Care Navigator

Woodbank Surgery JOB DESCRIPTION Care Navigator/Receptionist / Administrator JOB SUMMARY The post holder is part of a team of staff providing the practices front-of-house service and administrative/secretarial duties; including welcoming patients and visitors, understanding and interpreting patients needs, resolving queries where possible or signposting patients to the appropriate service or appointment. The team must provide a responsive, courteous, calm and efficient service at all times, to enable and support patient care. The team has to respond to circumstances and a positive and flexible approach is required. The post holder will report to the Manager.
JOB DESCRIPTION - Duties and responsibilities The following is not an exhaustive list of duties, but is indicative of the work that will be required. Duties are allocated within the team by the Office Manager and some functions may be carried out at Woodbank Surgery. Allocation of duties between sites and individuals may change over time. The practice works in the ever-changing environment of the NHS and the tasks required will change from time to time.
Following Practice policies, protocols and guidelines, duties may include: Reception and Administration duties Ensure that all patients, visitors and staff receive a friendly service and their enquiries are dealt with efficiently. Provide a welcoming and efficient telephone service, managing own time to ensure maximum waiting times are kept low. Provide a welcoming and efficient counter service. Explore patient queries and requests fully, taking account of information in the medical record, to ensure that enquiries are handled by the most appropriate person, without the need for a clinician appointment when appropriate, and that any appointments booked are the most appropriate for the request.
Refer to procedures, guidance, colleagues or senior staff when unsure. Book, cancel, rearrange and receive patients for appointments. Deal with patient requests for home visits. Process repeat prescriptions, ensuring appropriate checks are made.
Explain systems to patients, e.g. appointments system, repeat prescriptions system. Respond appropriately to any potential emergency situation, ensuring access to care is not delayed. Arrange ambulances and interpreters.
Extract and file medical records and correspondence accurately. Collect information from patients and enter accurately into the computer system, as requested. Contact patients as appropriate. Keep track of all tasks and ensure they are completed in a timely fashion.
Take payment from patients for chargeable services, ensuring they are correctly recorded, that a practice receipt is issued on every occasion and that cash is placed in the designated secure place with the appropriate copy of the receipt. Open and lock up the building as required. Ensure the reception area and waiting room are kept clean and tidy. Stock leaflets and organise displays.
Register new patients and process changes of details, ensuring all checks are made. Operate the registration links system, ensuring transactions are processed promptly and queries addressed. Maintain paper patient records, including receiving, sorting, filing and sending. Operate laboratory results system (paper and electronic) including giving authorised results to patients.
Chase up outstanding results, as requested. Operate call and recall systems, e.g. for cervical cytology and chronic disease, including keeping records, sending letters to patients and failsafe checks. Administrative support for the provision of and payment for medical reports, examinations, forms etc.
Record out-of-hours and other patient contacts, action all correspondence to ensure it is promptly attached to the correct patients and tasked to the relevant GP. Complete forms accurately and on time. Carry out audit and collate statistics, as requested. Shredding of confidential documents.
Maintain necessary stocks, including ordering. Create and send referrals as directed by clinicians, using the appropriate templates and procedures, efficiently and promptly. Create other letters and documents as directed. Keep appropriate records (e.g.
of referrals), including computer data entry. Arrange or chase up hospital or other appointments as required. Process requests from solicitors for patient records and requests for forms and medical reports and examinations. Create standardised invoices and payment requests.
Provide administrative and secretarial support to GPs and senior staff. Process incoming mail, including sorting, distributing, filing and scanning. Other scanning and data entry as required. Process outgoing mail, including accurate postage stamping/franking.
Photocopying and faxing as required. Other administrative and clerical duties as required. The practice does not currently offer extended opening hours (Saturdays and later evenings) and there are no plans to do so. However, should this be required in future, the postholder will be exp