Patient Communicator - Bideford, United Kingdom - Bideford Medical Centre

Description

1.

Job Details Job Holder:

Job Title:
Patient Communicator



Responsible to:
Reception Team Leads Professionally

Responsible to:
Practice Manager/

Deputy Practice Manager Location:
Bideford Medical Centre


2. Job Purpose

To provide a focal point of contact and to communicate between patients, all members of the practice team and outside agencies in a busy practice, whilst actively contributing to the achievement of practice objectives and ensuring relevant Care Quality Commission standards are maintained.

3. Dimensions

The Patient Communicators are a subsection of the Reception Team and are at the heart of the Practice and the main port of call for all departments.

Each member is expected to work as part of the wider Practice Team, to contribute and participate in the continuing high standards of the Surgery with the added ability to manage individual projects.

The Patient Communication Team are responsible to the Team Leads and should report any work-related problems or queries to them.

4. Organisational Chart
Partners

Practice Manager/ Deputy Practice Manager

Team Leads

Patient Communicator/Receptionist


5. Main Tasks/Duties and Areas of Responsibility
Reception Duties

• Utilise the clinical system to ensure efficiency of the appointment system and monitor the flow of patients into the consulting and treatment rooms
• Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to patients, ensuring procedures are followed and completed
• Accept payments and issue receipts
• Deal appropriately with messages both verbal and written
• Promote patient services, including internet access to the practice
• Keep the reception and waiting room tidy, adhering to health and safety and infection control procedures
• Dealing with problems and queries from patients, doctors, other staff, attached staff and other agencies
• Occasional opening of the premises and locking up, including activation and deactivation of the alarm system
• Maintain oversight of the waiting area at all times

Management of Appointment System

• Carry out basic triage of appointment requests to enable access to the appropriate team member
• Book appointments for clinicians based at the practice
• Offer accessible and appropriate healthcare to patients
• Monitor effectiveness of the system and report any problems or variations required

Operation of the Telephone System

• Receive and make calls as required.
• Divert calls as appropriate
• Take messages and record them according to the protocol, action as necessary
• Liaise with other organisations for information sharing and/or obtaining further information

Management of medical records

• Proactively participate in gathering and recording health information
• Ensure correspondence, consultant letters, reports are filed in the correct record
• File and retrieve patient records from archives
• Ensure general upkeep of paper files, repairing when necessary
• Sorting patient records and letters in preparation of summarising

Administration

• Post/parcels open and sort general/confidential post and frank and dispatch outgoing mail
• Maintain accurate and uptodate patients' records, recording data consistently and according to protocols
• Liaise with stock controller for stationery
• Assist patients who require information about the inhouse satisfaction and complaints' procedure

Computer

• Ensure that the system is operational at the beginning of each day and closed down at the end of the day
• A willingness to develop and expand core knowledge on all aspects of IT through both inhouse and external training

Any other responsibilities/attributes considered appropriate to the post

• Confidence in decisionmaking ability
• Ability to use own initiative
• Attend receptionists' and team meetings as well as other meetings whenever necessary, sometimes outside normal hours
• Adhere to security protocols
• Responsibility under the Health & Safety At Work Act 1974

Confidentiality

The code of Practice for safeguarding medical information as approved by the Medical Advisor Commission:
Patient information is generally held under legal and ethical obligations of confidentiality.

Information provided in confidence should not be used or disclosed in a form that might identify a patient without his or her consent.

There are a number of important exceptions to this rule but it applies in most circumstances.

Note:

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974:
In order to protect patients, the law specifically permits Health Authorities to

obtain relevant information about an applicant's previous criminal

convictions (if any). You are therefore asked to reveal all such convictions

which you consider relevant to the applicant's suitability for this post. Any

such information will be treated in the strictest confidence


6. Communication and Working Relationships
Develop and maintain effective working relationships with other Team members throughout the surgery.

Practice excellent c