Patient Advisor

Job Summary Offer general assistance to the practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone. 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 Job Responsibilities: The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the reception team may include any or all of the items in the following list.
Duties may be varied from time to time under the direction of the Senior Patient Advisor/Practice Manager, dependent on current and evolving NHS requirements, practice workload and staffing levels: Care Navigation: Processing personal and telephone requests for appointments, visits and telephone consultations, and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional. Care navigate patient requests using the correct dispositions and guidelines to ensure all requests are dealt with correctly and in accordance with the patients medical needs. Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team members and associated healthcare agencies and providers. Learn and adopt the process for sign posting/navigate patients to other services available to patients.
**Administration**: Learn and adopt all practice protocols and polices. Process enquiries from patients, arrange appointments, explain practice procedures following practice process/protocols. Ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are processed accordingly. Explain Practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary registration and ensure procedures are completed.
Enter requests for home visits onto the system, ensuring careful recording of all required and relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor. Action prescription requests and ensure that they are processed or the patient within 72 hours. Advise patients of relevant charges if applicable for private (non-General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for same (following a process). Ensure correct entry of patient information on to the computer.
Check patient ID before processing and giving out any form of documentation to patients/making appointments or collecting prescriptions. Book extended services for patients within the Service Hub e.g. flu/COVID appointments. Direct patients to consulting rooms when necessary and assist patient who require help.
Be conversant with the complaints procedure. Deal with incoming telephone calls, act accordingly, take accurate messages and pass on to the relevant person. Enter data into patients electronic EMIS record. Action daily tasks posted on the practice clinical system.
To activate and promote self-service check outs to patients. To queue bust where necessary. Understand the different types of appointments available to patients and book accordingly. Familiarise oneself with the abilities/skills sets of nursing and PCN team and allocate appointments where applicable.
To book translators for patient appointments. To ensure that clinical calling in monitors are operating. Additional administration duties on behalf of the practitioners, Practice Manager, and Team Lead. Provide refreshments to GPs.
To promote the practice website to patients. Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager. Premises: To open and lock the premises following the correct procedures for securing the premises. Know how to contact the alarm companies if required.
Ensure consulting rooms are cleared and kept tidy after each surgery and prepared for the next surgery. Ensure reception waiting areas are kept tidy and safe for patients. Place the clinician name plate on the door and rearrange as and when required. Report any necessary Health and Safety, Significant Event issues to management.
Keep the reception area, tidy and free from obstructions and clutter. Ensure patient leaflets are kept up-to-date and are easily accessible to patients. Ensure kitchen and waiting rooms are kept tidy. Training: Undertake training as directed by the Senior Patient Advisor/Practice Team Assistant and Practice Manager.
Attend staff, reception team meetings. Attend external training where applicable to role. Utilise protected time for learning sessions. To maintain mandatory modules of Blue Stream training within the required timeframes.
Ensure any other necessary training requirements is up to date. 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 s