JOB TITLE: Patient Communications Assistant REPORTING TO: Practice Manager/Deputy Practice Manager HOURS: Thirty Seven hours per week Job Summary: To effectively communicate with patients across several communication channels to help support engagement with online services and the practice overall. Managing and following up on patient communications from external services, including chasing missing correspondence and sending documentation as requested by the clinicians and other colleagues. To support the complaints team with the coordination of complaints. The main Team responsibilities are: To support patients to be able to use online apps to access their health records and associated tasks To complete the administration and coordination tasks in relation to patient complaints and compliments, working closely with the complaints management team To produce the patient newsletter To compile patient feedback To keep the practice website updated To manage our social media accounts Chasing up letters when not received Collecting and sending documents Chasing referral waiting times Online messages Sending referrals that sit within the remit of the role Your responsibilities: To take ownership of your given workload and prioritise accordingly to meet the required deadlines. To be flexible and work as part of a team, helping colleagues with their workloads if required. To have great attention to detail and be able to communicate with patients effectively and clearly. 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. To monitor service provision to ensure that services are being delivered in line with contract. 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 recognizes the importance of peoples 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 which 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 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 teams performance Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs Effectively manage own time, workload and resources. Communication: The post-holder should recognize 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 peoples 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. Health and Safety: It is the responsibility of all employees to work with managers to achieve a safe environment, and to take reasonable care of themselves and others. Changes to this Job Description: The duties and responsibilities outlined in this list are neither definitive nor restrictive and may change in detail from time to time as the post develops to meet the changing needs of the surgery. You may be asked to complete additional tasks or take on new tasks as deemed appropriate. Pre-employment checks will be completed on successful applicants.