Position Description
Role title:
Administration Officer (Referral Centre)
Reports to:
Administration Services Manager
Team:
Clinical & Outpatients Administration and other area’s on request
Directorate:
Medical
Direct reports:
Nil
Location:
Southland Hospital, Invercargill
Role of the District Health Board
Our Vision:
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Better Health, Better Lives, Whanau Ora.
Our Mission:
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We work in partnership with people and communities to achieve their optimum health and
wellbeing. We seek excellence through a culture of learning, enquiry, service and caring.
The Southern Way:
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The community and patients are at the centre of everything we do
We are a single unified DHB which values and supports its staff
We are a high performing organisation with a focus on quality
We provide clinically and financially sustainable services to the community we serve
We work closely with the entire primary care sector to provide the right care in the right place
at the right time and to improve the health of the community
Our Statutory Purpose:
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To improve, promote and protect the health of our population.
Promote the integration of health services across primary and secondary care services.
Seek the optimum arrangement for the most effective and efficient delivery of health services.
Promote effective care or support for those in need of personal health or disability support
services.
Promote the inclusion and participation in society and the independence of people with
disabilities.
Reduce health disparities by improving health outcomes for Maori and other population
groups.
Foster community participation in health improvement, and in planning for the provision of,
and changes to the provision of services.
Uphold the ethical and quality standards expected of us and to exhibit a sense of social and
environmental responsibility.
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Purpose of the Role:
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To deliver quality administrative and secretarial services, to support clinical and patient
services. To work in a positive and collaborative manner within the DHB.
Organisational Competencies:
Customer Focus
Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of
internal and external customers; gets first hand customer
information and uses it for improvements in products and
services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and
maintains effective relationships with customers and gains
their trust and respect.
Integrity and Trust
Is widely trusted; is seen as a direct, truthful individual; can
present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate and helpful
manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; doesn’t
misrepresent him/herself for personal gain.
Drive For Results
Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; Is constantly
and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom line
oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Role Specific Competencies:
Priority Setting
Spends his/her time and the time of others on what’s
important; quickly zeros in on the critical few and puts the
trivial aside; can quickly sense what will help or hinder
accomplishing a goal; eliminates road blocks; creates focus.
Interpersonal Savvy
Relates well to all kinds of people – up, down and sideways,
inside and outside the organisation; builds appropriate rapport;
builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy
and tact; can defuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Listening
Practices attentive and active listening; has the patience to
hear people out; can accurately restate the opinions of others
even when he/she disagrees.
Key Relationships:
Internal
Administration Services Manager
General Managers
Service Managers
Nursing Managers
Elective Services/ACC Manager
Consultants and Medical teams
Diagnostic Services
Ward and Outpatient Department staff
Allied Heath Teams
Emergency Department
Pharmacy
Laboratory
Clinical Records
External
Consumers of DHB Services
Visiting consultants
Various Outside Agencies
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Knowledge, Experience and Skills required:
Education:
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Minimum of three years secondary school education
Formal training in secretarial or office administration (desirable)
Medical Terminology qualification (desirable)
Experience:
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Minimum of five years previous employment in administration role/s, in which a strong
customer service component has been required
Be an intermediate level user of the Microsoft Suite (at a minimum)
Have excellent typing/keyboard skills (data base / data entry) with at least 50wpm
Key
Accountabilities
Deliverables
Example
Measures/Expected
Outcomes
Administration
Services
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Monitor e-text response mailbox for
appointment reminders and forward
to appropriate service/secretary
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Text response mailbox
monitored twice daily and
sent to appropriate
service secretaries for
action
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Process daily referrals from ED and
provide to Orthopaedic Clinic
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Check referral centre mail box/basket
upstairs in clinical administration area
& Outpatients reception morning and
afternoon
Open all mail received & action
outwards mail
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Print off ED reports and
put on referrals for
Orthopaedics /
Fracture Clinic
