well as medical representatives, GPs, nursing staff, surgical team and support services to ensure the admission is appropriately planned and managed. This can be face to face, over the telephone, in writing or electronic.
- Accurate addition of patients to the waiting list ensuring any relevant notes recorded.
- To provide advice to patients with matters relating to their admission (pre and post operative guidance) and with regard to their position on the waiting list.
- To plan multiple theatre/procedure lists up to six weeks in advance, using clinical knowledge, medical terminology and information to meet the patients 18-week, diagnostic, cancer and/or 28-day rescheduling targets.
- Ensure that with effective planning and organisation the theatre/procedure lists are utilised to their maximum potential which requires taking in to account specific patient needs, cancelling/rescheduling patients, replacing short notice cancellations, liaising with the surgeon to ensure theatre list order considering all patient and theatre information.
- Responsible for communicating information and changes relating to elective admissions, theatre lists etc with regards intended procedures, specific kit requirements, specific anaesthetic input to relevant staff Trustwide.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- ECDL or equivalent
- NVQ 2 Customer Care or equivalent experience
- 5 GCSEs grade C or above
Desirable
- NVQ 3 Business and Administration
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Computer literate - experience of using Microsoft packages
- Working within a multidisciplinary team
- Experience of working in a customer service environment
- Excellent communication skills to overcome barriers of understanding
- Experience of collating data
- Working in a demanding environment
- Ability to organise self, working to deadlines and ensuring quality standards
Desirable
- Use of patient administrative systems
- Experience of scheduling / coordination activities and/or resources.
- Waiting list management experience
- Knowledge of NHS standards and targets
- Communication with patients in a healthcare setting
Skills
Essential
- Excellent organisational skills
- Able to work under pressure & to strict deadlines
- Able to work effectively across departmental boundaries
- Demonstrate effective written, verbal and telephone communication skills with team/clients/relatives, using tact when required
- Demonstrate knowledge of dealing with public/conflict
- Demonstrate a caring manner with an understanding disposition
- High standard of accuracy
- Flexibility and able to adapt to change
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to work as a flexible and effective team member
Other
Essential
- To frequently sit and concentrate in a restricted position for a substantial proportion of the working time due to continuous exposure to VDU equipment, inputting information via a keyboard and using a telephone headset. Whilst using multiple computer systems at the same time.
- To multi-task between activities with frequent interruptions and a need to leave one task immediately. Reprioritise your workload to resolve any unexpected issues
- Ability to concentrate when taking patient details over the phone throughout the day
- Requirement to deal with distressed patients on a daily basis
- Working in an office environment, using a VDU continuously throughout the day
Our values
Essential
- We are Kind
- We are Open
- We are Inclusive
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
o Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
o Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
o National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Employer details
- Employer name: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Address: Ormskirk Hospital, Ormskirk, L39 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Employer's website: https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/