Doctors Surgery jobs in Fakenham

Job Description

Job title: Patient Services Coordinator

Hours: 24 hours per week

Holidays: 28 days pro rata plus bank holidays (pro rata)

Reports to: Patient Experience & Quality Lead

Accountable to: Practice Manager

The Fakenham Medical Practice

The Fakenham Medical Practice (FMP) is an eleven-doctor dispensing practice providing care to around 15,900 patients in and around Fakenham in North Norfolk.

We work from modern, purpose-built premises. The partners and staff have a shared belief in the delivery of high-quality, patient-focused care. Patients' interests are kept very much to the fore and there is a strong commitment to develop patient services. To promote a multidisciplinary team approach, we share our premises with other providers including a pharmacy, adult social services and local community services, e.g. physiotherapy and midwifery.

The practice is part of the Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board (NSICB) and its local Primary Care Network (PCN), and has a branch surgery at Walsingham. We are a training practice for GP Trainees.

Practice Mission Statement

Fakenham Medical Practice is committed to working with compassion and understanding to provide all its patients with accessible, responsive and efficient services that deliver good, safe and effective care.

Why this role exists

We are here to serve our patients and to keep the practice running smoothly. The Patient Services Coordinator is at the heart of both: making sure every patient who contacts us is helped quickly, kindly and accurately, and supporting our clinical and administrative teams so they can focus on delivering good care.

Main purpose of role

• To provide a positive, friendly and professional first point of contact for patients, carers and visitors, whether in person, by telephone or through the online system.
• To support patients through their care journey within the practice, acting as a central point of contact and ensuring timely coordination of appointments, follow-ups and communication between clinical teams, external services and patients.
• To support the clinical and administrative teams with a range of patient-related administrative tasks, working flexibly across reception and administration as the needs of the service require.

Key relationships

Partners, salaried doctors, trainees, Chief Executive, Practice Manager, , Patient Experience & Quality Lead, Patient Services Lead, nursing and HCA teams, Patient Services colleagues, all other FMP staff, patients, carers, Patient Participation Group members, secondary care, social services and other community providers.

Job duties and responsibilities

• Meet and greet patients and visitors, providing a high-quality, patient-first service in person, by telephone and via online forms.
• Act as a first point of contact for patients, responding to queries with empathy and professionalism and helping them navigate practice services and the appropriate care pathway, in line with practice protocols.
• Book, amend and cancel appointments across clinical teams to support continuity of care, ensuring follow-ups are booked and clearly communicated, and contacting patients to rearrange appointments where a clinical session changes.
• Arrange referrals, tests and follow-up appointments, including booking referrals through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS).
• Process incoming clinical and administrative correspondence, prioritising and routing items for clinicians and teams to action, in line with practice workflow protocols.
• Liaise with patients, secondary care, social services, community providers and other health professionals to resolve problems and answer queries.
• Identify and escalate complex or vulnerable patient needs to the appropriate person.
• Coordinate practice clinics and recalls, contacting identified patients to offer appointments, and support national screening and immunisation programmes by encouraging patient uptake.
• Explain practice services and procedures to new patients and those registering as temporary residents, and ensure all required registration documentation is completed.
• Complete basic (non-opinion) forms and the core elements of other forms, such as insurance, mortgage and benefits agency forms, for a clinician to review and sign.
• Ensure death notifications are administered and communicated promptly in line with practice procedure.
• Draft and send patient communications (letters, SMS messages, emails and online forms) as required.
• Record and monitor aspects of care coordination and service delivery on SystmOne, supporting data collection, searches and audit.
• Respond promptly and appropriately to patient needs in the waiting area, e.g. queues, confusion or sudden illness, calling for help when required.
• Advise patients of charges for non-NHS services, take payment and issue receipts.
• Take messages and pass on information accurately and in a timely way.
• Check and sign for deliveries, contacting other agencies on site where deliveries are for them, and keep the reception area tidy and free from obstructions.
• Open and close the surgery, following all associated procedures, when rota'd to do so.
• Provide cover during core opening hours and extended access hours (evenings and some Saturdays) on a rota basis, and cover colleagues during sickness and annual leave.

