Receptionist (Care Navigator) in Sidcup

Working hours: 37.5 per week (across a 7 day service - weekends included)

Main duties of the job:

• Responsible for supporting the operational effectiveness and smooth running of the Queen Mary and Erith Urgent Treatment Service across a 7-day rota.
• Duties include receiving and processing calls and messages.
• Strong customer care including managing challenging situations with patience and de-escalation techniques.
• Monitor NHS Pathways and CLEO systems, fast-track cases according to guidelines.
• Support with coordination of medical, social and transport services.
• Maintain accurate patient and service records.
• Assist with photocopying, statistics collection, audits and projects, and opening, distributing and posting mail.
• Any patients with additional needs booking in, replenish and tidy posters and leaflets, discard outdated materials, open and secure premises.
• Ensure stock levels maintained.
• Work flexibly across locations to meet service needs.
• High standards of professionalism with colleagues, patients and clinicians.
• Work collaboratively to maintain the efficient running of the service and elevate concerns where required.
• Handle confidential material in a sensitive and discrete fashion.

About us:

Bexley Health Neighbourhood Care (BHNC) is a GP Federation supporting the 20 Bexley Practices / 4 PCNs, Erith Hospital and Queen Marys Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) who are working collaboratively to enhance the health and wellbeing of Bexley residents, covering over 260,000 patients.

Organisational Values and Objectives:

The goals of BHNC are to work strategically with all Bexley Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to help secure the best services for patients whilst working together, to support the member practices and Urgent care services in the challenges of a changing NHS.

Job responsibilities:

• Location: Queen Marys Hospital, Sidcup and Erith Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre and Out of Hours Service
• Salary: £13.17 per hour
• Key relationships include but are not limited to: BHNC Senior Management Team, UTC Senior Management

Key Responsibilities:

• The Receptionist is responsible for supporting the operational effectiveness and smooth running of the Queen Mary and Erith Urgent Treatment Service across a 7-day rota, working closely with the Service Improvement and Delivery Manager and Clinical Team to provide an efficient service to patients.
• Duties include receiving and processing calls and messages from patients, NHS 111, healthcare professionals, Operational Managers, and external stakeholders, ensuring urgent matters are escalated appropriately to UTC GPs and clinicians.
• Staff must monitor NHS Pathways and CLEO systems, fast-track cases according to guidelines and National Quality Requirements (NQR), support clinicians with coordination of medical, social and transport services, arrange ambulance transport and translation services, and maintain regular communication with the home visiting team while visits are taking place.
• The role includes maintaining accurate patient and service records, ensuring all administration is completed and forwarded to the relevant clinics, hospitals, social services or GP practices, updating clinical systems with results, maintaining files for medical report requests, assisting with photocopying, statistics collection, audits and projects, and opening, distributing and posting mail.
• Receptionists must also assist any patients with additional needs with booking in, replenish and tidy posters and leaflets, discard outdated materials, open and secure Erith UTC premises, and sign in and out at the beginning and end of each shift.
• Staff are required to follow all operational, management and clinical instructions, policies and procedures, undertake mandatory and role-specific training annually (including streaming and redirection tools for initial triage), maintain a valid SMARTcard, adhere to Information Governance and Data Protection (GDPR) requirements, and ensure strict patient, staff and business confidentiality at all times.
• Receptionists must work flexibly across locations to meet service needs, support the mobile/standby doctor with appropriate tasks and ensure the doctors bag is fully stocked, charging overseas patients, and seek advice from management before sharing confidential information with third parties if unsure.
• Receptionists are expected to maintain high standards of professionalism, conduct and courtesy with colleagues, patients and clinicians, work collaboratively with the reception team to share workloads, and undertake additional or redistributed duties as required to maintain the efficient running of the service.
• Staff must elevate concerns where NQR standards are not being met, comply with safety procedures including calling 999 in the event of a breach of safety, and undertake any other administrative or operational duties consistent with the responsibilities of the role and changing service needs.

Personal and Professional Development:

• Participate in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility to maintain a record of own personal and/or professional development.
• Participate in any training programme implemented by the management team.
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.
• Assess own performance and development and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision.
• Always maintain confidentiality.
• Represent the organisation positively and professionally, behaving as an ambassador for BHNC by always displaying the organisations values and levels of expected professionalism.
• Demonstrate interpersonal skills when dealing with all levels of staff across BHNC / PCNs using persuasion, tact and reassurance where necessary.
• Handle confidential patient material in a sensitive and discrete fashion in compliance with BHNC policies and procedures.
• To be able to influence, motivate and involve individuals and teams to reach necessary performance target expectations.
• Liaise with other departments and members of BHNC and other organisations to ensure the smooth running of the role to assist with the functioning of the PCN team.
• Work within BHNC policies and procedures.
• To demonstrate reliability and flexibility.
• To show patience and be able to manage challenge situations including de-escalation techniques.

General:

• Represent the organisation positively and professionally, behaving as an ambassador for BHNC by always displaying the organisations values and levels of expected professionalism.
• Demonstrate interpersonal skills when dealing with all levels of staff across the BHNC / PCNs using persuasion, tact and reassurance where necessary.
• Handle confidential material in a sensitive and discrete fashion in compliance with BHNC policies and procedures.
• To be able to influence, motivate and involve individuals and teams to reach necessary performance target expectations.
• Liaise with other departments and members of BHNC and other organisations to ensure the smooth running of the role.
• Checks in and directs patients appropriately, for certain cases that cannot be treated in the UTC.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications: GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths. NVQ Level 2 or equivalent in health and social care. Minimum of 5 GCSE or NVQ level 3 or equivalent.
• Skills / Abilities: To always maintain a high level of customer care. To obtain and input patient demographic details onto the UTC patient database ensuring accuracy. Ability to follow practice policies and procedures and ensure that patient paperwork is accurate and prepared in a timely manner to facilitate the smooth running of the practice and delivery of high-quality patient care. Provide information and advice to patients and support colleagues who need help with practice-based tasks in line with established policies and procedures. Support practice performance by monitoring stock levels and informing line manager when need to order more stock/items are reaching their end of use date. Experience of providing support to patients and work colleagues. Excellent communication skills and able to communicate effectively and empathetically with all visitors to the department. Excellent telephone manner. Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team to ensure the smooth running of the reception area in line with established policies and procedures. Ability to work under pressure and remain calm. Ability to utilise translation services with patients. Ability to recognise unwell patients who may need immediate Clinical intervention in the waiting room. Ability to meet daily deadlines and prioritise conflicting workload demands to meet patient needs. To be able to respond in the event of a major incident and business continuity episodes. Familiar with using Cleo IT system. Familiar with using Emis IT system.
• Experience: Dealing with the public on the phone. Working as part of a team. Experience of Computer literacy, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Experience of managing communication with the public and work colleagues and ability to always communicate appropriately, both verbally and in written communications. Working within a call centre environment. Experience within the NHS. Experience of using basic e-triage tools.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.