About this role
Job summary
The Patient Access Centre (PAC) Coordinator will be responsible for the day-to-day operational coordination of the Patient Access Centre, supporting the delivery of an efficient, responsive and patient focused telephone access service across Tower Family Healthcare.
The postholder will oversee the daily operation of the PAC, monitoring telephone demand and service performance, coordinating staff activity and ensuring that appropriate telephone coverage is maintained throughout the day.
The Coordinator will provide day-to-day operational support and guidance to PAC Advisors, helping the team respond effectively to changes in patient demand, resolve operational issues and maintain consistent ways of working.
The role does not initially include formal line-management responsibility. Formal people management matters such as absence management, performance management, appraisal, disciplinary or grievance matters will remain with the appropriate manager. The PAC Coordinator will, however, be expected to identify and escalate concerns appropriately.
The postholder will work closely with Site Coordinators, managers, the Hub, PTA and other clinical and non-clinical teams to ensure that work moves effectively between the PAC and wider Practice.
Main duties of the job
Coordinate the day-to-day operation of the Patient Access Centre. Provide a visible and accessible point of operational support for PAC Advisors. Ensure the PAC is appropriately organised and prepared for telephone demand throughout the working day. Coordinate the deployment of staff within the PAC according to telephone demand and service requirements. Ensure appropriate telephone coverage is maintained, particularly during periods of peak demand. Coordinate breaks, administrative time and movement between telephone and task-based workstreams to maintain appropriate service coverage. Respond to changes in demand and adjust operational arrangements where required. Identify immediate operational pressures and take appropriate action or escalate them to the relevant manager. Promote consistent and effective ways of working across the PAC.
About us
We are a large GP practice with a multi skilled clinical team that works over four sites. Our sites are located in Bury town centre (Minden), Greenmount, Tottington and in Radcliffe (Spring Lane).
We provide services to around 48,000 registered patients, thats a quarter of the population of Bury, and our patients can access services across all four of our sites.
We are a forward thinking general practice. We have a strong business plan and a clear focus on providing quality primary care at scale, along with innovative approaches to delivering care through new ways of working and digital transformation.
We are a training and teaching practice committed to investing in clinicians of the future. We are also involved in cutting edge clinical research projects to discover and deliver better care that will really make a difference to patients in Bury and further afield.
To allow more time to care, our clinical team is underpinned by a very experienced team of receptionists and administrators, as well as a range of inhouse corporate functions covering themes such as human resources, information technology, finance, administration and management support and communications.
Job description Job responsibilities
Telephone Demand and Service Performance
Monitor telephone queues, call volumes, waiting times, abandoned calls and other agreed service measures throughout the day. Use available information to identify changes in demand and ensure appropriate staff coverage. Support the team to achieve agreed PAC service standards and patient-access objectives. Identify trends, recurring pressures or areas where additional support may be required. Provide relevant operational information and reports to managers. Support the evaluation of the PAC model against agreed measures. Contribute to identifying opportunities to improve telephone access and patient experience. Service measures are intended to help Tower understand patient demand, assess how effectively the PAC is operating and identify where additional support or service improvements may be required.
Operational Support to PAC Advisors
Provide day-to-day guidance and support to PAC Advisors. Assist Advisors with operational queries and application of agreed PAC processes. Support staff when dealing with difficult, complex or challenging patient enquiries where appropriate. Promote effective patient navigation and consistent application of Practice processes. Support new or less experienced members of the team in becoming familiar with PAC systems and ways of working. Identify where additional guidance, coaching or training may be beneficial and raise this with the appropriate manager. Encourage effective teamwork and a supportive working environment. Workflow and Administration
Coordinate the movement of the PAC between telephone and administrative workstreams according to patient demand. Ensure appropriate administrative work is allocated and progressed when telephone demand allows. Support effective management of patient tasks and enquiries generated through the PAC. Ensure site-specific work is appropriately directed to the relevant site team. Support agreed Hub, PTA and wider patient-services workstreams where appropriate. Monitor outstanding work within the PAC and identify areas requiring attention or escalation. Support effective processes for transferring work between the PAC, site teams and other services. Patient Access and Experience
Promote a consistently high standard of patient service within the PAC. Support PAC Advisors to provide appropriate patient navigation and signposting. Help resolve operational issues affecting patient access. Support the management of difficult or challenging patient interactions where required. Identify recurring patient concerns or barriers to access and escalate these appropriately. Contribute to improvements in patient experience and telephone access. Ensure patients are treated with dignity, respect and compassion. Communication and Partnership Working
Maintain effective communication with PAC Advisors throughout the working day. Work closely with Site Coordinators to ensure effective communication and transfer of work between the PAC and individual sites. Liaise with the Hub, PTA, clinical teams and other relevant services to support effective patient pathways and workflow. Provide managers with updates regarding PAC demand, pressures, staffing or operational concerns. Participate in relevant meetings, briefings and service-development discussions. Communicate changes to agreed PAC processes clearly and consistently. Systems and Information
Use telephone reporting systems and other available information to support the effective operation of the PAC. Maintain appropriate knowledge of EMIS and other relevant Practice systems. Ensure information is recorded accurately and appropriately. Maintain confidentiality and information security at all times. Promote appropriate access to patient information and ensure information is only accessed where there is a legitimate work-related reason. Escalate any concerns regarding confidentiality, information governance or system security appropriately. Service Development and Continuous Improvement
Play an active role in the implementation and development of the Patient Access Centre. Support the evaluation of the PAC during the initial secondment period. Gather and contribute operational feedback regarding what is working well and where improvements may be required. Identify opportunities to improve processes, workflow and patient access. Support the implementation of agreed improvements and new ways of working. Encourage PAC Advisors to contribute ideas and feedback. Work collaboratively with managers and other teams to develop a consistent and sustainable PAC operating model. Staffing and Escalation
The PAC Coordinator does not initially hold formal line-management responsibility but will have responsibility for the day-to-day operational coordination of the PAC.
