Senior Application Support Analyst

Job overview

The post holder will be responsible for the day to day supervision of the Application Support Team delivering support, administration, technical management, and maintenance of the Trust’s Applications. This role is for an experienced Senior Application Support Analyst to join the Application Support Team, within the ICT department, reporting to the Application Support Manager.

A key component of the Princes Alexandra Hospital’s application estate is the Electronic Health Record (EHR). The post-holder will ensure that the functionality reflects the operational working of the Trust and local Health Economy in recording patient activity and providing a means of communication with patients. They will manage the production of information used to support commissioning activity as well as statutory information requirements and at all times ensure the integrity, security and accuracy of the data recorded.

The EHR system comprises of the main Patient Administration System modules, Emergency Department, Maternity, Admissions, Discharges and Transfers, Outpatient Referral and Management, Bed Management and the Electronic Discharge Summary. The Application Support team are responsible for support and assisting in developing this system.

The system must be maintained and made available to trained users to record patient activity in a timely and accurate manner. Correct recording of data onto these systems is fundamental for Information Governance, Patient Safety, Operational Management and Commissioning. Many of the Trust’s Performance Indicators are also dependant on the quality and completeness of the data provided from the EHR for various external NHS bodies.

The Application Support team will support additional Trust systems such as Electronic Observations, Summary Records / Portals and numerous other systems. The post-holder will be expected to provide management, support and development of such systems in a similar fashion to the EHR system.

There is a requirement for this role to operate as part of an on-call rota as and when required additionally there will be the requirement for flexible working to ensure there is appropriate cover for the supported hours

Main duties of the job

Systems Management:

• To build clinic templates when requested / approved on the ICT system.
• To manage the demand of clinic builds and assist with prioritisation.
• Monitor the system housekeeping activities and ensure timely resolution of any queries raised by the IT helpdesk that need further investigation.
• Assisting in the maintenance of security of the EHR live environment in accordance with the NHS IM&T Security Manual, the Trust’s Security/Confidentiality Policy including locally defined polices and/or procedures.
• Modify existing user security access groups based on updated policies.
• Ensure the electronic communications database is up to date and transmit any failed discharge summaries and letters.
• Manage access control for users.
• Initiate and monitor system audit trail events.
• Responsible for release management.
• Manage the testing and quality assurance of new system software, upgrades and patch release software for EHR and other systems.
• Liaise with the Trust IT service desk in the provision of second and third line application support.
• Manage the EHR system test and training environment.
• Work with the Application Support Team to manage and control the application support queue in the ITSM.
• Ensure that the correct call details are managed and maintained in the ITSM.
• Ensure that calls are responded to agreed Service Level Agreements.
• Work with the parameters of ITSM with regards to incident, problem and change management.
• Ensure that all changes proposed to the EHR environment are thoroughly tested before application and that any fixes are managed through robust change management processes.
• Ensure that all roles adhere to Role Based Access Control (RBAC) standards adopted by the Trust.

Incident & Problem Management:

• Be responsible for working through the Application Support ITSM queue ensuring that incidents are prioritised accurately, delegated appropriately and resolutions applied within SLA.
• To have expert knowledge of the various SLAs associated with application support.
• Be a lead expert in the resolution of application related incidents.
• To work with local clinical, non-clinical and third party suppliers in the resolution of such incidents.
• To be able to prioritise numerous incidents of varying severity and effectively manage the resolution of all incidents within the agreed service levels.
• To provide expert software configuration management for PAH applications.
• To ensure the production of procedures, planning, reporting, change control documents, audit documents and version control.
• To be pro-active in being able to decipher when a problem has occurred and ensure that it is managed under the problem management process.
• To work with the Service Management Specialist in ensuring that workarounds are implemented to the agreed standards and respective problems monitored until resolution under SLA.
• Where there is no immediate resolution available, ensure that an effective workaround is in place, communicate that to end-users, document it in the knowledge base and manage the resolution within the SLA.
• To develop and maintain a robust understanding of the systems to facilitate report writing either using add on tools or using the reporting capabilities of the application.

Change Control:

• To manage and/or provide expert software configuration management for PAH applications, to include the production of procedures, planning, reporting, change control preparation documents, audit and version control.
• To ensure that the integrity of databases is maintained at all times.
• To ensure that applications are current and continue to be configured in such a way as to meet relevant clinical, managerial and technical standards.
• To provide leadership to system specific user groups/forums.
• Establish baseline and maintain change records of configuration of PAH applications in all instances.
• To ensure that relevant proposed changes to live applications have been tested thoroughly and documented in the test environment and signed off, prior to application in the live environment.
• Prepare and maintain local configuration procedures and training material for application support staff.
• Establish baseline and maintain configuration / change records of interface settings for the relevant applications to include – maintain records of field mappings, oversee code mappings, document message pathways between systems, keep records of variations to standard mappings, review any system release documentation for implications for interface mappings.
• To actively participate in the Change Advisory Board meetings and provide feedback when required to the application support staff.
• To support changes being applied to live environments.
• Monitor and assess the release of information standard notices and ensure any notices that need to be actioned by the department are brought to the attention of the Application Support Manager.

