Jobs at Thornhills Medical Practice

Job Summary

• To guide patients in the best use of resource within the practice and in the wider NHS, enabling them to access the most effective help for their presenting need.
• To be responsible for undertaking a wide range of patient service and administrative duties which link in and support the multidisciplinary team.
• Duties can include but are not limited to, greeting and guiding patients, effective use of the appointment system, booking appointments, processing of information and assisting patients as required.
• To act as the central point of contact for patients, the distribution of information, messages and enquiries for the clinical team, liaising with multidisciplinary team members and external agencies such as secondary care and community service providers.
• To be familiar with and abide by the principles and core values that underpins the NHS.

Shifts – comprising of 5 hours per shift, from either 8:00am to 1:00pm or 1:00pm to 6:00pm or 1.30pm to 6:30pm Monday to Friday. May include double shifts. The distribution of these shifts has been agreed with you. In addition to your normal weekly hours you will be required to work additional hours to cover for staff absences. Monthly rotas are issued to staff in advance. You will also be required to cover on some occasions evenings and weekends to assist with enhanced access and other clinics.

Main Responsibilities

• Ensure that patients’ and visitors’ enquiries are handled courteously, efficiently and confidentially
• Answer incoming calls in a friendly, polite and professional manner. Consider the request, taking appropriate action or redirecting to other personnel as appropriate.
• Take telephone messages, appointments details and home visit requests accurately and efficiently and enter details on to computer system as appropriate
• Signpost patients to the most appropriate service, seeking advice if this is not clear.
• Assist patients with completion of their digital triage requests.
• Action Digital Triage requests as per the triaging clinician.
• Alert doctors to urgent concerns or outstanding telephone calls or visits, as appropriate
• Relay test results to patients
• Ensure that outstanding matters and information are handed over to colleagues at shift change JD Part Time Patient Services Advisor – October 2026
• Check prescription requests and ensure they are directed to the requested collection point
• Print off repeat prescriptions from computer as necessary
• Handle patients’ positive and negative feedback initially, seeking advice from or referring to Patient Services Supervisor or Assistant Practice Manager as appropriate
• Check own nhs.net email account frequently during shift and ensure that all messages are responded to and actioned promptly and as appropriate
• Check practice generic and reception nhs.net email accounts frequently during shift and ensure that all messages are responded to and actioned promptly and as appropriate
• Be conversant and deal with procedure for new patients wishing to register with the practice
• Be conversant with online Patient Services and Care Navigation and record outcomes as appropriate
• Be responsible for security of the building if last person leaving
• Be conversant with Panic Alarm system and act upon this if necessary
• Attend and participate in team, staff meetings and other meetings as required
• Be fully conversant with patient services procedures and developments
• Ensure that filing, record keeping and distribution of documents and mail are undertaken efficiently and promptly.
• Assist with sending out of patient recall letters and other similar correspondence
• Ensure that patient services area, waiting room, consulting rooms, meeting rooms and outside areas in the immediate vicinity of the practice are clean and tidy, and that there is an adequate supply of stationery and other routine items available.
• Ensure that noticeboards are kept up to date and that appropriate literature is displayed.
• Arrange refreshments for doctors meetings and ensure that adequate supplies are available.
• Ensure that kitchen areas are kept clean and tidy.
• Arrange for photocopier and other equipment repairs to be carried out as soon as possible
• Contribute to a safe working environment
• Assist with mentoring/training new staff, as directed by Patient Services Supervisor or Assistant Practice Manager
• Any other ad hoc duties as required

Confidentiality

• In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
• In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & Safety

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security as defined in the practice health & safety policy, the practice health & safety manual, and the practice infection control policy and published procedures. This will include:

• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way, free from hazards
• Actively reporting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holder’s role
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
• Reporting potential risks identified
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Equality and Diversity

Equality and Diversity: The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional development

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, with such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance/appraisal review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development and follow up any learning outcomes.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work
• Attend and contribute to Practice Learning Events.

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

• Alert colleagues to issues of quality and risk, escalating to the Patient Services Supervisor or a clinician where appropriate
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision, ensuring that effective, high quality patient care is at the heart of all actions.
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team’s performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the implementation of services:

The post-holder will:

• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
• Participate in audit where appropriate

Person Specification – Patient Services Advisor

Experience

Other requirements

Job Summary/ Key Duties

The main responsibility of this role is to provide comprehensive care management to our diabetic patients, providing them with clinical care, guidance and support with their diabetes. Working in accordance with agreed protocols and current guidelines, you will provide expert clinical management for patients with diabetes, supporting early intervention, effective disease management, and the prevention of long-term complications.

