Urgent Care Centre Front Door Navigator
Job summary
Our UTC operates a Digital Front Door, which is a clinically driven digital triage tool designed to improve safety and efficiency across urgent care and is changing the way patients reach and move through urgent care in Greenwich. Our patients use the DFD to check in and complete a short, guided triage, enabling faster prioritisation and smoother patient journeys.
Whats New?
Our clinical system supplier is developing a new appointment book, which for the first time will allow patients to be booked directly into an urgent care appointment rather than simply being given an arrival time or having to sit and wait.
We are redesigning our Directory of Services (DOS) so that appointment slots align to NHS Pathways disposition timescales. A patient with a see a GP within 48 hours disposition can be offered a later appointment, while presentations more likely to need an emergency department can be booked within two hours.
NHS Pathways sorts patients leaving the digital front door into a number of groups, including those who are not urgent and can safely be seen later. Booking to the right slot at the right time helps us manage surge, improve flow and demand, and reduce attributable breaches.
Greenwich Health will be launching a new system where NHS 111 can book patients into a named urgent care appointment.
This role is available on a Full Time or Part Time (24 to 40 hours/week) basis. 12-hour shifts finishing no later than 22:00. 7 days/week availability will be required.
Main duties of the job
This is the perfect opportunity to be part of a diverse team at the very front of urgent care in Greenwich, and to help deliver a model that is the first of its kind in South East London.
As a Front Door Navigator you will be the first person a patient meets when they arrive at emergency and urgent care. Working from a tablet at the entrance, you will welcome patients, establish why they have attended, check whether they hold a booked appointment made through NHS 111 or the digital front door, and direct them to the right place without delay.
You will keep people moving away from the reception queue and make sure that patients who are unwell, distressed or vulnerable are brought to the attention of a clinician immediately. This is a non-clinical role, you will not assess, triage or advise on a patients condition, but your judgement about when to escalate is central to keeping patients safe.
You will also play an important part in helping us evaluate the new model, recording how patients arrive and where they are directed, and feeding back to the UTC Lead where the appointment book or the Directory of Services is not working as intended.
This is a genuine opportunity to be part of something new and exciting in South East London, with a real opportunity for personal growth and to influence Urgent Care in your area. The service is 24/7, 365 days per year which means a range of shifts will be available.
About us
Greenwich Health is the GP Federation for the Greenwich Borough and have a not-for-profit ethos. This means we reinvest all our surplus into developing our staff, our organisation and to support our GP Practices in being sustainable for the future. We are committed to providing quality of care to our patients whilst building resilience for General Practice and providing services and programmes of work to deliver care at scale to the Greenwich Population. This role will be part of an exciting opportunity to work with leading specialists in the creation of an innovative Urgent Treatment Centre.
Greenwich Health is the GP Federation for the Greenwich Borough and have a not-for-profit ethos. This means we reinvest all our surplus into developing our staff, our organisation and to support our GP Practices in being sustainable for the future. We are committed to providing quality of care to our patients whilst building resilience for General Practice and providing services and programmes of work to deliver care at scale to the Greenwich Population. This role will be part of an exciting opportunity to work with leading specialists in the creation of an innovative Urgent Treatment Centre.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Principal duties and responsibilities
Act as the first point of contact at the entrance to the emergency care and Urgent Treatment departments, welcoming every person who arrives in a professional manner.
Use the tablet and appointment book to identify patients who hold a booked appointment made via NHS 111, the digital front door or another referring service, confirm their arrival and direct them to the correct waiting area.
Explain the booked appointment model to patients and carers, what their appointment time means, where to wait and what will happen next.
Greet and direct patients who attend without an appointment, supporting them to book in and directing them to reception or the appropriate waiting area.
Signpost patients to alternative services i.e. community pharmacy or their own GP practice, in line with the agreed local directory and navigation protocols.
Reduce queueing at the reception desk by meeting patients on arrival and resolving straightforward enquiries at the door.
Support patients with additional needs, including those with a disability, sensory or communication needs, a learning disability or dementia, and arrange interpreting support where required.
