Administrator - (Patient Care Advisor) inBrighton inBrighton PUBLISHED 8 OCT 2024

Job Description


Patient Care Advisors are the first point of contact for the people we serve.

They handle patient data and work within teams that belong to the overall service. They communicate and work with local GP practices, hospital and community staff and clinicians to get patients to the most appropriate services for their needs accurately and on time.

Sussex MSK Partnership Central helps people who are experiencing MSK (aka musculoskeletal, or muscle and bone) conditions by seeing them in the community, rather than in a hospital. It is an NHS service delivered in partnership between Here and Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.

This role sits within the Sussex MSK Partnership service and is employed by Here.


Main Duties And Responsibilities



Patient Care Advisors are the first point of contact for the people we help, which means they:

• Ensure daily management of referrals from GP practices and other NHS providers. Working with providers to resolve queries and issues that arise through the Here process.
• Offer choice directly to patients where appropriate and support them in making that choice through providing information, signposting and discussion, enabling patients to consider their own (non-clinical) preferences for treatment and apply them to a choice of hospital providers.
• Assess and resolve patient queries concerning their referrals, appointments and diagnostic tests in a timely and professional manner.
• Maintain data security and patient confidentiality by adhering to auditable Here processes and protocols.
• Record information using a variety of computer and paper-based systems, including Here clinical and information systems. Ensure the accuracy and quality of data recorded using available reporting tools to check data quality.
  
  

Data & Systems



Patient Care Advisors work with data about our patients every single day, meaning they will:

• Use a range of computer and paper-based systems, including SystmOne and e-Referral Service (eRS), to contact patients, book appointments and send confirmation letters.
• Manage patients through care pathways and provide clinicians with all necessary clinical notes prior to clinics. Action any subsequent follow up notes (such as writing clinic outcome letters, booking follow up appointments, dealing with DNAs), ensuring that clinic capacity is used as efficiently as possible.
• Be responsible for proactively scheduling and maintaining MSK patient clinics to include first appointments, follow ups and telephone appointments.
• Arrange appointments for diagnostic tests (such as x-rays) and liaise with the diagnostic departments to obtain results.
• Support the Senior Patient Care Advisor in planning clinic capacity, working with clinicians and GP practices to arrange additional clinics when necessary, helping to ensure that adequate capacity is available to avoid delays.
• Support GP practices where appropriate to provide training on Here processes and establish and maintain effective communication with GPs and practice staff, using persuasive and motivational skills where co-operation is require.
  
  

Team & Culture



Patient Care Advisors all belong to a bigger team that support each other, and because of that they:

• Work on own initiative, to plan time effectively, to multi-task successfully, and prioritise own workload on a daily basis, working autonomously within own work area seeking advice when appropriate.
• Demonstrate a willingness to improve and set personal goals, and to show commitment to both their immediate and wider team.
• Attend team meetings, regular briefs, one-to-ones and training sessions.
• Train other members of staff as required on the core functions of Here and MSK services.
• Are flexible to work a late shift once a week 11am to 7pm.
  
  

Person Specification


E - Essential, D - Desirable


Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3, Certificate of Higher Education and/or equivalent experience (E)
  
  

Person Qualities

• Proven record of good timekeeping and attendance (E)
• Able to show an understanding of issues relating to equal opportunities (E)
• Skilful handling of situations with consideration for others (E)
• Able and willing to work flexible hours with a late rota (E)
  
  

Experience and job-related knowledge

• Previous experience in an administrative role (E)
• Able to work with a professional team (E)
• Experience of customer care or similar service industry practises (E)
• Previous experience of using Word, Excel and Outlook (E)
• Able to comply with patient confidentiality and Data Protection requirements (D)
• Experience of patient administration systems and/or appointment booking systems (D)
• Experience of dealing with difficult conversations by telephone (D)
• Knowledge of principles of care e.g. First do no harm, and patient confidentiality (D)
  
  

Skills

• Effective communication, both face to face and on the telephone with a range of people in various situations (E)
• Excellent telephone manner, managing calls in a professional way (E)
• Good listening skills, with the ability to maintain focus, recognise distractions, and deal with them appropriately (E)
• Thorough approach to recording accurate information and data entry (E)