Assist in providing Training to system users at all levels:

Assist the Trust IT Training team to deliver application training across all staff

groups both internal and external to the Trust when required for major project

initiatives.

• Ensure that relevant administrative functions are adhered to when training and respective systems are kept up to date to reflect end user learning.
• Explore alternative methods of training delivery with the IT training team.
• Assist the training team in the creation and maintenance of user guides for new developments and system management guides within the application team.

Monitoring and ensuring Data Quality:

• Work closely with the Information department to ensure that data quality standards are adhered to and where relevant, requested reports are produced in a timely fashion.
• Assist the Application Support Manager in maintaining the core database master files used in EHR.
• Manage assigned EHR data quality reviews on a regular and ad hoc basis, in particular waiting list validation, liaising with Departmental/Directorate Managers, Patients and GPs.
• Manage the regular update and validation of patient NHS numbers in collaboration with the DBS Tracing Service (on-line and in batch format).
• Assist the Application Support Manager in providing support and advice to the Information Department.
• Liaise with Department/Directorate Managers on improving the use of EHR or other systems.
• Create and maintain an accurate change log for application changes.

Participation in Processes and Systems:

• Create and update Standard Operating Procedures to ensure correct use of the system ensuring all staff groups adhere to them.
• Assist the Application Support Manager in liaison with Department/Directorate Managers in the best use of EHR for the maximum advantage of the Trust.
• Assist in the support and implementation of other Systems interfacing with EHR.
• Work closely with the Benefits Realisation or Project Manager to ensure that changes required to deliver key Trust benefits are supported within the application and are subject to the rigorous processes adopted for configuration management and code drops.
• Manage and assist system testing in relation to upgrades and system changes.
• Assist in the configuration of new systems and applications.

General and Other:

• Develop and maintain good working relationships with all system users, Department and Directorate Managers, Managers and all third party users, ensuring the aims and interest of the Trust are communicated, monitored and actioned effectively.
• Actively participate in on-going product development projects to ensure that appropriate knowledge is developed and maintained in order to be able to provide excellent application support.
• Carry out general housekeeping tasks on a daily basis in order to support and maintain existing systems and their environments.
• Identify and escalate unresolved issues to respective systems suppliers promptly, ensuring all relevant information is included.
• Provide advice and guidance to less experienced colleagues where required.
• Provide support and guidance to Trust users on data quality issues and ensure that where further training is required, this is logged and followed through.
• Develop and maintain scripts to automate procedures and routine tasks.
• Support the interfacing and integration software between the EHR application and all other business and clinical systems.
• To develop and maintain report writing skills.
• To develop and maintain template building skills within applications.
• To develop and maintain RTT pathway skills.
• To develop and maintain clinic building skills within applications.
• Be responsible for the planning and organising of own workload and prioritisation following the guidance from the Application Support Manager.
• The post may be required to take part in an on-call rota as well as being required to support the provision of out of hours (weekends or evening) support services if there is a business requirement to do so.
• To ensure that all GP, Dentist and other records are loaded into systems in a timely and accurate manner, and ensure that any systems interfaces are also updated and that relevant mapping tables are updated in the trust integration engine.
• To oversee the management of electronic documentation and correspondence sent from various applications, ensuring that where documentation has failed to be sent, a paper copy is made available to the relevant commissioner/provider.
• To be pro-active in suggesting ways in which applications can be improved upon in order to increase patient safety and/or increase efficiency.
• Participate in out of hours work including on call services as required
• The listed tasks and duties are not exhaustive and the post holder could be required to carry out reasonable management requests as and when required.
• The role requires the post holder to operate in a SLA environment which at times can lead to pressure and considerable expectations; this will therefore require the ability to undertake analysis, assessment and effective judgement in order to ensure that the most effective path is undertaken to rectify a reported issue or several issues.
• Know when to escalate to senior management for information purposes, ratification or decision-making.
• Provide 1st class customer service to meet our aims of being within the top 10% of Trusts in England.

• There is a requirement for flexible working to ensure cover is maintained throughout the times set by the Trust for on premises support within the Service Level Agreement.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) is proud to care for the communities of West Essex, delivering safe, compassionate, and high-quality services. We are part of the Neighbourhood Wave—a national programme that’s changing how care is delivered by focusing on prevention, early support, and more joined-up services across health, social care, and the voluntary sector.

This means we’re working more closely with local partners to bring care closer to home and support people to live healthier, more independent lives.

We’re a supportive and inclusive organisation that values its people. We offer development opportunities, flexible working, and a strong focus on wellbeing. As a Disability Confident and equal opportunities employer, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences.

Join us and help shape the future of care in West Essex.