Patient Services Advisor

NHS; Thatcham; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job description

Burdwood Surgery, Wheelers Green Way, Thatcham, RG19 4YF

We are seeking 2 part-time motivated and proactive Patient Services Advisors to work in our busy reception team at Burdwood Surgery.

Successful applicants will join an established and friendly team of 8, supported by a dedicated Reception Manager and wider Management Team. You must be a team player, willing to learn and looking for a fresh and rewarding challenge.

You will be the first point of contact for patients and visitors coming into the surgery so excellent communication skills and resilience is essential. The role also requires the efficient undertaking of all administrative duties, using both manual and online services.

We have 2 positions available, each for 17 hours per week, which consist of 2 morning shifts and 1 afternoon shift. The patterns are based on the needs of the business and are not able to be altered.

The working patterns are:

• 17 hours Tuesday 13:45 18:45, Thursday 07:45 13:45, Friday 07:45 13:45
• 17 hours Tuesday 07:45 13:45, Thursday 07:45 13:45, Friday 13:45 18:45

Main duties of the job

The role of Patient Services Advisor is very varied and involves, but is not limited to, the following:

• Welcoming patients and visitors to Burdwood Surgery,
• Aiding anyone who comes into the surgery,
• Signposting patients to the correct professional to get them the appropriate care for their problem or concern,
• Promote, advise and assist patients accessing services via our online portals (Anima),
• Contact patients to book follow-up appointments in line with practice processes and policies,
• Speaking to patients face-to-face and over the telephone, helping them with a wide range of enquiries and queries,
• Provide general assistance to the Practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors.

The role can be challenging but varied and full training will be provided. We support our Patient Services Advisors to take on additional responsibilities with additional training to expand their knowledge and skills.

Candidates must have previous experience in a customer-facing role and be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills, plus the ability to work as part of a team. Previous experience in a healthcare role would be desirable.

About us

Burdwood Surgery is a town practice located in the centre of Thatcham. We are a list holding practice with a list size of around 10,300 patients. We are part of the Kennet PCN, working closely with Thatcham Medical Practice & Falkland Surgery.

After the 2022 Patient Survey, we were rated the 5th best practice in Berkshire with a patient satisfaction rate of 91% for our reception team. We pride ourselves on being a dementia friendly & military veteran friendly medical practice & in our most recent CQC review, we were rated Good in all areas.

Alongside our dedicated admin and reception teams, we also have a large clinical team made up of GPs, nurses, healthcare assistants, paramedics, pharmacists & social prescribers who all work together to provide the best care for our patients. We offer training to all our staff & welcome the opportunity for our colleagues to further their skills by attending training courses suitable to their role.

All staff are provided with an extensive induction period where they meet different teams across the business & learn how we work.

We provide our staff with several wellbeing initiatives, for example an employee assistance programme. We also have an entertainment committee who arrange social events for all our staff, including the staff Christmas Party at the end of the year.

We have great road & rail links; we are only a 5-minute walk from Thatcham Railway Station. Burdwood Surgery is easy commutable from West Berkshire, Reading and Basingstoke.

Job responsibilities

For a full job description, please see the attached document.

Overall objective:

Our objective at Burdwood Surgery is to provide our patients with optimal primary care. The purpose of each team member is therefore to ensure that they perform their role in such a way as to ensure that all patients receive a high quality of service.

Role and scope of the job:

To provide general assistance to the Practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors. The role requires direct contact with patients and visitors by working on the front desk and the efficient undertaking of all administrative duties using both manual and online services.

You will also need to work as part of the Patient Services team providing support to the Burdwood Surgery and all our patients.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• GCSE English and Maths (grade C or above).
• Educated to A-level/equivalent or higher, with relevant experience.

Experience

• Experience of working with the general public.
• Experience of working in a customer facing role.
• Experience of administration duties.
• Experience of working in a healthcare setting.
• Experience of working in a general practice.

Other requirements

• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS).
• Occupational Health Certificate.
• Flexibility to work outside of core working pattern.

Skills

• Excellent communication skills, both verbally and non-verbally.
• Competent with computers, especially Microsoft products.
• Clear, polite telephone manner.
• Ability to work as an individual but also as part of a team.
• Effective time management.
• Problem solving and analytical skills.

Personal Qualities

• Ability to keep calm in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work well under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations.
• Polite and approachable behaviour at all times.
• Professional and confident behaviour.
• Motivated.
• Clear commitment to attention to detail and quality.
• Willingness to learn and disseminate new knowledge and skills to others.
• Positive and enthusiastic with a great patient focus.

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.