Patient Support Team Member - Fixed Term Maternity Cover in Scarborough

Scarborough Medical Group has an exciting opportunity for Patient Support Team Members to join our team on fixed term 9 month contracts. Are you ready for a rewarding career in healthcare? We are looking for an individual who is enthusiastic and is passionate about making a difference to the lives of others. This is a busy, demanding and interesting role and you will need to be quick thinking and tenacious, but also kind and understanding. Working in a great team of clinical and non-clinical colleagues, we need you to be friendly, flexible and used to using your initiative as well as working closely with colleagues.

We have two fixed term vacancies:

• Vacancy 1: Fixed term 9 month contract, 31 hours per week
• Vacancy 2: Fixed term 9 month contract, 27.25 hours per week

*You will also be expected, when required, to provide cover during periods of sickness or annual leave. Our working week is Monday to Friday, although there will be an odd occasion where a Saturday shift may be required to cover. You will be entitled to join the NHS pension and will benefit from 22 days a year annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising to 28 days for additional years of service. Free parking is available at both our surgeries.

Main duties of the job:

The main purpose of the Patient Support Team is to:

• Offer advice, guidance and assistance to patients, relatives, carers or other healthcare agencies wishing to use our services.
• Facilitate effective, professional communication between patients and members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies.
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the Practice.

You will be required to work across both Danes Dyke Surgery and South Cliff Surgeries, so ideally you will have your own transport.

About us:

Sarborough Medical Group is a successful and highly respected training practice located in the beautiful coastal town of Scarborough on the North Yorkshire coast. With two surgeries serving communities in both the north and south of the town, our teams support over 16,600 patients. We are proud to be part of a strong and collaborative Primary Care Network and enjoy positive, well-established working relationships with colleagues across local practices.

You will be an essential part of our dynamic workforce, working alongside our teams of GP's, Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses, HCA's, Dispensers, Clinical Pharmacists, MSK Practitioners, Mental Health workers, Social Prescribing Link workers, Care coordinators, Medical Secretaries, Coders and many more!

Job responsibilities:

The purpose of the role is to:

• Offer advice, guidance and assistance to patients, relatives, carers or healthcare agencies wishing to use our services.
• Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way.
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the practice.
• Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies.
• Project a positive and friendly image of the Practice to patients and other visitors, either in person or via other communication methods used by the Practice.

Duties and responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the practice reception team may include any or all of the items in the following list. Duties may vary from time to time under the direction of the line management, dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:

• Responding to patient concerns and providing a high quality level of customer services.
• Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointments system.
• Processing requests for appointments, visits and telephone consultations and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional or that the correct slot type is booked into the correct clinic.
• Undertaking to obtain correct information to patients who wish to register at the practice and registering them correctly onto the clinical system.
• Maintaining the electronic links between the practice and the registering health authority as per protocol and guidance.
• Scanning of patient letters and attaching those letters to patient record in the clinical system.
• Updating patients data sharing preferences on the clinical system in line with policy, protocol and guidance.
• Processing and distributing incoming (and outgoing) mail.
• Taking messages and passing on information personally and electronically to members of the practice team ensuring that all appropriate information is gathered from the originator of the message.
• Accurately inputting blood test requests from GPs, nurses or other related healthcare professionals onto the electronic requesting system via the clinical record.
• Filing and retrieving paperwork.
• Processing repeat prescriptions in accordance with practice guidelines.
• Computer data entry/data allocation and collation; processing and recording information in accordance with practice procedures.
• Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team members and associated healthcare agencies and providers.
• Providing clerical assistance to practice staff as required from time to time, including word/data processing, filing, photocopying and scanning.
• Providing patient results to the patient or their appropriate representative.
• Opening up/locking-up of practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with Practice protocols.
• Keeping the reception and waiting areas, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter.
• Unpacking deliveries made to the practice of general supplies and ensuring cleared away promptly.
• To provide cover for other team members within the same cover rota as requested.
• Undertake any other tasks relevant to the post as requested and considered to be within the remit of the reception role.

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 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.

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.

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.

Policy and Service Development Implementation:

Comply with practice policies and procedures as defined within the staff handbook and SMG Intranet.

Responsibilities for Financial and Physical Resources:

Undertake to manage the private fees process for patients, being aware of the procedure to undertake and administrating this procedure as requested. Liaising with IT support services relevant to post and equipment used to instigate repair.

Responsibilities for Human Resources:

Assist with training of new staff as required. Provide annual leave / sickness cover as necessary. Attend all mandatory training sessions and undertake any additional training required to fulfil the requirements of the role.

Freedom to Act:

Follow standard operating procedures and guidelines. This job description contains the principal duties of the post and a range of other duties is implicit in these. The duties may be amended from time to time to reflect any changes in the needs of the service in discussion with the post holder.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults:

To ensure awareness and be alert to, the signs and symptoms of abuse in children through regular participation in mandatory and refresher child protection training. To be familiar with all relevant Safeguarding Children & Young People, policies and procedures and contact points, taking the appropriate action when there is knowledge or suspicion of a child who has been subject to abuse. To be familiar with all relevant Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults, policies and procedures and contact points, taking the appropriate action when there is knowledge or suspicion of a child who has been subject to abuse.

Person Specification:

Qualifications:

• O/GCSE Level English or equivalent.
• Good working knowledge of Windows IT packages.
• Excellent keyboard skills.
• Customer Service Qualification.
• ECDL Qualification.
• Previous working knowledge of SystmOne clinical system.

Personal Qualities:

• Excellent Communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Conscientious and flexible approach.
• Ability to work on own or as part of a team.
• Understanding of the meaning of confidentiality and the requirement for this to be maintained.
• Ability to respond quickly to changing priorities, organising and prioritising own workload to meet deadlines without direct supervision.
• High standard of accuracy.

Experience:

• At least 2 years administration experience in a similar role within the last 5 years.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
• Comprehensive knowledge of spelling and grammar.
• Knowledge of the NHS.
• Comprehensive knowledge of medical terminology.

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.