Patient Care Advisor

PATIENT CARE ADVISOR JOB TITLE: PATIENT CARE ADVISOR

**HOURS: 17 hours per week**

**Job summary**:
Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way.

Provide 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

**Job responsibilities**:
Administration
- To have a thorough knowledge of all practice procedures
- To work in accordance of written protocols detailed in the Staff Handbook
- Photocopy as requested
- To maintain the medical files in a tidy and orderly manner
- To date stamp and sort in-coming mail in an appropriate manner
- To photocopy patients’ records for insurance requests as required
- To record all petty cash transactions in a cashbook as required

Reception
- Receiving patients consulting with members of practice team
- Be able to cover all reception position as necessary
- To respond to all queries and requests for assistance from patients, visitors and other members of staff as required

Appointments
- Process appointment requests for today and / or future appointments from patients by telephone and in person.
- Deal with visits requests

Computer
- Process patients change of address - computer data and medical records (have knowledge of practice area.
- To process all requests for non-NHS work (e.g. medicals / claim forms / insurance reports) as per Practice protocols ensuring appropriate informed consent is received
- To register patients in an appropriate manner completing all the necessary documentation
- To enter and extract details from the computer system as required

Telephone
- Have working knowledge of telephone/on call system during and after hours.

Other Tasks
- To complete any designated areas of personal responsibilities when working as part of the reception team.
- Ensure building security - have thorough knowledge of doors/windows/alarm. Unlock and secure surgery premises within agreed protocols and ensure building is left alarmed if last on the premises
- Any other duties and tasks considered appropriate to the position, as requested by the Manager
- To make refreshments for self and others, as required and wash pots as required
- Keep the Reception and waiting areas safe and tidy, and report any bodily spillages to the appropriate person

**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 of 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 (minimum annually)
- Reporting potential risks identified

**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 circumstan