ORCHARD SURGERY
Care Navigator / Medical Receptionist
Job title
Care Navigator
Line manager
Reception Lead
Accountable to
Practice Manager
Hours per week
37.5
Job summary
To support the practice clinical team by signposting patients to the appropriate healthcare professional or service, working as part of the practice’s multidisciplinary team. The post holder will be responsible for undertaking a wide range of reception and administrative duties. Duties can include but not limited to, greeting and directing patients, booking appointments, processing of information and assisting patients as required. The care navigator will act as the central point of contact for patients, the distribution of information, messages and enquiries for the clinical team.
Generic responsibilities
All staff at Orchard Surgery have a duty to conform to the following:
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
A good attitude and positive action towards ED&I create an environment where all individuals are able to achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons: it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.
Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and to be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.
Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued, and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that they treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.
Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)
This practice is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety. You have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for you, your team and others, and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. All personnel are to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environment Act 1995, Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999 and other statutory legislation.
Confidentiality
This practice is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect that all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times. It is essential that if the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained that all staff protect patient information and provide a confidential service.
Quality & Continuous Improvement (CI)
To preserve and improve the quality of our output, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work. The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the practice to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice.
This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver healthcare with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuous improvement, where everyone counts and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care.
Induction training
On arrival at the practice, all personnel are to complete a practice induction programme; this is managed by the Reception Lead and Practice Manager.
Learning and development
The effective use of training and development is fundamental in ensuring that all staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences to perform their role. All staff will be required to participate in and complete mandatory training, as directed by the training coordinator, as well as participating in the practice’s training programme. Staff will also be permitted (subject to approval) to undertake external training courses which will enhance their knowledge and skills, progress their career and, ultimately, enable them to improve processes and service delivery.
Collaborative working
All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working. Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments. Effective communication is essential, and all staff must ensure that they communicate in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner.
Service delivery
Staff at Orchard Surgery must adhere to the information contained within practice policies and regional directives, ensuring that protocols are adhered to at all times. Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.
Security
The security of the practice is the responsibility of all personnel. Staff must ensure that they remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager. Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks with anyone and they are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured.
Professional conduct
At Orchard Surgery, staff are required to dress appropriately for their role. Reception staff will be provided with a uniform whilst clinical staff must dress in accordance with their role.
Leave
All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure that all of their staff take all of their leave entitlement.
Primary responsibilities
The following are the core responsibilities of the experienced Care navigator. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent on factors such as workload and staffing levels:
- Process and effectively signpost patients to the appropriate healthcare professional depending on the presenting condition
- Process personal, telephone and footfall requests for appointments
- Answer incoming phone calls, transferring calls or dealing with the callers’ requests appropriately
- Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointment system
- Initiate contact with and respond to requests from patients, team members and external agencies
- Enter read-code data on SystmOne
- Photocopy documentation as required
- Data entry of new and temporary registrations and relevant patient information as required
- Input data into the patients’ healthcare records as necessary
- Direct requests for information, e.g. SAR, insurance/solicitors’ letters and DVLA forms, to the administrative team
- Allocate Home Visit requests to the clinical team
- Process monthly recall of patients for repeat blood tests and other investigations
- Monitor the Surgery email accounts ensuring all actions are completed as necessary
- Manage all queries as necessary in an efficient manner
- Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times
- Monitor and maintain the reception area and noticeboards
- Support all clinical staff with general tasks as requested
Secondary responsibilities
In addition to the primary responsibilities, the care navigator may be requested to:
- Participate in practice audits as directed by the audit lead
- Scan patient-related documentation and attach scanned documents to patients’ healthcare records
- Complete opening and closing procedures in accordance with the duty rota
- Support the management team in promoting ED&I, SHEF, Quality & CI, Confidentiality, Collaborative Working, Service Delivery, Learning and Development and carry out other duties as directed by the management team.
The person specification for this role is detailed overleaf.
Person Specification – Care Navigator (Medical Receptionist )
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Educated to GCSE level or equivalent
✓
Active signposting or Care Navigator training qualification
✓
Healthcare qualification (level 2) or working towards gaining equivalent level
✓
Customer service qualification (NVQ) or equivalent
✓
Experience
Essential
Previous GP practice experience
Desirable
Experience of working in a primary care environment
✓
Experience of working with the general public
✓
Experience of working in a healthcare setting
✓
Skills
Essential
Desirable
Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
✓
Strong IT skills
✓
Clear, polite telephone manner
✓
Competent in the use of Office and Outlook
✓
EMIS / Systmone / Vision user skills
✓
Effective time management (planning & organising)
✓
Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
✓
Good interpersonal skills
✓
Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
✓
Personal qualities
Essential
Desirable
Polite and confident
✓
Flexible and cooperative
✓
Motivated
✓
Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
✓
High levels of integrity and loyalty
✓
Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
✓
Ability to work under pressure / in stressful situations
✓
Able to communicate effectively and understand the needs of the patient
✓
Effectively utilises resources
✓
Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort
✓
Other requirements
Essential
Desirable
Flexibility to work outside core office hours
✓
Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
✓
Occupational Health clearance
✓
This document may be amended, following consultation with the post holder, to facilitate the development of the role, the practice and the individual. All personnel should be prepared to accept additional, or surrender existing, duties to enable the efficient running of the practice.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: From £12.71 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
