NHS 111 Health Advisor

Job summary

NHS 111 Health Advisor - located onsite in Dorking, Surrey

Ever wanted to play your part in an exciting service that really makes a difference to everyones lives? As a key member of our 111 team in Dorking youll be doing just that.

This is your chance to train to be a Health Advisor in our 111 call centre , handling calls from members of the public. Youll learn how to use a state-of-the-art triage tool called NHS Pathways to assess patients over the phone and direct them to the most appropriate care. Although these are not emergency calls, youll also need to be prepared to deal with emotional, distressing or life-threatening scenarios and to arrange for 999 services if required.

We offer enhanced pay rates for weekends, we are offering part-time roles from 16 - 30 hours per week to cover our core shifts (weekends, evenings and bank holidays) when patients most need us.

Please note: If you require a full-time role ( hours),and are happy to work every weekend with time off during the week, we can offer this option.

The extensive fully paid training equips you with valuable skills and includes assessments. We have full-time courses available , Mon-Fri (9am-5pm) for 4 weeks.

Upcoming available start dates are:

Monday 23rd Sept - Full Time Monday 21st Oct - Full Time

After training, you can join the team part-time or full-time on your approvedshift pattern .

Main duties of the job

Manage calls from patients and healthcare professionals with urgent and non-urgent healthcare needs Direct patients to the service suitable for their needs,using the Pathways Capture patient information using computer systems Communicate effectively and empathetically in a healthcare environment with patients and colleagues What you will get: Pay: £ per hour daytime and during training (07:00-23:00) £ per hour contractual night rate (23:00-24:00) £ per hour weekends (18:00 Friday-midnight; any hours worked on Saturday or Sunday) 25 days annual leave, increasing with service up to 28 days per year + bank holidays. Great job security , flexibility over hours (whenever we can), and full support for ongoing career progression into coaching, training and management roles. Practice Plus Group benefits including company pension scheme, life assurance, cycle to work scheme, retail discounts, and an employee assistance programme for you and your family.

What you will need:

GCSE/Functional Skills English and Maths . Excellent listening and communication skills, ideally with IT and keyboard skills, plus some previous experience of working and communicating with the public. A real passion for helping other people, with the ability to learn all sorts of new skills and to thrive and develop in a fun, friendly, well-supported team .

About us

PracticePlus Group is passionate about great healthcare. We believe that anyone shouldbe able to access excellent care, whether via the NHS or privately. Our breadthof expertise spans surgery, diagnostics, general practice, offender health andurgent care, with an unrivalled range of different services provided across thecountry. Were proud to be at the forefront of developing new and exciting waysto support the nations health too, helping patients to maximise theirwellbeing and live life to the full. When youre part of the Practice Plus Group team, you dont just have a job.You have a career. We work with you to help you grow in your role and take yourcareer in the direction you want to go. Well help you be the best you can be. We want our team members to feel motivated and rewarded. So we offer acompetitive package of pay and benefits. We also recognise the value of ahealthy work-life balance so we always try to be flexible, helping you fityour working life around your home life. If you'd like to learn more, please contact Natalie on Please note that offers of employment are subject to receipt of satisfactoryreferences and a DBS check. Practice Plus Group is committed to creating a diverse environment and we areproud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOBSUMMARY

You will manage calls from patients and healthcare professionalswith urgent and non-urgent healthcare needs, using the Pathways Systemappropriately to direct the patient to the service suitable for their needs.

You will use computer systems tocapture patient information along with being expected to demonstrateself-directed learning and practice.

There will be a period of competency-based training both initiallyand over the first 6 months of employment which you must complete in order toperform all the duties of the job to the required standard.

Principal duties andresponsibilities:

Call Handling

Receiverequests for assistance, treatment or care to IUC / NHS 111 callcentre. The requests may be from members of the public, healthcarepractitioners or other professionals.

Interactwith Individuals using telecommunications . You will answerthe calls in an efficient and courteous manner using organisational standardsand protocols. This will involve triaging patient calls using the appropriate PathwaysSystem.

Communicateeffectively in a healthcare environment with colleagues as well as callersto the IUC / NHS 111 service. You will need to adjust the way you communicateto fit their knowledge and deal with callers with empathy and understanding. Youwill accurately record and check or amend details on the call logging computersystem.

Directrequests for assistance, care or treatment using protocols or guidelines bysignposting patients/callers to the most appropriate care/service using theDirectory of Services where appropriate, guided by Pathways. This includesmaking judgements around what may or may not be significant changes in apatients condition. This may involve recognition and appropriate response toemergency situations.

Support the safeguarding of individuals followinglocal protocols and standards. Relate to others in ways which support rights,inclusion and wellbeing of individuals, supporting individuals to keepthemselves safe.

Contribute to the effectiveness of teams .Work as part of a multidisciplinaryteam, actively contributing to service improvements where appropriate. Assistnew members of staff. Assist in general administrative and clerical duties. Providecover for sickness, bank holidays, and annual leave of other health advisors.Work flexibly across sites as required by the service.

General Duties

Act within the limits of your competence andauthority , work to Pathways competencies and adhere to local protocolsand procedures.

Make sure your actions reduce risks to healthand safety by maintaining a tidy office/call centre at all times, cleaningequipment before use and supporting the maintenance of equipment by reportingany faults as per local procedures. Adhere to health and safety policies andreport incidents and risks identified through Datix or via line manager.

