JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title / Call Operator(working within a variety of Clinical Assessment Service / Control Centre Teams) / Employing Organisation / Devon Doctors Ltd
Directorate and / or Dept / Control Centre / Location / Osprey House, Exeter
Pay / Band* / See additional information under Job Summary / Hours / Days / Part time
* This rate is for the substantive position for shift, some positions are subject to a training / probationary pay rate which will be discussed at the interview stage.
Type of Contract / PermanentDirect Line Manager: / Team Manager
Key Account Manager: / Director of Operations
Qualifications: / See Personal Specification
Computer Skills: / MS Office applications
Key Working Relationships / · GPs, dentists, nurses and other health and social care professionals
· Patients, carers and members of the public
· Clinical and Non-Clinical staff located at Treatment Centres
· South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
· Community Nurses
· Managers and Staff at all levels within the Devon Doctors Group
· NHS111 Provider
· Other healthcare and allied organisations
Job Summary:
The post holder, will work within the Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) / Control Centre (CC) to ensure that all calls are answered promptly, accurately and professionally in line with the Performance Standards; ensuring that the ‘Putting Patients First’ ethos of the organisation is at the core of all duties undertaken.
As well as being part of the core call operator team within the CAS / CC, the post holder will have the opportunity, depending on organisational need and skill set, to work within the variety of teams within the CAS / CC environment. These teams undertake particular tasks and work with specific teams as outlined below.
The core service provided by the Devon Doctors Group (DDG) is during the out-of-hours period and therefore the majority of work available is between the hours of 17:00-08:00 hours weekdays and 24 hours weekends and Bank Holidays. The post holder will; following training and a probationary period be part of a fixed rolling rota to ensure cover throughout the operational period.
Additional Information:
The remuneration for staff appointed to this role wef 1st October 2016
£8.32 ph for weekday shifts commencing post 07:59 hours and pre 23:00 hours.
Enhancements paid for all weekend/overnight shifts and weekday shifts commencing at 18:00 hours and Bank Holidays.
Key Responsibility Areas
General Call Operating Role
· Answer all incoming calls promptly and efficiently within the Company’s performance standards.
· Check accuracy of call details and edit / amalgamate where appropriate, prior to forwarding to the dispatchers.
· Ensure all calls which are complex or suggest an element of immediate risk are passed to an appropriate staff member / shift manager as quickly as possible.
· Participate professionally as a key member of the Team within the CAS / CC environment. .
· Familiarisation with remote base/mobile communication/computer systems.
· Liaise with Duty Shift Manager towards the end of the allocated shift in order to ensure that operational needs are being met and if appropriate extend the shift to meet these needs.
· Ensure appropriate handover at the beginning and end of the shift to colleagues
· Support Clinicians working within the CAS / CC in administration of prescriptions, ensuring robust system of record keeping is maintained.
· Any other reasonable duties as requested by a manager within the Devon Doctors Group.
Despatch Teams - Two Teams for - 1) GPs (Cornwall Health only) and 2) District Nurses
· All duties within the General Call Operator role
· Ensure that all calls are despatched to the relevant clinician / location promptly through the available methods
· Monitor that all calls reach the intended destination in line with the Company standards
· Check accuracy of call details, prior to despatch and edit where appropriate following discussions with the appropriate Call Operator / Duty Shift Manager.
· Work collaboratively with staff who receive the patient information to ensure that calls are dealt with effectively and safely.
Health Access Team (Devon only)
· All duties within the General Call Operator role
· Make appointments for patients for the services who commission us to provide appointment services.
· Liaise with Stakeholders to manage appointment systems
Palliative Care Co-Ordinator. (PCC)
· All duties within the General Call Operator role
· Responsibility for referrals to the Co-ordination Team, responding promptly and efficiently. This may result in interruptions to other planned tasks, and the post holder will be required to re-prioritise own workload at short notice.
· Co-ordination and prioritisation of patient referrals for patients requiring the service. This will require a measure of independent judgement, and the post holder will be required to exercise initiative whilst referring to the palliative care teams for support. This will involve consideration of a range of factors including location, skill level required and the relative needs of the patient.
· Responsibility for providing a professional and efficient service for end of life care, which includes exercising professional judgement, sensitivity, confidentiality, support and advice when dealing with sensitive/distressing and emotional situations involving colleagues, patients and other agencies
· To ensure appropriate Healthcare professionals receive updates as to Register entry and up-to-date information, e.g. Patient’s GP, SWASFT, Community Nursing Teams, etc
· To provide assistance in dealing with any data entry problems/issues in consultation with the referring healthcare professional.
· To enter or amend entries to the Register including changes or choices determined by the patient’s wishes or condition as requested by the appropriate healthcare professionals.
· Answer general enquiries regarding access and referral to the Service.
· Ensure that the Palliative register is updated accurately and promptly with the information provided
· Ensure that any calls regarding patients who are on the register is dealt with within the KPIs of the service.
