Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with in the Urology Service.

Based mainly on-site with opportunity for remote working once fully competent in role

As part of the Urology Service, the post holder will: 

Use advanced, specialist knowledge of 18‑week RTT pathways to validate surgical patient journeys, ensuring all pathway events are accurately recorded and fully compliant with national RTT rules and UHS standards. 

Identify, investigate, and correct data quality issues within surgical RTT pathways, applying expert understanding of the causes of poor data quality and ensuring all corrections align with national and local guidance. 

Review, assess, update, and validate RTT data across UHS systems, including the Patient Administration System (PAS), using advanced pathway management skills to ensure surgical pathways are complete, accurate, and reflect true patient status. 

Interpret and apply complex RTT guidance to support accurate reporting, ensuring surgical services maintain high‑quality data that supports operational performance, waiting list management, and statutory reporting. 

This role is a training contract where the salary will be brought up in line with the Band 4 AFC rate upon completion of the set standardised competencies, which could take anywhere from 6-12 months.

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care. 

 We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

 Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

 We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising 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.

Act as an RTT champion for Urology, providing expert advice, supporting colleagues across clinical and administrative teams, and contributing to the delivery of RTT training to improve understanding, consistency, and data quality across the division. 

Support continuous improvement by highlighting recurring issues, recommending process changes, and working collaboratively with operational teams to strengthen RTT compliance and pathway accuracy. 

General Duties 

1.    The post holder will be responsible for detailed validation of patient pathways adhering to Referral to Treatment (RTT) rules and in accordance with National RTT guidelines and UHS access policy. 

2.    To assess, analyse, interpret and adjust information recorded on the Trust’s patient information system, ensuring accuracy of data throughout a patient’s journey.  

3.    To liaise with relevant staff to obtain information needed to appropriately validate pathways in accordance to 18 week RTT clock rules, ensure all information entered is accurately linked to an appropriate pathway.  

4.    To action pathway errors appropriately in order to prevent patients from breaching the 18-week target.  

5.    To support staff in their understanding and application of the 18 week pathway providing 1 to 1 training and mentoring and act as a point of contact on any RTT related queries  

6.    Ensure the accurate and efficient validation of ‘open pathways’. This involves working with clinical staff, operational management teams, other validation staff, line manager and corporate information team.  

7.    Pro-actively escalate potential breaches and other issues according to the department escalation guidelines.  

8.    To maintain an accurate record of the number of pathways validated and ensure appropriate comments are entered next to each record to efficiently act as an audit trail. 

9.    Plan and prioritise own workload with little supervision, responding to a fluctuating workload and using initiative to problem solve and know when to escalate issues 

10.    To audit and confirm the accuracy of the RTT data. Report accuracy issues back to the user in a structured and informative way, enabling the users to improve their knowledge of the patient pathways and data entry on PAS.  

11.    As part of the central validation team, provide cover for colleagues in times of annual leave or sickness absence to ensure continuity of work and also participate in induction and training of new team members. 

12.    Work closely with the Outpatients Administration Centre to review working practices, identify new improved ways of working and find solutions to problems.  

13.    To be involved in creating and updating SOPs and to recommend changes to policies and procedures to enhance department’s ability to provide optimum service. 

14.    Assist in internal auditing and production of ad hoc reports

What We're Looking For: 

Keenness to learn 

Able to demonstrate a flexible and ‘can-do’ attitude 

Strong communication skills with the confidence to work with people across the organisation 

The ability to comprehend complex rules around RTT and patient pathways 

Ability to work in a changing environment.