Overseas Visitors Officer | St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

To have a thorough understanding of the regulations for overseas and private patients' as laid down by the Department of Health and ensure that all office practice and procedures are consistent with these.

To be aware of and implement all changes to directives from the Department of Health and regarding overseas and private practice with a NHS Trust.

To liaise as required with all appropriate external organisations to ensure the correct management for all overseas and private patients seen on the at St. George's site.

To be involved in the training and updating of staff groups across the Trust on policies and procedures relating to overseas and private patients. To ensure consistency in applying these policies is maintained across the Trust.

To represent the Trust at the newly formed London overseas visitor group- to share practical issues relating to the implementation of new guidance relating to entitlement to NHS care and debt recovery and management of overseas visitors

Entitlement to NHS care/how to notify the overseas visitor team of a suspected overseas visitor.

To manage difficult and challenging situations with overseas visitors and their relatives/sponsors with tact and diplomacy and to resolve such issues with the overseas visitor officer, whom they shall train and mentor. To escalate only cases which have been escalated by the overseas visitor to a Manager

St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George's Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).

After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.

Service Delivery

1. To ensure staff are adhering to excellent customer care principles at all times, and to introduce any necessary improvements with the manager of the shared private patients and overseas visitor service

2. To ensure that comprehensive records are kept on all overseas and private patients seen throughout the Trust.

3. To ensure that overseas and private patients are correctly identified on the patient administration system to ensure that all activity, OP attendance, admission etc is recorded and kept up to date.

4. To receive patients in the overseas and private patients office or to meet at various locations throughout the hospital. To ensure that patients and visitors are greeted courteously and friendly manner, to escort private patients to wards, clinics and departments. If necessary transporting them by wheelchair.

5. To assist private overseas patients and their families with arrangements as required.

6. To assist with developing and update any new patient forms/reporting forms that will Improve overseas visitor management

7. To recommend any operational changes that will improve the efficiency of the overseas visitor service and implement agreed changes with the private Patients and overseas visitor manager

8. To actively benchmark the effectiveness of the team in recovering debts fromoverseas visitors versus other London NHS Trusts and to adopt best practice to help achieve the annual debt recovery improvement target linked toOverseas visitors

Staff

1. To assist in the supervision of training of all new members of staff.

Finance

1. To lead on the introduction of mobile solutions to improve the capture of timely and accurate details from all overseas visitors regarding personal funding, to eliminate any delay in payment or long term debt to the Trust.

2. To ensure chargeable overseas patients are identified prior to the commencement of treatment and funding for the treatment agreed.

3.To ensure that all patient documentation is complete and an 'Undertaking to Pay' is signed. And to implement the paperless reporting system linked toIClip, which will involve electronic data entry of patient details from the location of the ward or clinic. To also implement the use of the mobile credit card machine system with the overseas visitor officer to improve the accuracy of information held on overseas visitors and debt recovery.

4. To liaise with patients insurance companies and foreign embassies with regard to obtaining a guarantee of payment.

5. Make such enquiries on behalf of the Trust in order to substantiate the validity of a patient's medical insurance scheme covering treatment and to obtain documentary evidence when covering the private patient's office, in cases of annual leave by members of that team.

6. To collate information from all necessary sources to identify all chargeable procedures and investigations so that comprehensive and accurate bills are produced.

7. To calculate charges, codes and raise weekly invoices using the financial system (SBS)for inpatient admissions, outpatient consultations, to create credit notes and to inform finance that the patient is no longer chargeable for treatment.

8.Raise immediate invoices on all overseas visitors and lead the overseas visitor officer in implementing this process. Wherever possible a final invoice should be raised and given to the patient/representative before discharge, with five working days from discharge being the final date for adding charges to the patient's invoice. All overseas visitors will be presented with a level of immediate debt collection proceedings upon discharge from the Trust, if full payment has not already been received at the time of their medical discharge.

9. Where charges exceed the deposit or preauthorisation estimate, this should be picked up by continuous monitoring, and every effort should be made to obtain further payment immediately this breach is anticipated or identified.

10.To take payment by cash, cheque or credit cards on behalf of the Trust for all invoices raised and to issues receipts and to ensure that all monies received are banked in accordance with procedure.

11.To answer enquiries from patients and insurance companies with finance department relating to invoices raised.

12.To work closely with the Finance Department so that collectively the most effective means of collection of monies due to the Trust are employed.

13. In the event of no funds being available, inform finance immediately so debt collection agencies can be engaged.

14. To Correlate and supply data for Freedom on Information enquiries.

General:

1. To have responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of staff and others and to comply at all times with the requirements of the Health and safety regulations.

2. To ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments.

3. To work in accordance with the Trust's policy to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote good race relations and diversity in the workplace. To positively promote at all times equality of opportunity in service delivery and employment for patients and staff in accordance with the Trust's policies, to ensure that no person receives less favourable treatment than another on the grounds of sex, marital status, race, religion, creed, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or disability.

4. To comply with the St George's Health care no smoking policy

5. To undertake such duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the grade and the needs of the service.

6. This job description is not an exhaustive document but is a reflection of the current position. Details and emphasis may change in line with service needs after consultation with the postholder.

The Overseas and Private Patient Office are looking to recruit a new member to the Team. We are look for an enthusiastic and self-motivated individual to join our department. You will be responsible for delivering a high-quality service for private patients attending for appointments or admissions across the Trust and interview patients to assess their eligibility to NHS treatment. The role will require you to have a good understanding of the regulations regarding overseas patients and then to implement these by carrying out the appropriate administrative processes. All necessary training will be given.

Excellent organisational, communication and IT skills are essential. Good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, iCLIP and SBS. You must be able to demonstrate an ability to communicate well and to work as part of a team. Critical to success in this role is attention to detail and the due diligence placed around the administrative elements of the post.

Experience of working in a healthcare and/or a customer service-based organisation would be an advantage. If you feel you have the necessary skills and a positive enthusiastic attitude, this could be and excellent opportunity for you., Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.