Tudor Lodge Surgery

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title / Patient Navigator
Reports to / Reception Manager
Hours per week / Full time – 37.5 hrs pw
Pay / £7.85 (Receptionist rate) rising to £9 per hour as Patient Navigator (£17,550 per annum) plus NHS Pension
Hours / Between 6.45am and 8pm (Monday to Friday) with occasional Saturdays

Job summary:

This is a new role, designed to help patients get access to the right healthcare professional in a timely manner. It is also designed to reduce patient frustration and dissatisfaction with getting access to a healthcare professional, providing information and reassurance to patients to help them navigate the healthcare system. This is a busy demanding role, much of which will be spent telephoning patients to book appointments.

To respond to patient requests for appointments by directing them to, and booking them with, the most appropriate member of staff for their problem. You will do this by liaising with clinicians and members of staff to ensure that patients receive a timely response to their requests, improving their experience of getting access to the right care from the surgery.

Job responsibilities:

·  Using your judgement, communication and negotiation skills ensure that patients’ needs are met by the surgery (both in terms of urgent and routine appointments).

·  Working with clinicians to ensure protocols are followed which allow the safe and timely booking of patient appointments.

·  Explain practice processes for appointment booking to patients, improving their knowledge and understanding of the surgery’s arrangements for booking appointments.

·  Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointments system.

·  Creating, editing, adding and deleting appointment templates as requested by the Reception Manager.

·  Receive and make telephone calls as required. This role predominantly requires outbound telephone calls to patients who have already made a request for an appointment to fulfil their request.

·  Ensure requests for home visits are allocated to the most appropriate clinician and are undertaken in a timely manner.

·  To promote on line booking and repeat prescription ordering and help patients get registered for these services.

·  To provide patients with accurate information regarding private charges, (non General Medical Services) services and liaise with clinicians to fulfil requests for private work (e.g. medicals).

·  Enter accurate, correctly spelt, patient information on to the computer as required.

·  To quickly adopt new protocols and ensure patients understand any changes to services provided.

·  Processing Repeat Prescription Requests for patients according to practice protocols

·  Cover Front Desk and Reception duties as required

·  Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Reception Manager, Partners or the practice manager.

The individual tasks which would be expected of the Patient Navigator need to be underpinned by key knowledge, skills and personal qualities. Whilst the post holder may not have experience of the responsibilities listed above, they would need to demonstrate that they meet the person specification and have the attributes listed below.

Knowledge and Skills

A “solutions focussed” approach

Makes things happen

Excellent communication (oral and written) and inter personal skills

Ability to listen and empathise

Problem solving

Negotiating

Managing conflict

Qualities/Attributes

Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness and common sense

Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities

Pleasant and articulate

Able to work under pressure

Able to work in a changing environment

Able to use own initiative

Ability to self-motivate, organise and prioritise own workload

Empathy for the healthcare/public service environment

Self motivating – able to work with minimal direction

Adaptable, innovative, forward looking

Enthusiasm, with energy and drive

Gains respect by example and leadership

Honest, caring and sympathetic

Good sense of humour, personable

Hard working, reliable and resourceful

Willing to work flexible hours as necessary

Considered, steady approach

Diplomatic

Person Specification – Receptionist

ESSENTIAL (SKILLS)
/ DESIRABLE (SKILLS)
Extensive previous customer service experience and demonstrable interpersonal skills both face to face and on the telephone / 5 or more years in a customer service environment
Experience of dealing with a wide range of members of the public, ideally in a public sector service / Recent experience in General Practice
Confident keyboard / typing skills / Formal qualification in IT (e.g. CLAIT, ECDL) Touch typing skills
Familiarity with a variety of windows-based software and windows / network environment. / Experience in using Emis Web clinical software
Ability to understand and learn new software and administrative procedures.
Confidence with email and the internet
Previous experience of implementing new ways of working in a team environment / Experience of creating and implementing changes to processes
Experience of dealing with people who may be anxious or want to complain / Experience of dealing with the public in a highly pressurised service
ESSENTIAL (PERSONAL) / DESIRABLE (PERSONAL)
Good sickness record (e.g. max 3 events in last 12 months) / Checkable employment history > 3 years
Good communicator (verbal & written) including ability to build rapport with a wide range of people
Excellent listening skills and ability to take key information down accurately.
Numerate, and IT literate including use of Word and Excel at least at intermediate level. / Evidence of organizational skills.
Ability to work autonomously and initiate / self-direct own workload. / Evidence of recent self-directed learning or development.
Evidence of the ability to grasp new concepts and work on a self-directed basis
Evidence of team working / Experience of team leadership
Good standard of English – written and verbal / Knowledge and understanding of medical terminology (including spelling)
Availability to work between the hours of 7.45am and 8pm Monday to Friday with occasional Saturdays (1 per month) is essential

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 assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security 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:

·  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 (minimum annually)

·  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

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

·  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 recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

·  Communicate effectively with other team members

·  Communicate effectively with patients and carers

·  Recognize people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the implementation of services:

The post-holder will:

·  Apply 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

Page 3 of 4