Support patients to use digital check-in and self-service where available, offering assistance to those who are not confident with digital tools.
Record accurate and timely information on the patient administration system, including arrival, source of referral and navigation outcome, ensuring these are logged correctly.
Contribute to the evaluation of the Digital Front Door pilot by collecting the agreed data and providing feedback on how the model is working in practice.
Report promptly to the Shift Lead where the appointment book, Directory of Services or booking flow does not appear to be working as intended.
Support departmental escalation and surge plans, helping to maintain flow at the front door during periods of high demand.
Use de-escalation skills to manage challenging or distressing situations, following organisational policy on violence, aggression and security, and reporting all incidents.
Maintain a tidy, safe and welcoming entrance and waiting area, and apply infection prevention and control measures at the front door.
Undertake any clerical or reception duties as deemed necessary to support the department.
Maintain patient confidentiality at all times, recognising that conversations at the front door take place in a public area.
Refer site management issues and complaints to the appropriate department.
Maintain the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the role effectively and ensure evidence of competence is provided to the line manager.
Recognise own limitations and seek advice when appropriate.
The Front Door Navigator is the final piece of this model. The post holder will be an additional, visible presence at the entrance to the UTC, equipped with a tablet, making sure that every person who walks through the door is greeted, understood and directed to the right place, whether they arrive with a booked appointment or as a walk-in.
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 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
The post holder will take particular care when using a mobile device in a public area, ensuring screens are not overlooked and that conversations about a patients reason for attending are held as discreetly as possible.
Health & Safety
The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the organisations Health & Safety Policy, to include:
Using personal security systems within the workplace according to organisation 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
Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.
Reporting potential risks identified
Equality & Diversity
Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with organisational 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
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
Attend all relevant annual updates
Inform the line manager of any concerns regarding the navigator role and any professional development needed
Be aware of own professional boundaries and what to do when you have reached them
Quality
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the UTC, and will:
Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
Work to UTC protocols
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 recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
Communicate effectively with other team members
Be familiar in all mediums of communications such as email, tasks, telephone etc
Communicate effectively with patients and carers
Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly
Communicate effectively to outside agencies
Communicate clearly with their line manager
Contribution to the Implementation of Services
The post-holder will:
Apply organisational 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
This role is available on a Full Time or Part Time (24 to 40 hours/week) basis. 12-hour shifts finishing no later than 22:00. 7 days/week availability will be required.
Please note, unfortunately Greenwich Health are unable to offer sponsorship. Please ensure you have the right to work within the UK.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Qualifications
- GCSE or equivalent in English and Maths
- Basic computer skills including Windows packages
- Confident use of tablet devices and mobile applications
- NVQ Level 2 or equivalent
- Customer service or care navigation qualification
Experience
- Knowledge and ExperienceGood verbal and written communication skills
- Keyboard skills
- Ability to remain focused on the task in hand in a busy environment
- Understanding of the role and its non-clinical boundaries
- Understanding of the NHS
- Understanding of data protection and confidentiality
- Demonstrate ability to work within the needs of a changing service
- Customer service background
- Experience of working in urgent care, primary care or an emergency department
- Experience of care navigation, signposting or front of house in a healthcare setting
- Awareness of NHS 111, NHS Pathways and the Directory of Services
- Experience of a clinical or patient administration system
Personal Skills
- Previous experience in customer service
- Calm, resilient and able to work under pressure
- Approachable, empathetic manner with people who may be anxious, in pain or distressed
- Able to recognise when a patient needs to be escalated and to act without delay
- Able to use initiative and work with minimal supervision
- Effective team worker
- Flexible and willing to work a range of shifts including evenings, weekends and bank holidays
- Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
- Previous experience as a receptionist
- Conflict resolution or de-escalation training
- Ability to speak a second language commonly used in the Greenwich population
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.
Employer details
Employer name
Greenwich Health Ltd
Address
Greenwich Health
Stadium Rd, London SE18 4QH
London
SE18 4QH
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.greenwich-health.com/