· Provide assistance in dealing with any data entry problems / issues in consultation with the referring healthcare professional.
· Support operations in ensuring that all information received for entry on onto the system for Special Patient Notes e.g. children on child protection plans are entered onto the system promptly and that the information is accurate.
· Act upon reports, such as the ‘Adastra Follow Up’ report to ensure that information is relayed promptly e.g. notification of deaths to GP practices.
· Support training for the GP Practices and other Healthcare stakeholders in assessing and entering the Palliative care patients, details and wishes
Organisational Responsibilities for the Post Holder:
· Unless there is a locally agreed operational process, the post holder will be expected to adhere to all Devon Doctors Group polices, procedures and guidelines which are on the Organisational intranet.
· To report any incidences of safety breaches, including but not limited to accidents, complaints and defects in equipment.
· Troubleshoot simple computer problems and initiate repair or recovery.
· To ensure familiarisation with disaster recovery and emergency procedures
· Complete all paperwork and maintain administrative systems appropriate to Company needs.
· Provide assistance to colleagues ensuring smooth operations and to provide effective responses to both individual and group needs.
· Adherence to all protocols, policies and guidelines in line with Company requirements.
· The post holder must maintain a safe environment, taking care to avoid injuries and assist the company in meeting statutory requirements.
· Undertake all mandatory training and other training as required by the Employing Organisation and / or Line Manager.
· Attend Staff meetings, check e-mails regularly and read all communications from the organisation in order to keep up-to-date with operational practices.
· Wear Identification Badges when on duty / carrying out duties on behalf of the organisation.
· Where supplied, wear the organisational uniform when undertaking duties on behalf of the organisation. Where uniform is not supplied, adhere to the organisational Dress Code.
· Be conversant with local and organisational regulations and Health and Safety responsibilities.
· To conform to and actively commit to and promote Devon Doctors Group Customer Service Standards both with internal and external stakeholders.
· Apply infection control measures within the organisation according to local and national guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures
· Abide by the NHS Code of Conduct
· Comply with the Duty of Candour
· There must be compliance with all policies, protocols, procedures and specific training on:
o The safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
o Infection prevention and control.
o Equality and diversity.
o Health and safety.
o Information Governance.
Information Governance
Data Protection Act 1998
All staff are under a personal and legal obligation to comply with information governance requirements. These include statutory responsibilities (such as compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998), following national guidance (such as the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice) and compliance with local policies and procedures. Staff must also comply with the Caldicott Principles and common law duty of confidence.
Staff are responsible for any personal and commercially sensitive or confidential information, belonging to individuals including patients, and must ensure it is processed in a secure and appropriate manner. Failure of any staff member, contractor or third party to adhere to this instruction can be regarded as serious misconduct and may lead to disciplinary action in accordance with our HR policies/procedures and any relevant criminal legislation. Where the incident is serious, this may result in dismissal.
Confidentiality
You will process personal details and information relating to patients, staff, visitors and other individuals. This information is highly confidential and must not be discussed or divulged to any unauthorised person or in an unauthorised way. You are required at all times to comply with our rules, policies and procedures including guidance contained in any staff handbook(s). From time to time the company will exercise the right to change or update existing these documents and introduce new ones. Any breach of confidentiality could result in disciplinary action, including dismissal.
Other terms and conditions of your employment are detailed in our organisational policies that are available to all staff on SharePoint. These include our remote access and off-site working policies, code of conduct, IG and IT policies. All staff are responsible for adhering to our policies and procedures at all times. This includes taking appropriate measures to comply and enforce our expected standards in information sharing, records management and information quality.
This is an outline of the Job Description and may be subject to change depending on the needs of the service, in consultation with the post holder.
Does this post requires a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check? – Yes
If Yes - Level of DBS Check required – Enhanced
Does this post require Occupational Health Clearance? No
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PERSON SPECIFICATION
Call Operator
Factor / Essential / DesirableQualification / A good general education, to a minimum of GCSE level (or equivalent) / NVQ in Customer Service Levels 1 or 2 (or equivalent)
Knowledge / · Local Geographical knowledge / · Adastra software package
Experience / · Customer facing environment
· Excellent telephone manner / · Experience of a healthcare setting
· Experience of working in a call centre
Communication & skills / · Excellent verbal and written communication skills
· Excellent keyboard skills
Personal Attributes & Abilities / · Ability to record information accurately and correctly
· Ability to work under own initiative and as a member of a team
· Ability to prioritise work to achieve deadlines.
· Ability to maintain a positive attitude to work demands
· Flexibility and adaptability to change
· Demonstrate a willingness to learn new skills· Ability to understand the limits of his or her competencies and the wisdom to seek advice when these are reached
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Devon Doctors Group consists of Devon Doctors Ltd / Cornwall Health Ltd / Access Dental Ltd and Access Health Care Ltd
JD July 2016-