Key Duties include

• Structured diabetes reviews and annual assessments
• Initiation and adjustment of treatment and medication
• Ongoing monitoring and supporting patients with self-management
• Reducing diabetes-related complications through education and regular clinical review
• Contribute to local and national practice quality targets eg. QOF, prescribing incentive scheme, National benchmarking.

The post holder must work as part of a team, have the ability to organise and prioritise their own workload on a day to day basis, and observe strict rules about confidentiality at all times. They must also know the limits of their own capabilities and seek direction from a GP, or Practice Manager.

Working strictly in accordance with specific practice or national guidelines, the Diabetic Nurse Specialist will assist the practice clinical team in the provision and delivery of prescribed programmes of patient care.

The post holder must maintain registration with NMC, maintaining its Code of Conduct to protect the public through professional standards. Fulfil their learning requirements.

Job Responsibilities

Diabetic Care Management

• To ensure that the Practice's diabetes care is delivered in a timely, professional manner whilst maintaining equity of access to a coordinated and seamless service.
• To identify patient's diabetes care needs using a holistic approach and to assess and offer highly specialist advice in all aspects of complex diabetes management to all members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Chronic disease management - assess, plan, implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for patients, including insulin initiation.
• Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and practice protocols.
• To demonstrate a positive supportive approach to patients at diagnosis and/or patients with the development of diabetes related complications.
• Work with patients in order to support adherence to prescribed treatments
• Establish and maintain highly effective communication skills with patients, carers/relatives, and professionals across health and social services. This may involve the giving of sensitive and complex information.
• On occasion the post holder may be required to visit patients in their own home e.g. to conduct Diabetic chronic disease reviews.
• Perform advanced clinical skills in assessment, diagnosis and treatment.
• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate care delivery according to changing health care needs. Collect, collate, evaluate and report information, maintaining accurate patient records.
• Involve patients and carers/relatives in the planning and delivery of care and development of services.
• Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team and outside agencies to ensure patient needs are met, especially in relation to ongoing care needs
• Act as a resource for specialist advice and expert clinical knowledge across the Practice, giving advice to colleagues on the clinical management of patients.
• Provide expert specialist advice and education to patients and carers/relatives to enable the safe and independent management of their diabetes.
• Undertake clinical supervision and education of nursing colleagues on an individual or group basis.
• Assist with providing a triage service, including telephone advice and assessing patients in the surgery, and liaising with nurses, doctors and outside agencies as appropriate
• Maintain clinical areas and equipment, sterilisation of instruments and stock control and drugs and sundry items
• Keep accurate, contemporaneous records, both written and electronic

Other duties

On rare occasions you may be required to undertake other practice nurse treatment room duties within your experience and skills which may include:

• Manage other chronic diseases e.g. Hypertension, Asthma, Thyroid disease, etc.
• Developing an integrated approach to chronic diseases within the Primary Health Care Team and being actively involved in their clinical management.
• Carry out immunisation clinics and associated admin
• Carry out travel immunisation clinics and associated admin.
• Undertake preventative and treatment clinics for the general nursing care of patients including dressings, removal of sutures, ECGs, blood pressures
• Undertake wound management (e.g. leg ulcers)
• Provide a comprehensive vaccination service
• Provide nursing care in minor injuries
• Provide a cervical smear service, family planning information and advice
• Provide catheter care, changing urethral and suprapubic catheters
• Establish diagnoses to set protocols (e.g. BP, blood tests, ECG recordings etc)
• Participate in clinical call and recall systems and record results
• Undertake clinical audits and assist with administration of recalls
• Assist in teaching and assessing Health Care Assistants and other members of staff
• Perform other clinical tasks as trained and agreed to meet the needs of the practice
• Be involved in identifying practice clinical needs
• Perform any other tasks within the skills of the post holder.

Confidentiality

• In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
• In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data

Health & Safety

The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management of their own and others’ health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety an Infection Control policies. This will include (but will not be limited to):

• Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines
• Responsible for the correct and safe management of the specimens process, including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements
• Management and maintenance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the practice, including provision, ordering, availability and ongoing correct usage by staff
• Knowledge of hand hygiene
• Active observation of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed.
• Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management
• Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with other sector managers
• Undertaking periodic infection control training
• Spillage control procedures, management and training
• Decontamination control procedures, management and training, and equipment maintenance
• Maintenance of sterile environments

Equality and Diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal / Professional Development

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development and revalidation.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team’s performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients’ needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

These duties may be changed from time to time, dependent on the needs of the practice. This will be done in consultation with the employee and, if appropriate, training and instruction will be given.

Person Specification

Experience / Clinical knowledge and skills

Other requirements