Vacancy: Patient Services Supervisor

Responsible to:

• Practice or Assistant Manager

Accountable to:

• Practice Partnership

Job Summary

The Patient Services Supervisor will be responsible for overseeing the smooth day to day running of the patient services department and team. Ensuring that a high quality patient service is provided, acting as central point of contact for patients and for providing  effective supervision and leadership to the patient services team.

The post holder will be expected to develop, organise and manage the day to day delivery of services to our patients. The post holder will implement agreed policies and procedures and consider the introduction of new services to ensure the quality and efficiency  of services we deliver. You will be responsible for managing the team of Patient Services Advisors and ensuring their development.

Essential skills:

• Excellent communications skills, oral and written.
• Previous experience of leading and managing people in a fast paced patient service setting.
• A proven history of developing the skills and confidence of a team and team members to fulfil their potential whilst continuously improving the service they provide to patients. Ability to build strong working relationships with your team.
• Ability to assertively manage difficult conversations with team members and patients
• Ability to confidently and continuously challenge the ‘status-quo’ and effectively manage conflicting priorities in the workplace.
• Ability to contribute to improving access for patients, including managing change, developing new systems and procedures.

The successful post holder will be required to be flexible enough to start work at 8am on certain days and finish at 6.30pm on other days. There may be occasions when there is a requirement to work evenings and weekends.

Responsibilities

Patient Services Advisor Team Supervision / Management:

• Lead and manage the Patient Services Advisor team. Providing support and motivation, developing their skills and confidence to fulfil their potential whilst continuously improving the service they provide to patients.
• Manage the team rota system and duties, ensuring that overtime is kept to a minimum and approved prospectively by a manager.
• Ensure monthly overtime claims are received on time and are authorised.
• Oversee authorisation and administration of the team annual and other leave organising holiday rotas in line with agreed policy.
• Undertake yearly appraisals and performance monitoring of the team. Set objectives for the team and evaluate progress, oversee implementation of objectives and identify any barriers to reaching these objectives.
• Undertake regular one to one meetings with team to review their development objectives, performance and any other work based issues.
• Organise and lead team meetings and follow-up any matters arising.
• Be fully conversant with practice procedures and developments and ensure that team are kept fully updated.
• Support and mentor the team with implementing changes to procedures and protocols to improve the patient experience and in-house systems
• Ensure that the team handle patients’ and visitors’ enquiries courteously, efficiently and confidentially.
• Support and encourage the team to use Care Navigation to signpost patients to the appropriate pathway.
• Assist Assistant and Practice Manager in recruitment and retention of team, reviewing job descriptions as necessary.
• Oversee induction and training of all new team members to agreed standards.
• Participate in practice meetings, e.g. Workflow / Staff
• Manage daily risk assessments for ground floor
• Upon completion of appropriate training participate in team lead Fire Warden duties for the ground floor

Day to Day Running of Patient Services and area

• Continually assess and evaluate systems recommending changes and improvements to the Practice Manager as appropriate.
•  First point of contact for patients, doctors and staff for escalation issues relating to the day to day running of the patient services and area.
• Organise and implement appointment templates onto computer, ensure everyone is aware of changes.
• Manage the various appointments, visits, t calls and other daily needs in line with agreed policies.
• Deal with more complex enquiries from patients and deputise for Assistant and Practice Manager as Practice Complaints Officer as required.
• Deal with general telephone enquiries from patients and general public.
• Carry out all Reception duties as required.
• Be the central point of contact for liaising with the Patient Participation Group, organise meetings and distribute minutes and information
• Liaise with local pharmacies to ensure effective communication and collaborative working and to improve services to patients
• Ensure online registrations are processed promptly and queries from patient responded to
• Monitor and respond to patient emails from the practice email accounts and website
• Co-ordinate and ensure all patient registrations are actioned and processed in a timely manner
• Co-ordinate and record patient feedback from Friends and Family Test
• Maintain Practice morbidity register.
• Ensure patient information is kept up to date on the TV’s in the waiting room
• Contribute to the content of the Practice Website and intranet.
• Ensure the waiting room is kept clean, tidy and well organised
• Ensure the franking machine account is monitored and kept up to date
• Ensure any repairs required to the building, contents or equipment are reported through the correct channel.

Team Administration Responsibilities

Ensure that the following tasks are completed efficiently by the team:

• On the day Prescriptions support, including EPS
• Medical Reports
• Test results
• Cytology
• Patient recalls and reminders
• Distributing post / emails
• Monitor and order medical stationery and Inventory and prescription pads
• Monitoring practice stationery and refreshment provisions.
• Organise toner recycling
• Petty cash tin recognition
• Oversee maintenance and supply of waiting room water cooler for patients
• Record and prepare monthly submission for baby and child immunisations administration via Open Exeter
• Manage Patient Online Services Administration

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:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
• 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
• Uappropriate 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

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

• 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

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

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

Classification	Necessary attributes	Desirable attributes
Academic/Vocational Qualifications	Good standard of education Evidence of a commitment to continuing professional development	Educated to degree standard or equivalent level of experience Relevant supervisory or higher education qualification
Experience	Team leading / Team management experience or as a deputy, ideally in the NHS / Primary Care Experience of working in teams and ability to promote a team spirit Experience of adapting to change Experience of carrying out a range of senior administrative tasks efficiently Experience of working with a wide range of people Experience of working in a computer environment	Experience of using medical computer systems and spreadsheets Knowledge of EMIS clinical software Working with clinicians
Skills	Experience of working with the general public Complaint handling Planning and Problem solving Setting of priorities Time management Excellent communication skills (oral and written) Good interpersonal skills Networking skills	Presentation skills and experience
Qualities	Presence, able to command the respect of colleagues and patients Self-motivation Good sense of humour Hard working/Resourceful Honesty, loyalty Flexibility \ Adaptability Enthusiasm, energy Calmness, reliability Diplomacy Emotionally robust
Other	Non-smoking environment	Clean driving licence, own a car