Working in the practice

• Maintain accurate, up-to-date patient records on SystmOne in line with data protection requirements.
• Communicate politely and effectively with patients, carers, colleagues and other contacts, recognising people's needs for alternative methods of communication, e.g. translation services, and working collaboratively to support a seamless multidisciplinary service.
• Flag safeguarding, clinical or operational concerns to the appropriate lead without delay.
• Report complaints, incidents, near misses, broken or damaged equipment and health and safety risks to the Patient Experience & Quality Lead (or, in their absence, the Practice Manager), taking or recommending corrective action where appropriate.
• Support service improvement initiatives relating to access, patient experience and care coordination, and help maintain and continuously improve working practices.
• Adhere at all times to practice policies, NHS guidelines and CQC requirements, including information governance, confidentiality, health and safety, infection prevention and control, and equality and diversity, and report any breach or suspected breach immediately.
• Undertake regular training and development, keep a personal development plan up to date and attend team and staff meetings.
• Undertake any other activities that may reasonably be requested by the Patient Experience & Quality Lead, Practice Manager, Chief Executive or the Partners.

General

This job description is not exhaustive. You are required to carry out all duties and obligations of which you have been advised, and to comply with any rules, instructions, directions, policies, protocols and procedures as may from time to time relate to your employment. You will also be given oral instructions about your duties and responsibilities, which you should follow to the best of your ability. If you do not understand what is required, or are unable to fulfil it, you should tell the person who gave the instruction or, if they are unavailable, your line manager.

Your job title and job description may be amended from time to time, and you may be called upon to carry out additional or other duties as may reasonably be required. There may also be times when you are asked to transfer to an alternative job, either on a temporary or permanent basis. You will not be assigned duties or required to perform services which you cannot reasonably be expected to perform.

The nature of our business and the changing needs of the NHS mean that you must be flexible in your approach to your work and in the duties you may be required to undertake in order to provide service to our patients. Your duties will inevitably vary and develop over time. You may occasionally be asked to support services across the Primary Care Network.

Qualifications

Essential

Good standard of general education

GCSE Mathematics and English at grade C / 4 or above (or equivalent)

Desirable

NVQ Level 2 in Customer Care or Business Administration (or equivalent)

AMSPAR or other medical administration / medical terminology qualification

Experience

Essential

Experience of working with the public, both face to face and on the telephone

Desirable

Reception or front-of-house experience

Administrative experience, including handling correspondence

Experience of working in a healthcare setting

Working knowledge of SystmOne or an equivalent clinical system

Experience of the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS)

Skills

Essential

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Good, confident IT skills (e.g. Microsoft Word, Outlook, email)

Clear, polite telephone manner

Time management and the ability to prioritise and work to deadlines

Accurate data entry and attention to detail

Problem-solving skills and good judgement

Good interpersonal skills

Desirable

Understanding of basic medical terminology

Behaviours

Essential

Smart, polite and confident

Honest and reliable, with good timekeeping

Calm, professional and compassionate, including under pressure

Strong organisational and administrative abilities

Uses initiative and judgement: knows when to ask for help and when to hand over to someone more experienced or qualified

Works as part of a team and is supportive of colleagues

Keen to learn and willing to develop skills across both reception and administration

Flexible and adaptable to changes in role, rota and ways of working

Self-motivated; meets agreed objectives

Maintains confidentiality at all times

Other requirements

Essential

Able to work flexibly on a rota, including extended access hours (evenings and some Saturdays)

Desirable

Able to work at the Walsingham branch surgery when required

Pay: £16,093.41 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free flu jabs
• Free parking
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking

Work Location: In person