Job Title: Data Quality Assistant 

Location: Chelmsford 

Duration of booking: Ongoing no end date specified

Proposed start date: ASAP

Pay Rates: £13.68 per hour PAYE inclusive of holiday pay

Hours / Working Days: 37.5 hours per week / Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm 

Sector: Healthcare 

Based: Office / Hospital 

Job Summary

Accurate, timely, consistent, and relevant data is essential for ensuring appropriate income levels, effective decision-making, and patient safety. Data also informs secondary users across the NHS and external bodies, supporting clinical outcomes and key quality indicators.

The post-holder will support the delivery of data quality audits, reports, and procedures, helping to monitor key performance and quality metrics. They will work closely with operational and administrative staff to deliver sustainable improvements in data quality and assurance.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Communication

• Attend and contribute to team meetings.
• Liaise with staff across departments to clarify patient data and support accuracy.
• Provide advice and guidance on data quality via email, telephone, and face-to-face.
• Respond to data analysis queries and contribute to policies that improve working practices.

Analytical & Planning

• Support improvements in data quality across patient systems through audits and metrics.
• Validate patient-level data and resolve errors promptly.
• Use Trust and national IT systems to obtain supplementary information.
• Identify trends and highlight risks to senior team members.
• Assist in testing and maintaining standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Validate patient events and pathway information across multiple systems.
• Participate in audits, ensuring deadlines are met.

Clinical Duties

• Incidental contact with patients.

Policy & Service Development

• Develop an understanding of pathway management rules.
• Contribute to the implementation of the Data Quality Framework.
• Support improvements for governance, commissioning, and health needs analysis.
• Assist in compliance with Data Quality Maturity Index and Data Protection requirements.

Financial & Physical Resources

• Maintain stock and supplies for the team.
• Report office issues to managers or facilities.
• Ensure safe use of equipment.

Staff Management

• Provide advice and support to colleagues on procedures.
• Work independently within procedures but seek guidance when required.
• Support training and development of less experienced staff.
• Carry out any other reasonable duties as required.

Information Resources

• Maintain security and confidentiality of data at all times.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR and other statutory requirements.
• Record data errors and corrective actions to support improvement plans.

Effort, Skills & Working Conditions

• Physical Skills: Advanced keyboard skills with accuracy.
• Physical Effort: Regular handling of health records and movement of files/boxes.
• Mental Effort: Frequent concentration for analysis and report writing.
• Emotional Effort: Occasional exposure to sensitive patient details and staff under stress.
• Working Conditions: Office-based, frequent use of computers and VDU equipment.

Key Working Relationships

• Data Quality Team
• Clinical Coding Team
• Health Records Team
• Healthcare Analytics
• Service Managers