About this role
Job summary
Are you an experienced administrator with a passion for improving patient services and supporting colleagues to deliver exceptional care? The Lakes Medical Practice is looking for a motivated, organised and proactive Patient Support Team Lead to play a key role in the day-to-day leadership of our Patient Support Team.
This is an exciting opportunity to combine leadership, quality improvement and clinical administration within a forward-thinking GP practice that is committed to delivering excellent patient care. Working closely with the Practice Management Team, you will support and coach colleagues, lead service improvement initiatives, help develop practice systems and processes, and act as a vital link between clinical and administrative teams.
We are looking for someone who is confident, adaptable and able to manage competing priorities in a busy environment. You will be a strong communicator, an effective problem solver and someone who enjoys identifying opportunities to improve services for both patients and staff. The role also includes supporting clinical administration processes, analysing information, producing reports and ensuring the effective use of practice systems.
Main duties of the job
As the Patient Support Team Lead, you will support the day-to-day running of the Patient Support Team, ensuring patients receive a high-quality, efficient and responsive service. You will work closely with clinical and administrative colleagues to improve processes, lead service improvement initiatives, support staff development and help ensure the effective use of practice systems.
The role involves coordinating and supporting administrative services, monitoring standards, analysing and reporting information, assisting with complaint investigations, maintaining policies and procedures, and providing clinical administration support. You will also act as a key link between teams, helping to identify opportunities to improve patient experience, enhance ways of working and support the delivery of safe, effective primary care services.
About us
The Lakes Medical Practice is a large, forward-thinking GP practice serving the communities of Penrith and the surrounding Eden Valley. Our mission is to provide safe, compassionate and high-quality healthcare while continually improving the services we offer to our patients.
We are proud of our friendly, supportive and inclusive culture, where every member of the team plays an important role in delivering excellent patient care. Our multidisciplinary team includes GPs, nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists, care coordinators, patient support staff and management colleagues, all working together with a shared commitment to our patients and community.
Our values of Kindness, Fairness, Spirit and Ambition underpin everything we do. We encourage collaboration, innovation and personal development, creating an environment where staff are supported to grow their skills, contribute ideas and make a real difference.
Working with us offers the opportunity to be part of a dedicated and professional team in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. We are committed to staff wellbeing and offer a range of benefits, including NHS Pension Scheme membership, generous annual leave entitlement, access to training and development opportunities, and a supportive workplace where your contribution is recognised and valued.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Management & Leadership Responsibilities
- Manage the patient support team (PST) staff alongside the operations manager.
- Act as a point of contact between the clinical team and Patient Support Team.
- Support and coach staff in the effective use of practice systems.
- Identify training needs and recommend appropriate training.
- Monitor system utilisation and quality standards across the practice.
- Ensure adequate staffing levels within the Patient Support Team.
- Cover for members of the team when required.
- Support new clinical staff and locum GPs with system setup and training.
- Provide advice, guidance and support to colleagues on practice systems and protocols.
- Champion a culture of continuous improvement and motivate colleagues to generate and implement new ideas.
- Participate in workforce planning and ensuring effective team cover.
- Coordinate meetings, prepare agendas, take minutes and maintain action logs.
Quality Improvement & Service Development
- Lead and deliver improvement projects aimed at improving patient care and practice processes.
- Gather, analyse and present information, statistics and performance data to support decision making.
- Complete and monitor daily quality checks against practice standards.
- Champion quality improvement initiatives throughout the practice.
- Undertake clinical and non-clinical audits to assess compliance with local and national standards.
- Support the ongoing practice audit programme.
- Monitor improvement initiatives and ensure actions are implemented effectively.
- Identify opportunities for efficiency savings and service improvements.
- Highlight problems, potential improvements and efficiencies to the practice management team & partners.
- Work with management to implement agreed service changes and transitional projects.
- Contribute to the development and review of team processes and procedures.
- Ensure all processes are documented and accessible to staff.
Systems & Process Improvement
- Work across all practice areas to improve system utilisation.
- Develop, maintain and improve administrative systems and processes.
- Source and cost new systems to improve ways of working.
- Test and trial new systems and technologies.
- Develop protocols, guidance documents and staff training materials for new systems.
- Maintain and annually review practice protocols through teamnet.
- Support staff to improve their knowledge and use of practice systems.
- Monitor and validate data used within projects and improvement work.
- Manage and update practice templates and letters.
Governance, Complaints & Patient Experience
- Support complaint investigations through information gathering and report drafting.
- Facilitate Patient Participation Group (PPG) communications.
- Develop effective relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
- Ensure effective and regular patient communications.
- Monitor compliance with data protection, information governance and practice policies.
Strategic & Analytical Responsibilities
- Produce data analysis, reports, spreadsheets and charts to support informed decision making.
- Demonstrate initiative and judgement in resolving operational issues.
- Monitor quality standards and performance indicators.
- Support practice claims and income generation activities.
- Ensure effective use of resources through cost-effective sourcing and minimising waste.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good standard of education including 4 GCSEs including English at Grade 4 (C) or above or equivalent
Desirable
- NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in customer care or administration or reliable and proven work experience in a relevant role
Experience
Essential
- Experience of directly supporting teams
- Good standard of skills: Outlook Microsoft Office systems
- Experience of dealing with confidential information
- Previous experience in an office environment.
- Excellent IT skills
- Good understanding of the data protection act, information governance and patient confidentiality
- Good Communication / interpersonal skills-verbal, non-verbal and written
- Effective time management
Desirable
- Experience in a healthcare environment
- Knowledge of patient administration and record systems (EMIS)
- Experience of training/coaching staff
- Experience of coding and workflow management
- Experience of workforce planning/rotas
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details
Employer name
The Lakes Medical Practice
Address
The Health Centre
Bridge Lane
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 8HW
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.thelakesmedicalpractice.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)