Specialty Team Leader

Job Overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for the detailed job description of the role.

This post is only open to internal applicants

Main duties of the job

This role leads a dedicated team of Outpatient Clerks to deliver a seamless, high‑quality administrative service across the Cancer Care Outpatient Department, ensuring patients and their families experience efficient, compassionate support at every stage of their care.

Working across multiple sites, the post holder keeps services running smoothly by coordinating referrals, appointments, waiting lists, clinic changes, and patient communications, while ensuring all processes meet Trust standards.

They act as a key point of escalation for complex queries, maintain accurate patient records, and foster strong working relationships with clinical and administrative colleagues to support safe, timely patient pathways.

Alongside operational duties, the role has a strong leadership focusing on managing rosters, performance, supporting recruitment, staff development, and ensuring the team remains fully trained and confident in all systems and procedures.

It’s a dynamic, people centered position that combines service coordination, team leadership, and a commitment to delivering an exceptional patient experience within a busy cancer outpatient environment.

Working for our organisation

University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.

Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

At UHS we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.

At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognising that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.

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Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

To lead a team of Outpatient Clerks to provide a comprehensive and quality administration service.

To work across the Cancer Care Outpatient Department (including Hamwic House and E8) and provide cross-cover for other staff across the center to ensure a consistent and effective administration service is maintained at all times.

To provide an excellent customer service to patients, relatives/carers and external agencies, ensuring that administrative processes are co-ordinates around the patient and their needs.

Ensure that staff adhere to the Cancer Care Outpatient (Hamwic House /E8) standard operating procedures at all times, highlighting to senior management any situations where this is not achievable. Ensure that personal ESR and Healthroster information including shift patterns and annual leave is kept up to date. Cover a range of shift patterns Attend any meetings relevant to the Team Leader role. Ensure complex queries or issues escalated by the team are dealt with in a timely manner. Manage the team’s workflow to ensure activity is distributed evenly within the team. Order and maintain agreed levels of stock in the department. Ensure patients are communicated with effectively in relation to their appointments via email, phone or letter. Ensure transport and translation services are arranged where necessary. Ensure appointments are in line with the Trust’s access policy, highlighting issues and taking corrective action where necessary. Process requests for clinic changes, cancellations and creations. Courteously and efficiently receive all telephone enquiries from patients, carers and external agencies in relation to hospital admissions, appointments and general enquiries, ensuring that accurate records, both manual and electronic, are maintained and appropriate action is taken in a timely manner. Ensure that patient phone calls are answered in accordance with Trust policy. Deal with concerns / complaints as appropriate, immediately escalating where necessary to the Assistant Service Manager for action. Manage and co-ordinate the induction of new team members, sharing knowledge and expertise of the administrative processes and functions and the role of the center. Attend mandatory training required for administrative staff as outlined in the Trust Mandatory Training Framework. Be proficient in the use of all electronic systems in relation to patient data and undertake training as required if new technology / systems are introduced, to ensure competencies are maintained and efficiencies of the administrative processes are maximized. To provide day to day management of the Cancer Care Outpatient Clerks

Person specification

Qualifications, Knowledge And Experience

Essential criteria

NVQ Level 4 or equivalent experience e.g. good knowledge across a range of administrative work procedures including non-routine elements Educated to GCSE (or equivalent) standard, with a pass in English and Maths Experience of administration in a customer- focused environment Experience of dealing with non-routine and complex problems, progress chasing, resource and staff allocation Ability to compose correspondence from fragmented instructions Experience in delivering training sessions

Desirable criteria

Previous experience of working in an acute hospital setting Competent in the use of ESR and Healthroster Supervisory or office management experience

Trust Values

Essential criteria

Patients First Always Improving Working Together