Plastics Theatre Scheduler

Main area Plastics Scheduling Grade NHS AfC:
Band 4 Contract 9 months (fixed term) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday-Friday) Job  
-AfC-A

Site Queen Victoria Hospital Town East Grinstead Salary £28,392 - £31,157 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 13/07/2026 23:59

We are currently looking for a self motivated, organised and resourceful Scheduler to work for the Plastics Surgery Department as a fixed term position covering a short term secondment.

This is an interesting post, scheduling patients for theatre for our plastic surgery and burns department.

Reporting to the Team Leader and working closely with Consultants and Medical Secretaries in order to ensure the delivery of the service within NHS targets. The role will involve working flexibly within the department to provide and receive confidential and sensitive information to patients, relatives, staff or external parties as needed.

Specifically undertaking the scheduling of Plastics theatres for both inpatient and day cases.

Ensuring efficient management of available theatre capacity against waiting lists in line RTT /Cancer wait times and NHS targets.

• Scheduling inpatient and day case admissions ensuring maximum use of available theatre capacity, assessing needs of individual patients and where appropriate rearranging patient combinations to maximise consultant/fellow and co‑ordinating joint cases with other specialties within the Trust.
• Agree outpatient pre‑assessment and anaesthetic appointments, co‑ordinate direct to list cases from referrals to ensure most appropriate treatment pathway using own judgement against set criteria. Letters/information leaflets sent and patient centre updated. Liaison with patients or patient’s carer’s and consultants as necessary for optimal diagnosis/treatment within RTT
  18 weeks (referral to treatment).
• Ensure that surgical outcomes, including attendance, did not attend (DNAs) and their pathway status, is recorded on Patient Centre (PC) in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.
• Ensure that patient cancellations and DNAs are dealt with in accordance with the Trust’s Waiting List Policy. Fill cancellations with appropriate cases to maximise theatre capacity, liaising with theatres, Consultants/Fellows and management when necessary.
• Inputting correct data on PC on the waiting list, pre‑admission. Inputting the correct data on Orsos and arranging the theatre list order taking into consideration patients, clinical, medical, case type, availability of equipment/transplant material and medical staffing availability.
• Send appropriate letters to patients, sending out invitations on nonresponse, also creating freestyle letters when necessary.
• Liaise with internal and external secretaries to arrange observers/clinical attachments/visiting consultants to observe special cases in theatre.
• Liaise with external interpreter services for both Pre‑Assessment appointments and theatre admissions.
• Liaise with Histology regarding results for soon cases such as frozen sections, BCCs, SCCs and other biopsies.
• Manage Plastics waiting lists and ensure that you order new equipment when necessary. Liaise with Pharmacy to order prescription medication i.e. Xiapex, Botox etc.
• Liaise with Team Leader when necessary to move Consultant/fellows from clinic to cover theatre lists/urgent cases/trauma. Advise all relevant persons in writing of cancellations and alterations to theatre lists as necessary.
• Greeting patients in a professional and courteous manner and validating patients’ identification and demographic details. Where new or revised information is obtained, update PC and case notes appropriately. Confirmation of reserved inpatient treatment dates.
• Ensure RTT
  18 targets are adhered to in conjunction with Manager, amending appointments when necessary. Weekly monitoring of RTT
  18 position for proactive management of breaching patients.
• Have a full understanding of patient pathways and the significance and application of treatment status codes, in accordance with the Trust’s Waiting List Policy.
• Develop and maintain a sound knowledge of medical terminology…