Patient Advisor - Front of House

As first point of contact for our patients, your focus will be on ensuring patients and visitors to Beacon Medical Group receive the best possible service. You will provide a professional, efficient and friendly reception service for all patients and other visitors and you'll enjoy making a difference to every person who walks through our doors.

Main duties of the job Key Responsibilities:

• To be responsible for your own continuing self-development, undertaking training as appropriate.
• To undertake other duties appropriate to the grading of the post as required.
• Must be able to work flexible hours.
• Patient/customer care
• Deal with patient enquiries
• Receive and process prescriptions
• Patient registrations
• Support facilities

About us Beacon Medical Group Practice is a single practice, Primary Care Network (PCN), providing care to 43,000 patients across Plympton and the South Hams. We are a team of Partners, Salaried GPs, Paramedics, Clinical Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Practice and specialist Nurses, HCAs, Phlebotomists, First Contact Physios, Social Prescribers, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Clinical Practitioners and Administrative support staff. Our mission is to give all our patients the right care, at the right time, in the right place. We are a forward thinking partnership always looking for opportunities to improve services for our patients. We have a good reputation for delivering good healthcare, leading at scale and innovating primary care services. This is a really exciting time to be joining us as we diversify our teams, our partnership and services.

Job responsibilities There are two roles available.

Role 1:

Monday 9:30-14:45, Tuesday 13:15-18:30, Thursday 9:30-14:45, Friday 08:00-18:00 Total 25.75 hours

Role 2:

Tuesday 08:00-13:15, Wednesday 13:15-18:30, Thursday 8:00-18:00, Friday 9:30-14:45 Total 25.75 hours

Job Description:

• To meet and greet patients, members of the public and visitors
• Offer general assistance to the practice team
• Project a professional, positive, and friendly image in person or via the telephone.
• Liaise with district nurses, midwives, and other professionals
• Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided and deliver excellent customer care at all times
• Play an active role in the co-ordination, and review of patient surveys
• Offer solutions and actively listen to patients to resolve issues.
• Deal with complex and sensitive issues
• Receive specimens for laboratory analysis from patients and advise patients of their test results on request
• Arrange patient transport as directed

Operations:

• Process telephone requests for appointments, visits, and telephone consultations
• Receive, assist, and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way, including sign posting patients to the most appropriate appointments using in-house triage guidance.
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments.
• Using your own judgment and communication skills ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non-disruptive manner.
• Book appointments ensuring sufficient information is recorded to ensure retrieval and accurate notes and use of the medical record.
• Monitor flow of patients into consulting and treatment rooms
• Maintain and monitor the practice appointments system, adding clinics and amending slots as directed
• Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non-General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for same.

Prescriptions:

• Receive requests for repeat prescriptions from patients, pharmacy and care home staff, and process these in a timely and accurate manner and distribute signed prescriptions on request
• Dealing with prescription enquiries that other members of staff are unable to answer from patients and local pharmacists
• Identifying and suggesting ways of how to improve the repeat prescription process.
• Pathology: Follow up patients with abnormal test results, as instructed by the GP.

Patient Registrations:

• Explain Practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover and ensure procedures are completed.
• Ensure that all registrations including New, immediately necessary, and temporary residents are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately.
• Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to

Facilities:

• Provide support for the Dermatology Camera located at individual sites
• Replenish GP supplies and equipment in their consultation room according to shift rota.
• Keeping the reception area, noticeboards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter.
• Keeping the reception well-stocked with stationery and other supplies
• Ordering: this may be stationery and office supplies, consumables or medical/clinical supplies ordered under the supervision of one of the Nursing staff
• Transfer telephones to and from the out of hours service as necessary
• To maintain a thorough knowledge of all Practice procedures and work in accordance of written protocols
• Ensure building security- have a thorough knowledge of doors/ windows/ alarm.

Other Tasks:

• Undertake a variety of SystmOne tasks to assist in the smooth running of the practice, contacting patients as requested by managers and clinical staff when required. Responding to system wide alerts.
• To maintain a thorough knowledge of all Practice procedures and work in accordance of written protocols
• Contributing to the development and improvement of services to patients
• To assist your colleagues in learning new procedures and offering support across the team when required.
• To act as a mentor and/or buddy for new team members and apprentices within the team. Assisting the Reception Manager with induction and training.

Health and Safety:

• Ensure all members of staff comply with the Groups health and safety policy
• Carry out risk assessments to comply with current Health and Safety legislation
• Ensure any health and safety concerns are reported to the Operations Manager
• To be aware of and adhere to applicable practice rules, regulations, legislation and procedures, national legislation (Health and Safety, COSHH, Data Protection).

Equality and Diversity:

• The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers, and colleagues
• Act in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with group processes and policies and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers, and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner that is welcoming, non-judgemental and respects the individuals circumstances, feelings, priorities, and rights The details contained in this job description are not exhaustive and may change as the post develops.

Governance:

• Identify and record risks and issues, developing contingency plans with service and contract leads
• Ensure the PCN is compliant with health and safety policies and procedures to reflect current best practice
• Ensure that the PCN board and Clinical director adhere to the governance structure as set out in the network agreement

Confidentiality:

To maintain confidentiality of information acquired in the course of undertaking duties for the practice.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Good standard of general education
• Or experience in similar role will be considered
• NVQII in Customer Care

Experience

• Experience of working
• NVQII in Customer Care with the general public
• Experience of working in a busy environment
• Understanding of different patients and carer groups and needs
• Awareness of the importance of safeguarding and procedures
• Be aware of confidentiality and data protection when handling sensitive information
• Experience of high-volume telephone calls and managing workload
• Developing productive and effective relationships with all members of the healthcare team
• Experience of working in receptionist role within a General Practice
• Patient/customer service related training/ previous role
• Up to date knowledge of services and health resources in the local area
• Knowledge of the Data Protection Act and how this is applied in practice

Skills

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills (Tasks and Oral)
• Good level of computer literacy
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Ability to deal with sensitive issues often within hostile or emotional situations
• Time Management and the ability to work to deadlines
• Ability to use own initiative and work under minimum supervision
• Confidence and ability to follow practice protocol in an emergency situation
• Able to work well as part of a team
• Flexible approach to work
• Evidence of problem solving and improving processes
• Sensitive to the needs of service users, their families . click apply for full job details