Raigmore on hunt for patient flow coordinators who can cope in a crisis as NHS Highland tackles multiple challenges
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RAIGMORE Hospital is beefing up the team that ensures the effective use of beds.
Two people who can cope in a crisis are being sought for the challenging role of patient flow co-ordinators.
This work is more vital than ever at present with the NHS seeing a surge in Covid and flu cases, and the need to ensure that ambulance crews can deliver their patients into the hospital and get back out on standby as fast as possible.
They will be expected to work closely with Scottish Ambulance Service to ensure timely and appropriate transfers, and through joint working with other hospitals, the postholders will promote and support the most appropriate use of Raigmore Hospital beds and services.
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An NHS Highland spokeswoman said: "The team plays a vital role in maintaining patient safety throughout the hospital as well as ensuring that every patient received their care in the most appropriate place.
"The role is varied and fast-paced and covers all wards and specialties.
"We aim to be very family friendly and are flexible in our approach to working hours."
The successful applicants will support safe and effective patient flow across the hospital by maintaining processes that safely expedite patient placement and discharge.
The postholders will be responsible for providing reliable and consistent information on a daily basis on the hospital bed state, to the patient flow manager and senior operational management team.
And they must work with these key people to solve any capacity and demand crisis situations as well as co-ordinating information to the Raigmore Quality and Patient Safety Huddle and all bed handover meetings.
They must be flexible with regards to daily working hours, in order to meet the requirements of the service and to cover annual leave.
Based in the Acute Medical Assessment Unit, they will be responsible for co-ordinating patient flow across the medical division escalating to the flow manager when capacity issues arise, says the job description, adding: "This enables the delivery of quality care and maximises bed capacity whilst reducing risk to a minimum."
It adds: "The postholder must also have the ability to problem solve in a creative and dynamic manner as the caseload and pressure is unpredictable, and to promote safe and effective patient flow ensuring that the patient is in the most appropriate bed for their clinical condition."
Throughout the day they will liaise with Accident and Emergency to ensure that any potential admissions are accounted for in terms of bed availability to ensure that there are no delays in transfer to the wards, and "works to positively contribute to ensuring that the Accident and Emergency four hour waiting times targets are met and maintained.
And when the bed capacity indicates Amber Plus / Red Alert work to ensure rapid transfer of appropriate patients to community hospitals thus freeing up beds within the appropriate speciality within Raigmore.
When necessary they will request that nursing and medical staff identify suitable patients who can be decanted to other wards to create emergency beds.
