The Old School Surgery
Hinckley Road
Stoney Stanton
Leicestershire
LE9 4LJ

Job Description

JOB TITLE:	Patient Coordinator

ACCOUNTABLE TO:	The Partners

REPORTS TO:	Assistant Practice Manager / Practice Manager

Job SUMMARY:

To be responsible for undertaking a wide range of reception duties and the provision of general support to the multidisciplinary team.  Duties can include, but are not limited to, greeting and directing patients, effective use of the appointment system, booking appointments, the processing of information and assisting patients as required.

To act as the central point of contact for patients, be responsible for the distribution of information, messages and enquiries for the clinical team, liaise with multi-disciplinary team members and external agencies such as secondary care and community service providers.  

PRIMARY KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The following are the core responsibilities of the patient coordinator.  There may be on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks.  This will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:-

a)	Maintain and monitor the practice appointment system.
b)	Process personal, telephone and e-requests for appointments
c)	Answer incoming phone calls, transferring calls or dealing with the callers’ request appropriately.
d)	Signpost patients to the correct service
e)	Initiating contact with and responding to, requests from patients, team member and external agencies.
f)	Code data on the clinical IT system.
g)	Photocopy documentation as required.
h)	Data entry of new and temporary registrations and relevant patient information as required.
i)	Input data into the patients’ healthcare records as necessary
j)	Direct requests for information ie., SAR, insurance/solicitors’ letters and DVLA forms to the administrative team
k)	Manage all queries as necessary in an efficient manner.
l)	Carry out system searches as requested.
m)	Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times.
n)	Monitor and maintain the reception area and notice boards.
o)	Support all clinical staff with general tasks as requested.

SECONDARY KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the patient coordinator may be requested to:

a)	Partake in audit as directed by the audit lead.
b)	Support administrative staff, providing cover during staff absences.
c)	Action incoming emails and correspondence as necessary.
d)	Scan patient related documentation and attach scanned documents patients’ healthcare records.
e)	Complete opening and closing procedures in accordance with the duty rota.
f)	To support in the management of repeat prescriptions, ensuring they are processed accurately and efficiently.
g)	Order and monitor of stationery supplies.
h)	Produce, maintain and participate in the receptionist rota for lunch and out of hours cover.
i)	Deputise and support during periods of absence.
j)	Support reception staff development, providing guidance and direction ensuring staff are up to date with mandatory training.
k)	Identify and provide team training where required.
l)	Support in producing and maintaining the duty rota.
m)	Support the practice manager with Patient Participation Group related matters.
n)	Support the lead and display promotional material on the allocated noticed boards and in the waiting room.

GENERIC RESPONSIBILITIES

All staff at this organisation have a duty to conform to the following:-

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I)

A good attitude and positive action towards Equality Diversity & Inclusion creates an environment where all individuals can 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 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 organisation is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities for staff to maintain their health, wellbeing and safety. 

The post holder is to manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients and monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines.

All personnel have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for themselves, their 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
•	Other statutory legislation which may be brought to the post holder’s attention.  

Confidentiality

The organisation 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 all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality.

It is essential that, if the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained, all staff must protect patient information and provide a confidential service.

Quality and Continuous Improvement (CI)

To preserve and improve the quality of this organisation’s outputs, 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 organisation to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice and to discuss, highlight and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.

This organisation 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. 

Staff should interpret national strategies and policies into local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice.

All staff are to contribute to investigations and root cause analyses whilst participating in serious incident investigations and multidisciplinary case reviews.

Induction

We will provide a full induction programme, and management will support you throughout the process.

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 partake in, and complete mandatory training as directed. It is an expectation for this post holder to assess their own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.

The post holder will undertake mentorship for team members and disseminate learning and information gained to other team members to share good practice and inform others about current and future developments (e.g., courses and conferences). 

The post holder will provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.

Collaborative working

All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working and understand their own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time. Staff are to prioritise their own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team.

Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments and the post holder is to work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working and work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon care delivery.

Effective communication is essential, and all staff must ensure they communicate in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner. 

All staff should delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence. Plans and outcomes by which to measure success should be agreed.

Managing information 
 
All staff should use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in the planning, implementation and monitoring of care and presenting and communicating information. 

Data should be reviewed and processed using accurate SNOMED/read codes to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes. 

Service delivery

Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure. The post holder must adhere to the information contained within the organisation’s policies and regional directives, ensuring protocols are always adhered to.

Security

The security of the organisation is the responsibility of all personnel. The post holder must ensure they always remain vigilant 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 are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured. Likewise, password controls are to be maintained and are not to be shared.

Professional conduct

All staff are required to dress appropriately for their role.

Leave

All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all their staff are afforded the opportunity to take leave each year and should be encouraged to take all their leave entitlement.  

Public holidays will be calculated on a pro-rated basis dependent on the number of hours worked.
Person Specification – Patient Coordinator	
Qualifications	Essential	Desirable	
Educated to GCSE level or equivalent			
GCSE Mathematics & English (C or above)			
AMSPAR Receptionist Qualification			
NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care			
Experience	Essential	Desirable	
Experience of working with the general public			
Experience of administrative duties			
Experience of working in a health care setting			
Skills	Essential	Desirable	
Excellent communication skills (written and oral)			
Strong IT skills			
Clear, polite telephone manner			
Competent in the use of MS Office applications			
Systmone user skills			
Effective time management (planning and organising)			
Ability to work as a team member and autonomously			
Good interpersonal skills			
Problem solving and analytical skills			
Ability to follow policy and procedure			
Personal Qualities	Essential	Desirable	
Polite and confident			
Flexible and cooperative			
Motivated			
Forward thinker			
High levels of integrity and loyalty			
Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations			
Ability to work under pressure			
Other requirements	Essential	Desirable	
Flexibility to work outside of core office hours			
Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check			

Notes:

The job description and person specification may be amended following consultation with the post holder to facilitate the development of the role, the organisation and the individual.

All personnel should be prepared to accept additional, or surrender existing duties, to enable the efficient running of the organisation.  
.