Receptionist (Patient Navigator)

We are a busy practice of about 17,500 patients in North East Hackney. We are looking for a new Receptionist to join our existing team. This post is for a flexible team member who will work shifts allocated on a weekly basis between our opening hours to suit the needs of the practice. The practice is open: 8am-8pm Mondays-Fridays and 10am-4pm Sundays. The successful applicant will need to be available to work any of these shifts and must be able to be flexible as required to work the 30 hours across the week. Applicants must be flexible and be prepared to work overtime when other members of the team are on leave.

You will be the first point of contact for patients, providing information, help and support to patients. You will need good communication skills, a friendly and helpful approach, good IT and data entry skills, an ability to work in a busy environment under pressure, and you will need to be reliable and punctual. Contracts will initially be on a 6 month probation period with a view to a permanent contract thereafter. This role requires shift work on a rota basis to cover core hours - working patterns will include 8am - 2pm and 2pm - 8pm and possibly weekends so you must be willing to work these shifts and only apply if you can commit to full time hours of 30 hours per week.

Main duties of the job:

• To provide and maintain a high level of service to both practice staff and patients.
• To ensure effective communication between reception staff and clinicians, in particular when patients are distressed or unwell.
• To ensure that an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice.
• To answer telephone enquiries, take messages and maintain good communication processes within the practice.
• To provide patients with all appropriate information regarding services provided in the practice.
• To promote a positive image to visitors and callers by maintaining a high standard of personal appearance and attitude and by dealing with enquiries in a professional and polite manner.
• To greet and direct patients appropriately to the correct service.

About us:

This 4 partner, APMS (Alternative Personal Medical Services) has a steadily growing list size of c. 17500 patients. The practice merged in recent years with another local practice and has undertaken extensive change, including a relocation to its present location on Stamford Hill. The practice has a clear vision to deliver high quality care. The practice has a very good reputation for patient care and accessibility. The practices are committed to high quality care, with consistently high Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) achievement and have clear vision and very good reputations. The practice is an equal opportunities employer. There is a strong team ethos within the practices and it is very important to the partners that this is maintained and developed. The practices are very comfortable places of work, with good teams of friendly staff. There is a relaxed atmosphere at the surgery and the environment is very pleasant to work in.

Job responsibilities:

• Patient Navigation Front and back reception putting the needs of patients first at all times.
• Opening up and locking-up of Practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with Practice protocols.
• Making, changing and cancelling appointments for patients.
• Maintaining and monitoring the Practice appointments system.
• Processing requests for home visits and telephone consultations.
• Ensuring those requesting appointments are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional for their specific medical problem.
• Scanning of incoming documents accurately and in a timely manner into the patient records.
• Processing and distributing incoming (and outgoing) post/mail.
• Accessing the practice NHS email account and processing emails.
• Issuing repeat prescriptions according to practice guidelines.
• To keep accurate and detailed records of petty cash transactions.
• To receive cash payments from patients and record appropriately in the receipt book.
• To advise patients of relevant charges for private (non General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for same.
• To ensure all item of service claims are made correctly and appropriately.
• Taking messages and passing on information.
• Filing and retrieving prescriptions, paperwork and medical records when required.
• Assisting patients with registering at the practice, completing applications to register accurately and adding details accurately on the spine.
• Telephoning patients when requested to invite them in for review.
• Responding to requests from patients, other team members and other healthcare providers.
• Sharing in the running of the reception meeting, on occasion chairing, taking minutes and filing minutes for follow up of actions.
• Providing clerical assistance to the team including filing, photocopying and scanning.
• To attend relevant training, when required.
• To adhere to practice policies, local and national guidelines.

Administration support:

• To manage QOF chronic disease recalls and book appointments for patients in line with contractual requirements.
• Ensuring patients attend appointments.
• Maintain up to date diary entries so patients are recalled at appropriate intervals in line with Practice protocols.
• To provide administrative support to all members of the Practice team including running searches, sending appointment letters, phoning patients.
• Assigning and monitoring of pathology results and documents.
• Process eye screening results via EMIS template ensuring practice meets KPI target.
• Work closely with the GP IT lead and Practice Manager to design and develop new searches, protocols, and templates for use in the Clinical IT system (EMIS Web).
• To process e-referral for patients and book appointment for them.

Medical records support:

• Photocopying insurance medicals and reports, and maintaining records and files thereof.
• To establish and maintain filing and administrative systems so that written or computer information is easily accessible and secure.
• To retrieve medical records and assist the completion of medical/insurance records.
• File patient records and correspondence in patient medical records.
• Culling and sorting patient records and letters in preparation for summarising.
• Reviewing medical records and producing an accurate summary of the patients medical history.
• Filing and retrieving paperwork.
• To sort and distribute accordingly any correspondence and records received in the weekly delivery from Primary Care Support England (PCSE).
• To ensure medical records requested for return to PCSE are retrieved and dealt with in the appropriate manner.
• Sort and date stamp all incoming patient-related mail.
• Scan patient-related documents onto their medical record using read codes as agreed by the clinical team.
• Add any additional information about the source of the document.
• Forward the document to the EZ Doc coder or to the Dr or person who is most appropriate to receive the information following agreed procedures.
• Ensure incoming letters are scanned onto the patient record within agreed timescales.
• Scan all internal paper documents on to the relevant patients record and then store the documents in line with surgery procedures.
• Scanning to include Coding.
• Identify relevant clinical information contained in patient correspondence.
• Code or free text the clinical information on to the patient record.
• Deal with queries relating to coding.
• Ordering, re-ordering and monitoring of stationery and other clinical and cleaning supplies.
• Clearing and re-stocking of consulting rooms as required/requested.
• Dealing with clinical waste.
• Provision of refreshments for staff and visitors as required; loading and emptying the dishwasher and keeping the kitchen area clean and tidy.
• Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter.
• To open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and make all necessary preparations to receive patients.
• When last to leave at the end of the day, to ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights are off and the alarm activated.
• Turn off lights and air conditioning units.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications: Educated to GCSE O level or equivalent. NVQ in customer care. Trained in the use of Clinical systems used in General Practice and Microsoft packages.
• Experience: Experience of office and admin/clerical work. Experience of reception duties. Experience of working with clinical staff. Experience of working within the NHS or other health care setting.
• 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.