The postholder will:
Monitor whether sufficient staff are available to meet operational demand. Identify and escalate staffing pressures or gaps. Raise concerns regarding attendance, conduct, capability or performance with the appropriate manager where these become apparent through day-to-day coordination. Provide factual information to managers where required to support management processes. Support agreed operational arrangements following management decisions. Maintain appropriate professional boundaries between operational coordination and formal people-management responsibilities.
Formal absence management, appraisal, performance management, disciplinary and grievance processes will remain the responsibility of the appropriate line manager.
Person Specification
Experience Essential
Good understanding of patient services and the operational requirements of a busy patient-facing service. Experience of managing patient/customer enquiries by telephone. Able to work confidently within a high-volume telephone environment and understand the importance of timely patient access. Demonstrable ability to organise and coordinate people, workload or operational activity. Able to prioritise work and respond effectively to changing demands. Strong understanding of patient/customer service and ability to support appropriate navigation and signposting. Able to recognise when matters need to be escalated. Able to provide confident day-to-day direction and support to colleagues. Able to build positive working relationships and encourage consistent ways of working. Able to address immediate operational issues appropriately and escalate formal management concerns when required. Able to assess operational situations, identify problems and take appropriate action within the scope of the role. Uses sound judgement and knows when escalation is required. Excellent organisational and time-management skills. Able to coordinate competing priorities and maintain oversight of several workstreams simultaneously. Able to remain calm and organised during periods of high demand. IT & SystemsConfident user of IT systems and able to interpret basic operational information and reports. Able to learn and use relevant Practice and telephone systems effectively.Experience of EMIS, GP telephony/reporting systems, PATCHS or other primary care systems. Able to understand and use information such as call volumes, waiting times and service measures to support operational decisions. Comfortable identifying trends and communicating areas of concern. Able to work collaboratively across different teams and build effective relationships with PAC Advisors, Site Coordinators, the Hub, PTA, clinical teams and managers. Confidentiality & Information GovernanceStrong understanding of confidentiality, data protection and appropriate access to patient and staff information.Previous information governance/data protection training within healthcare. Positive approach to change and continuous improvement. Able to identify opportunities to improve processes and encourage colleagues to contribute to service development.
Desirable
Experience of working within general practice, primary care or another healthcare environment. Experience of coordinating telephone access, call queues or a similar high-demand service. Previous experience in a senior, lead, supervisory or coordinator role. Experience of care navigation within general practice and knowledge of wider primary care/community services. Experience of coaching, mentoring or supporting the development of colleagues. Experience of resolving operational problems within a healthcare or customer-service environment. Experience of coordinating rotas, workflows, staff deployment or service coverage. Experience of EMIS, GP telephony/reporting systems, PATCHS or other primary care systems. Previous experience of using performance information, dashboards or reports to manage a service. Experience of working across multiple teams, services or locations. Previous information governance/data protection training within healthcare. Experience of implementing new processes or contributing to service redesign/improvement.
Personal Attributes Essential
Patient focused, approachable and professional. Confident and credible. Calm and resilient. Highly organised. Fair and consistent. Supportive and approachable. Able to positively influence others. Adaptable and comfortable with change. Able to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
Communication Essential
Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Able to communicate clearly and professionally with staff, patients, clinicians and managers. Confident dealing with difficult or challenging situations.
Desirable
Experience of communicating operational information or service-performance information to managers or teams.
Qualifications Essential
Good standard of general education, including English and Maths or equivalent practical experience. Willingness to undertake all training required for the PAC Coordinator role. Relevant customer service, healthcare, leadership, supervisory or management qualification/training.
Desirable
Relevant customer service, healthcare, leadership, supervisory or management qualification/training.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details Employer name Tower Family Healthcare
Address 3rd floor, Moorgate PCC
22 Derby Way
Bury
Lancashire
BL9 0NJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://towerfamilyhealthcare.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)