Lead Patient Transport Liaison Officer

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Lead Patient Transport Liaison Officer (PTLO) to join our team in Somerset. This is a roaming position covering multiple locations across Somerset.

As the Lead PTLO, you will provide direct line management to all PTLOs within Somerset, ensuring role expectations are consistently achieved and that high standards of service delivery are maintained in line with our contractual agreements. You will act as a key ambassador for EMED, fostering strong working relationships with our service users and Acute Trust partners.

You will also play a pivotal role in strengthening partnerships across the region, using local intelligence and well-developed relationships to support the introduction and growth of EMED divisional services throughout the South.

This is a full time, permanent position working 37.5 hours per week. The rota covers hours between 07.00 and 19.00, Monday to Friday so flexibility would be required to cover shifts within these hours. There is an on-call requirement for this position, approx. 1 in 6-8 weeks. Additional pay is received while on call.

• Act as Line Manager for PTLOs across the South region, ensuring they effectively support escalation processes within designated Acute Trusts, including bed crises, patient queries, and risk assessments.
• Serve as the primary point of contact between Transport Hubs, Bed Flow Managers, and the EMED Management Team.
• Build and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with Transport Hub teams, Bed Flow Managers, hospital wards, outpatient units, discharge lounges, and other key stakeholders.
• Support rota planning and scheduling to ensure a consistent PTLO presence on-site five days per week.
• Participate in daily internal operational management meetings to understand and address key challenges within the Control Centre.
• Establish and lead quarterly Transport Working Groups with each Acute Trust, supporting the Operations Team in formal, face-to-face performance review meetings across community hospitals, acute hospitals, and hospices.
• Lead recruitment activity for PTLO roles as required.
• Monitor and ensure each PTLO achieves an abort rate of below 4% within their respective Trust, providing clear monthly action plans and progress updates to the Operations Management Team.

Do you have what it takes?

• Strong leadership skills to support the PTLO team whilst managing a challenging contract.
• Experience working within a healthcare or hospital setting.
• A strong working knowledge of Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) services.
• A commitment to delivering excellent customer service and enhancing patient experience.
• Experience managing performance concerns, including implementing remedial action plans.
• The ability to effectively plan, organise and prioritise your own workload across multiple sites.
• Sound decision-making skills, with the ability to assess risk and consider wider operational impact.
• A full (manual), valid UK driving licence with less than 6 penalty points.
• A minimum of 12 months’ experience as a PTLO or a similar role (desirable).

• Life Assurance – providing colleagues and their family financial peace of mind and protection to the value of £5,000.
• 24/7 online/telephone GP Consultation and access to prescriptions.
• 2nd opinion medical support following diagnosis or where a colleague is on a treatment pathway.
• Cash-plan benefits, providing colleagues the option of protecting themselves in case of illness and recuperation, including dental, optical, chiropody.
• Access to mental health consultations.
• Access to physiotherapy consultations.
• Access to legal advice on domestic issues e.g. motoring offences, wills and probate, and personal injury.
• Financial guidance re retirement planning, tax savings and state benefits.
• Long Service Recognition Scheme – recognising colleagues for their continued service after 5 years and at 5-year intervals with an increase in annual leave.
• Values-based Internal Recognition Scheme with financial reward, which will lead to an annual recognition event.
• Refer a Friend recruitment incentive scheme with financial rewards.
• The EMED foundation, to provide…