JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title :Patient Care Adviser – Urgent Dental Care Service

Reports To :Dental Services Lead on a day to day basis

Accountable To:Dental Services Manager

Regular Location :Newstead House, Wakefield

Job Summary:

To work flexibly within the dental team to provide and maintain a high quality reception service to patients.

To liaise effectively with dentists/other staff plus external bodies/individuals as required.

To ensure that all necessary administrative duties are undertaken in an accurate and timely manner - to include the collection, recording and reconciliation of patient charges plus the filing of patient records.

To be willing to travel to Leeds to attend team meetings/liaise with dental managers as required on an ad hoc basis – this could be on a weekday or weekday evening as agreed.

Principal Responsibilities :

  1. Generally contributing to the administration and smooth running of the urgent dental care service delivered from Newstead House.
  1. Checking that urgent dental appointments have been filled by NHS Direct and ensuring, where necessary, that appropriate action is taken to try and maximise the use of appointments.
  1. Ensuring that all patients attending for an urgent appointment complete a medical history form and sign/complete form FP17 as appropriate plus updating of patient records as required.
  1. Liaising with NHS Direct as necessary in relation to patients booked into the Local Care Direct appointment diary and/or appointments that remain unfilled.
  1. Arranging any patient follow up appointment that might be required.
  1. Checking that each patient has been provided with information relating to their urgent dental care episode, upon completion, and ensuring that any prescription has been stamped appropriately.
  1. Contacting patients in advance to ensure that they attend their appointment, as necessary.
  2. Ensuring that any patient or member of the public presenting with dental trauma is seen and assessed by a dental practitioner/dental care professional as a matter of urgency.
  1. Setting up, maintaining and updating manual patient records plus maintenance of efficient systems in relation to filing/x-rays as necessary.
  1. Contacting patients to rearrange appointments where necessary e.g. if a practitioner was ill at very short notice.
  1. Accurately identifying patient charges due and undertaking appropriate transactions – including: the identification and recording of reasons for non payment of dental charges; the issuing of NHS receipts; beginning/end of session calculations; security and storage of cash/cheques.
  1. Helping to ensure that any dental supplies taken from stock during a sessionare recorded, as required.
  1. Offering relevant advice to callers in person or on the telephone who are enquiring about finding an NHS dentist.
  1. Checking/distribution/recording of dental supplies as appropriate.
  1. Taking any necessary action to ensure that dental services can be provided during designated surgery hours e.g. liaising with engineers in relation to the breakdown of equipment.
  1. Where there is a requirement, arranging the provision of interpreting services for patients – if this is possible.
  1. Participating in any auditing and administrative processes as required.
  1. Ensuring arrival on site in time to be briefed by the previous receptionist, as appropriate.
  1. Ensuring that all relevant policies and procedures are followed.
  1. Maintaining an up to date record of all Local Care Directdental practitioners/staff on site at any time and being aware of all relevant health and safety procedures.
  1. Ensuring there are sufficient and appropriate office supplies in the reception area and that items are identified for ordering as necessary.
  1. Making the appropriate Local Care Direct manager aware of any problems or disciplinary matters concerning staff or dental practitioners.
  1. Documentation and reporting of any potential or real problems which might compromise the smooth and safe running of the primary dental care service.
  1. Any other administrative/computer based work relevant to the operational running of the service, to include closing all cases on SystmOne and the subsequent filing of patient records.

Measures of Performance

Local Care Direct is committed to workforce development and, therefore, to the ongoing development of individual staff members. The post holder will be required to attend such training and development courses as deemed necessary following discussion with their line manager.

Performance will be formally assessed through individual Performance Review procedures.

In addition, employees are required to:

  • Carry out such duties as they may be reasonably required to do.
  • Participate through performance review in matching organisational objectives
  • Take responsibility for Health & Safety in relation to themselves and others in the working environment.

Note: this job description will be reviewed periodically with the post holder in the light of any further developments affecting the Urgent Dental Patient Care Adviserrole.

Last reviewed June 2010