Access to Health Records Team Leader

Access to Health Records Team Leader

The closing date is 10 November 2025

Are you an organised, motivated leader with a passion for delivering excellent service? Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are looking for an experienced and proactive Access to Health Records Team Leader to join our dynamic Information Governance team.

You'll lead a dedicated team responsible for managing Subject Access Requests (SAR) and ensuring patients, solicitors and partner organisations receive timely and accurate access to medical records. This is a fast-paced role where attention to detail, legislative understanding and people skills come together to make a real difference to patient care.

You'll support process improvements, mentor new team members and play a key part in maintaining high standards of data protection and service delivery.

We offer flexible working with a blend of office and home-based arrangements.

This vacancy is open to internal and external candidates.

37.5 hours per week - Monday to Friday (no on call requirements).

If you thrive on problem solving, teamwork and delivering measurable impact - we'd love to hear from you.

Please note that this vacancy may close early if a sufficient number of applications are received. We encourage interested candidates to apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

Main duties of the job

The main duties will include:

• Supervising the day to running of the Access to Health Records Team.
• Responsible for ensuring all requests for Access to Health Records are dealt with in an efficient and timely manner within the set timescales.
• Providing support and training to other team members
• To carry out accompanied viewings of medical records by members of the public.
• Responsible for ensuring mechanisms are in place to retrieve records, copy records and to liaise with multi-disciplinary staff where the need arises regarding disclosure.
• Responsible for processing all associated documentation regarding appropriateness of requests, photocopying, consents and identification checks ensuring that processes are consistent, transparent and legally compliant.
• Ensure all telephone enquiries are dealt with in an efficient and confidential manner
• Responsible for maintaining backup systems to support the processes in the absence of electronic data capture.
• To keep up to date with new developments and service changes in relation to Clinical records, Data Protection, Caldicott, Health Records Management as part of an individual development plan
• Compliance with all relevant Information Governance Legislation.

About us

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement and living our values.

People at the Heart

Listen and Involve

Kind and Respectful

ONE Team

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. We are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

At WWL we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst COVID-19 vaccination is not a condition of employment, we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated. If you are unvaccinated there is helpful advice and information available by contacting where you can also ask about how to access vaccinations.

Job responsibilities

Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of various legislations, such as the General Data Protection Regulations, the Data Protection Bill, the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations, acting as a source of expertise and guidance to Trust staff within the organisation.

Develop an in-depth knowledge of the NHS Information governance Agenda

Provide statistical information to the Information Governance Officer/Manager, to support ongoing monitoring of Trust compliance with core performance standards, using knowledge of statistical process control techniques.

The ability to plan and organise own workload whilst assisting colleagues to meet the Departmental needs of the service regarding the timely response and actioning of all Requests and other associated service requirements.

Maintain daily contact with colleagues working within the team to ensure priorities are met and targets achieved

Regularly update management team regarding outstanding issues, potential areas of concern and any other associated problem.

Optimise the use of IT Technology through competent and effective application of Microsoft applications to produce documentation, presentations, create databases and issue reports.

For a detailed description of the job itself and its main responsibilities, please see the attachments.

Person Specification Additional

• Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to the role, i.e with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary and without hesitation
• Flexible approach to work
• Hardworking
• Professional appearance / attitude
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Ability to travel independently to other locations within the Trust as required
• Ability to travel to other locations within the Trust
• Ability to handle difficult circumstances
• Full and clean UK Driving licence

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the NHS
• Knowledge of the Access to Health Records legislation
• Knowledge of the General Data Protection Regulations and the UK Data Protection Act
• Full knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations
• Commitment to CPD

Skills

• Ability to prioritise workload
• Able to communicate both written and verbally with all levels of staff
• Computer literate and knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Ability to deal sensitively with confidential information
• Excellent organisational skills
• Advanced keyboard skills
• Ability to use own initiative and work under direction
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Able to extract and analyse information from databases

Experience

• Experience of adhering to targets
• Relevant NHS experience of the Data Protection Act
• Experience of HIS, EPR and Patient Centre
• Ability to prioritise workloads to tight deadlines
• Demonstrate experience of using Microsoft Word / Excel spreadsheets
• Day to day management and supervisory experience
• Ability to use Microsoft Office Packages
• Awareness of organisational policies, procedures and guidelines
• Customer service focused experience

Qualifications

• 5 GCSE's level 4-9 / Grade A -C including Maths and English
• NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration or equivalent
• ECDL

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

£27,485 to £30,162 a year, per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time,Part-time,Job share,Flexible working

Reference number

302-25-CPR

Job locations