Comply with legal requirements for maintainingconfidentiality by maintaining strict confidentiality of all issues concerned withthe service. Adhere to requirements of the Data Protection Act 1984,information governance and Caldicott Principles.

Foster peoples equality, diversity and rights by beingproactive against discrimination.

Managing Self

Make use ofsupervision . Participate in regular supervision inline with local guidelines in order to continually improve your performance andgain support following difficult calls.

Develop your ownknowledge and practice , which includesreflecting on your practice, and taking opportunities to improve your practiceand apply learning in the workplace.

Ensure personalfitness for work presenting a positive image of self andthe organisation. Maintain professional conduct including appearance at alltimes.

Developing Others

NB there is scope to add a Pathwayscoaching function to this role once the health advisor has gained experience intheir role and is keen to support development of others. The additionalcompetences would be.

Undertake coachingor mentoring with new health advisors to supportthem in the IUC / NHS 111 call centre and their use of Pathways. This wouldrequire additional training to gain accreditation as an NHS Pathway coach orother Clinical Decision Making System equivalent.

Probationary periods

All staff new to the organisation arerequired to undertake Pathways training. Continuation in the role is dependentupon successful completion of training.

Equality and diversity

All staff have a role to play insupporting and championing equality and ensuring that our workplace and theservices we deliver are free from discrimination. This includes delivering theorganisations obligations as they are set out within the Equality Act andPublic Sector Equality Duty, which means not only ensuring equal opportunitiesfor staff and service users, but also ensuring that patients have equal accessto NHS services and that health inequalities are reduced across all protectedcharacteristics.

Treating people equally may meantreating people differently or more favourably, in order to ensure equal access for example, by giving staff with dyslexia more time to sit tests, or bygiving people with learning disabilities longer appointments. All staff mustensure that they have the skills, knowledge and competences outlined within thecompetency framework to ensure that their practice and the care they providemeets the needs of all individuals with protected characteristics, whereappropriate taking account of cultural or language needs, respecting differenceand taking action to reduce health inequalities.

Additional Information:

Appraisal

Practice PlusGroup operates a system of individual performance review/appraisal for thepurpose of agreeing performance objectives and discussing development needs inline with requirements of service need in the operational plan.

Code of Conduct for Professional Group

All members ofstaff are required to work in accordance with their professional groups codeof conduct ( NMC, GMC, HPC).

This jobdescription is intended as a basic guide to the scope and responsibilities of thepost and is not exhaustive. It will be subject to regular review and amendmentas necessary in consultation with the post holder.

Conflict of Interests

You may notwithout the consent of Practice Plus Group engage in any outside employment andin accordance with Practice Plus Group Conflict of Interest Policy you mustdeclare to your manager all private interests, which could potentially resultin personal gain as a consequence of your employment position in Practice PlusGroup. Interests that might appear to bein conflict should also be declared.

Criminal Records Bureau

It is arequirement of this position that a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure at theenhanced level is undertaken.

Confidentiality

The post holder is required not to disclosesuch information, particularly that relating to patients and staff. Allemployees are subject to the Data Protection Act 1998 and must not onlymaintain strict confidentiality in respect of patient and staff records, butthe accuracy and integrity of the information contained postholder must not at any time use personal data held by Practice Plus Group forany unauthorised purpose or disclosure such as data to a third party.

You must not make any disclosure to anyunauthorised person or use any confidential information relating to thebusiness affairs of Practice Plus Group, unless expressly authorised to do soby Practice Plus Group.Further guidance on confidentiality is containedwithin Practice Plus Group Information Security Management System (ISMS).

Data Protection

The post holdermust at all times respect the confidentiality of information in line with therequirements of the Data Protection Act and the companys ISO27001accreditation. This includes, if required to do so, obtain, process and/or useinformation held on a computer in a fair and lawful way, to hold data only forthe specified registered purposes and to use or disclose data only toauthorized persons or organizations as instructed.

Educationand Training

Personal continuing professional development isencouraged and an annual appraisal system is in place to discuss CPD andongoing objectives.

Equal Opportunities

The post holder is required at all times to carryout responsibilities with due regard to Practice Plus Group Equal OpportunitiesPolicy and to ensure that staff receive equal treatment throughout theiremployment with Practice Plus Group.

Health and Safety

As an employee of Practice PlusGroup, the postholder has a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974,to:-

Take reasonable care of the healthand safety of themselves and all other persons who may be affected by theiracts or omissions at work.

Co-operate with their employer to ensure compliance with Health andSafety legislation and the Health and Safety policies and procedures of thetreatment centre, not intentionally or recklessly interfere with, or misuse,anything provided in the interests of health, safety, or welfare, in pursuanceof any of the relevant statutory provisions.

Risk Management

All members ofstaff have a responsibility to report all clinical and non-clinical accidentsor incidents promptly and when requested to, co-operate with any investigationundertaken.

This list of duties and responsibilities is by not exhaustive and thepost holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate dutiesas reasonably required.

This job description is subject to regularreview and appropriate modification

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

GCSE/Functional Skills English and Maths Good computer skills (must be confident in using a computer, with some experience) Excellent listening and communication skills. A real passion for helping other people, with the ability to learn all sorts of new skills and to thrive and develop in a fun, friendly, well-supported team.

Desirable

Comfortable working shifts, including weekends, evenings and bank holidays, as these are our core periods.

Experience

Essential

Previous experience of working and communicating with the public. Experience of communicating with the public effectively in English.

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