Patient Advisor - Brookside Health Centre

Job Posted: 20 November 2024

• Contract Term: Permanent
• Location: Freshwater, Isle of Wight
• Contract Type: Full time
• Salary: Competitive rates of pay
• Industries: Administration Customer Service General Office

JOB TITLE: PATIENT ADVISOR

REPORTS TO: TEAM LEAD

HOURS: Full Time - 37.5

Job Summary:

Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way and keep calm under pressure.

Provide general assistance to the Practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Administration

• To have a thorough knowledge of all Practice procedures.
• To work in accordance of written protocols
• Ensure courier takes all documentation and samples at the appropriate time
• Open and distribute incoming mail in an appropriate manner

Reception

• Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients any other visitors to the practice
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments
• Using your own judgement and communication skills ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non-disruptive manner
• Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover and ensure procedures are completed
• Be able to cover all reception positions as necessary
• Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for monies taken.
• Help dealing with patients requests and problems, booking of transport etc as appropriate.
• Ensure that all new patients have filled out the relevant forms correctly to enable accurate registration.

Appointments

• Process appointment requests from patients by telephone and in person.
• Enter requests for home visits on the computer, ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor

Telephone

• Receive and make telephone calls as required. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery
• Have working knowledge of telephone/bleep system, during and after hours.
• To receive incoming and initiate outgoing telephone calls in order to facilitate timely and appropriate communications with others, taking messages and dealing with appropriate queries.

Computer

• Registrations of new patients – computer data entry and medical records.
• Process patients change of address – computer data and medical records (have knowledge of Practice area).
• Enter patient information on to the computer as required.
• Scanning of letters and relevant correspondence into patient computerised records
• Action Tasks.
• To maintain the computer clinic system in an accurate and secure manner.
• Deal with requests for patient information from the hospital following the data protection policy and adhering to patient confidentiality
• To assist with the gathering of statistics and information when required.

Other Tasks

• Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and make all the necessary preparations to receive patients
• Ensure all Health & Safety checks are undertaken within the desired timescales as indicated in the Practice’s Health & Safety Policy
• When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights are off, all electrical equipment has been turned off and the alarm activated
• Air and tidy the Waiting Room in turn with other staff.
• In liaison with the clerk responsible, maintain adequate supplies of office stationery in order to perform your reception duties.
• To provide cover for members of the team during periods of sickness and annual leave.
• Attend staff meetings as required.
• Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager

The above list is not exhaustive.

Confidentiality:

• In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
• In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, Practice staff and other healthcare workers.  They may also have access to information relating to the Practice as a business organisation.  All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the Practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & Safety:

The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others’ health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, the practice Health & Safety Manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
• Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holder’s role
• Undertaking periodic infection control training
• Reporting potential risks identified

Equality and Diversity:

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development:

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work
• Attendance at all Mandatory and Statutory training requirements as indicated by the Practice Manager

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision whilst embracing the practice’s ethos of recording of any errors or near misses and learning by mistakes without blame
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team’s performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the Implementation of Services:

The post-holder will:

• Apply all Practice policies, standards and guidance
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
• Participate in audit where appropriate

INFORMATION GOVERNANCE

As an employee you will have access to information that is sensitive to either an individual or to the organisation and you are reminded that in accordance with the requirements of Information Governance, NHS Code of Confidentiality, Data Protection Act 1998 and also the terms and conditions in your contract of employment, you have a duty to process this information judiciously and lawfully; failure to do so may result in disciplinary action.  

This Job Description is neither exhaustive nor exclusive and will be reviewed annually in conjunction with the post-holder at the annual appraisal. The post-holder is also required to carry out any duties that may reasonably be requested by the Company Directors, Admin Manager or the Practice Manager.