Mailbox/baskets cleared
Check referral centre inbox on e-mail
system and print off referrals if any
Date stamp referral with referral
centre date stamp (ensure stamp has
today’s date)
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Check patient eligibility eg: Southern
DHB area etc
Check patient details in iPM (patient
management system) eg: name,
address, telephone contact details
etc update where necessary
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Undertake various
administration
duties for
allocated work
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Open all incoming mail
and deal with
appropriately. All
outwards mail provided to
mail centre prior to
mailing times
Referral centre inbox
cleared daily
All referrals /
correspondence received
in Referral Centre date
stamped with current date
Check residency / DHB
boundaries
Details updated as
needed
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Key
Accountabilities
Deliverables
Example
Measures/Expected
Outcomes
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Select initial tentative diagnosis code
and note on referral
Be responsible for the data entry of
referrals into the Patient
Management System (iPM), ensuring
appropriate coding and generate
appropriate prioritisation sheet and
attach to the referral
Separate referrals into specialties
and distribute referrals to appropriate
speciality secretary to work with
consultants for referrals to be sighted
and prioritised by Consultant or
prioritised by their delegate ie: clinical
nurse specialist etc
Be responsible for the data entry of
prioritised referrals returned from
Consultant/Nurse specialist. Ensure
those referrals waiting the longest are
entered first
On acceptance and prioritisation of
referral Create the of waiting list
entry.
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Referrals distributed out
for prioritisation
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Returned referrals
updated in system
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Waiting list entry
generated for accepted
referrals
Generate letter to patient and GP
acknowledging referral and indication
of wait time
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Letter acknowledgement
generated with
appropriate wait time
Return accepted referrals back to
speciality secretary for filing in
waiting list folder
On rejection of referrals, update
details in system and generate
rejection letter
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Return accepted referrals
back to secretary
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Update referral, generate
rejection letter and
attached Elective
Services pamphlet for
patient.
Copy of letter to referrer
and patient
Send referral to clinical
records for filing
Reports run weekly and
followed up with
appropriate administration
colleagues
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Tentative general
diagnosis codes allocated
Referrals entered into
iPM and prioritisation
sheet generated and
attached to referral
Be responsible for doing weekly
reports of referrals in system that are
still unsighted and have no priority
and follow up with relevant speciality
secretary/Consultant when required
Respond promptly and clearly to
enquiries from members of the
public, clients, staff and Consultants
and outside agencies providing
accurate information, direction and
other such services as requested
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Information is in a timely
manner and is accurate
and there is no
complaints
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Key
Accountabilities
Deliverables
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Treaty of Waitangi
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Health and Safety
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Quality and
Performance
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within appropriate timeframes
Undertake audit/error correction for
data entry into Patient Management
System
Undertake work overflow (additional
work hours) for referral centre or
other services as requested by the
Administration Services Manager
(such as leave cover within referral
centre or for other admin positions
The Southern District Health Board is
committed to its obligations under the
Treaty of Waitangi. As an employee
you are required to give effect to the
principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Partnership, Participation and
Protection.
Foster and support commitment to
achieving the highest level of health
and safety, including identification
and reporting of all hazards,
assistance in resolving issues that
may cause harm to staff, and working
safely at all times.
Maintain professional and
organisational quality standards.
Ensure delivered work is planned,
delivered, and implemented
consistently against quality
standards.
Continuously identify improvement
opportunities to perform job in most
effective manner.
Investigate opportunities to achieve
goals in a more efficient way.
Example
Measures/Expected
Outcomes
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Monitor and correct iPM
audit/error reports
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Provide leave cover for
Referral Centre
colleagues and other
administration positions
as requested by the
Administration Services
Manager
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Performance is in
alignment with HR quality
audit standards,
organisational
requirements, and
professional standards.
Note: The above example measures are provided as a guide only. The precise performance measures for
this position will require further discussion between the job holder and manager.
Date: ___________________________________
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