Job Title :Patient Care Advisor Urgent Dental Care Service

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title :Patient Care Advisor – Urgent Dental Care Service

Accountable To:LCD Dental Services Lead

Location :Lexicon House, Leeds and/or Yeadon Community Health Centre

Job Summary:

To work flexibly within the dental team to provide and maintain a high quality reception service to patients plus effective liaison with external bodies/individualsas required.

To ensure that all necessary operational administrative duties are undertaken in an accurate and timely manner - to include the collection, recording and reconciliation of patient charges.

To work across sites in Leeds as required.

Principal Responsibilities :

1. Generally contributing to the administration and smooth running of the Leeds urgent dental care service.

1. Checking that urgent dental appointments have been filled by NHS Direct and ensuring, where necessary, that appropriate action is taken to try and maximise the use of appointments.

1. Ensuring that all patients attending for an urgent appointment complete a medical history form and sign/complete form FP17 as appropriate plus updating of patient records as required – on either a manual or computerised basis as appropriate.

1. Liaising with NHS Direct as necessary in relation to patients booked into the Local Care Direct appointment diary and/or appointments that remain unfilled.

1. Arranging patient follow up appointmentsas required, in accordance with the established diary, allowing adequate time for the dental practitioner to undertake the necessary treatment.

1. Ensuringthat each patient has been provided with information relating to their urgent dental care episode, upon completion.

1. Contacting patients in advance to ensure that they attend their appointment.

1. Ensuring that any patient or member of the public presenting with dental trauma is seen and assessed by a dental practitioner/dental care professional as a matter of urgency.

1. Ensuring that appropriate protocols are followed in relation to any other patient that might need to be fitted in as an extra appointment e.g. a young child.

1. Setting up, maintaining and updating both computerised andmanual patient records asappropriate plus maintenance of efficient systems in relation to filing/x-rays.

1. Ensuring that patient records are archived as necessary and appropriate.

1. Contacting patients to rearrange appointments where necessary e.g. should a practitioner be ill at very short notice or delayed when travelling to site.

1. Accurately identifying patient charges due and undertaking appropriate transactions – including: the identification and recording of reasons for non payment of dental charges; the issuing of NHS receipts; beginning/end of session calculations; security and storage of cash/cheques/card transaction details.

1. Offering relevant advice to callers in person or on the telephone who are enquiring about finding an NHS dentist.

1. Ensuring thatrelevantinformation is given to each patient who attends an urgent dental appointment but has no access to a dental practitioner for routine care.

1. Taking delivery of dental supplies plus subsequent checking/distribution/recording as required.

1. Taking any necessary action to ensure that dental services can be provided during designated surgery hours e.g. contacting a relevant manager andliaising with engineers in relation to the breakdown of equipment, if necessary.

1. Where there is a requirement, arranging for the provision of interpreting services for patients.

1. Participating in any auditing and administrative processes as required.

1. Ensuring arrival on site in time to be briefed by the previous receptionist, as appropriate.

1. Ensuring that all relevant policies and procedures are followed.

1. Maintaining an up to date record of all Local Care Directdental practitioners/staff on site at any time and being aware of all relevant health and safety procedures.

1. Ensuring there are sufficient and appropriate supplies of relevant paperwork in the reception area and that items are identified for ordering as necessary.

1. Making the appropriate Local Care Direct manager aware of any problems or disciplinary matters concerning staff or dental practitioners.

1. Documentation and reporting of any potential or real problems which might compromise the smooth and safe running of the primary dental care service, to include significant event reporting.

1. Any other administrative/computer based duties relevant to the operational running of the urgent dental careservice,e.g. dealing with/recording outcomes of onward patient referrals, as required.

Measures of Performance

Local Care Direct is committed to workforce development and, therefore, to the ongoing development of individual staff members. The post holder will be required to attend such training and development courses as deemed necessary following discussion with their line manager.

Performance will be formally assessed through individual Performance Review procedures.

In addition, employees are required to:

• Carry out such duties as they may be reasonably required to do.

• Participate through performance review in matching organisational objectives

• Take responsibility for Health & Safety in relation to themselves and others in the working environment.

• Ensure that all necessary LCD mandatory training has been completed, with refresher training undertaken as required.

• Ensure that any other individual training needs are identified to the Dental Services Lead.

The main duties and responsibilities shown above are not exhaustive but should merely be regarded as a guide. The jobholder will be expected to conduct any reasonable activities according to the business needs at that time. These will be subject to periodic review and may be amended to meet the changing needs of the business. The job holder will be expected to participate in this process and the company would aim to reach agreement to changes

Job Description Agreement

Last reviewed February 2012