About this role
Job summary
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.
Main duties of the job
- Meet and greet patients and visitors, providing a high-quality, patient-first service in person, by telephone and 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.
- 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.
- Explain practice services and procedures to new patients and those registering as temporary residents ensuring all required registration documentation is completed.
- 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.
- See job description for full list of duties
About us
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.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Description
Job title: Patient Services Coordinator
Hours: Minimum 37 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
We work from modern, purpose-built premises.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Person Specification
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
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
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
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)
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
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
Fakenham Medical Practice
Address
Meditrina House
Trinity Road
Fakenham
Norfolk
NR21 8SY
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://fakenham-medical-practice.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)