Shropshire Doctors Co-operative Limited ‘Shropdoc’

Relief Call Handler

This job is now closed

Job summary

This is a permanent position working a minimum of 25hours per week,with additional hours often available.

Reporting to the Call Centre Manager, as a Relief Call Handler youll join the team working on a rota at our Shrewsbury office, whose focus is to coordinate and facilitate the care of patients being admitted to hospital from Medical Practices and our own Clinicians.

This is a dual role where, as a despatcher, you will be responsible for the smooth running and efficiency of the Patient Pathway in ensuring that all Home Visits and Base Appointments are undertaken in a timely manner and in accordance with laid down procedures and timescales.

Our Requirements

Proven call handling or phone-based customer service experience
An excellent telephone manner, with strong communication and interpersonal skills
Discretion and integrity with the ability to handle confidential information.
Good standard of computer literacy
Ability to prioritise and work on your own initiative, and as part of a team.
Flexible, reliable, self-motivated, and resourceful

Although not essential, experience gained in either a healthcare setting, call centre or perhaps in a hospitality environment, would be advantageous.

The role has no fixed pattern as you will be expected to provide absence cover, with a minimum of two weeks notice. It will involve a mix of in hours and out of hours shifts (including some overnights) and a mix of weekdays, weekends including bank holidays.

Main duties of the job

As part of the Care Co-ordination centre, you will be supporting a clinically lead team whose main role is to coordinate and facilitate the care of patients being admitted to hospital from their GP surgeries. You will also act as a single point of contact for GPs accessing emergency secondary care.You will help achieve this support for Clinicians by:

Acting as a single point of contact for Clinicians accessing emergency secondary care

Making outbound calls and handling incoming calls from patients, health care professionals and services, fast tracking to the appropriate health care professionals or services

Arranging outpatient appointments and hospital admissions

Working directly with health care professionals and patients over the phone, via email and electronic fax

Accurately entering patient data into our systems

Providing administrative support to colleagues and clinicians.

Managing appointment books for patient face to face appointments at our hospital sites.

Managing the dispatch of home visit requests to the appropriate clinician/car.

How to Apply

A full application pack is available to download by clicking links under Supporting Document section towards the bottom of the page.

To view job description and person specification for this role, click the link below available on this website.

Applications forms and covering letter should be submitted to recruitment@shropdoc.nhs.uk.

About us

Shropdoc is a not-for-profit company established in 1996. We provide 24/7 urgent primary care services for patients across Powys, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. This includes out of hours GP services, care coordination, single point of access in Shropshire, and an oncology advice line. Our Primary Care Centres offer support to patients who have pre-booked appointment times to avoid unnecessary waiting, and are mostly located within hospitals around the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Powys areas.

The Package

You will be provided with full training, and will benefit from:

Employed on a permanent contract with a minimum of 20 hours per week, with additional hours often available.
NHS pension scheme
Paycare healthcare benefits for all staff and dependents
Access to national discounts including the Blue Light Card and Health Service Discounts
Career development opportunities
25 days annual leave plus bank holidays pro rata, rising to 27 days pro rata after 5 years, and 29 days pro rata after 10 years service.
Company sick pay
Pay rate of £12.09 per hour with a 30% uplift when working between 8pm and 6am on weekdays and Saturday shifts as well as a 60% uplift on Sundays and Bank Holidays
Cycle to work scheme

Date posted

10 January 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£12.09 to £19.34 an hour including 30% and 60% uplifts where applicable

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

E0081-25-0003

Job locations

Unit A

3 Longbow Close

Shrewsbury

Shropshire

SY1 3GZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

This role is an amalgam of the CCC Co-Ordinator and Despatcher role, therefore the duties will be a composite of these two roles. The two activities will be carried out simultaneously.

You will be supporting a clinically lead team whose main role is to coordinate and facilitate the care of patients being admitted to hospital from their GP surgeries and also act as a single point of contact for GPs accessing emergency secondary care. You will be dealing directly with health care professionals and patients over the phone, via email and electronic fax. You will be responsible for dealing with confidential patient information and ensuring all information entered into our systems is accurate.

You will receive incoming calls promptly and efficiently from Patients, Health Care Professionals and services, processing onto Shropdocs operational and clinical applications or other as appropriate, in accordance with laid down guidelines, fast tracking to the appropriate health care professional or service. To carry out general administration duties.

Additionally, as a despatcher, you will be responsible for the smooth running and efficiency of the Patient Pathway in ensuring that all Home Visits and Base Appointments are undertaken in a timely manner and in accordance with laid down procedures and timescales.

The role has no fixed pattern as you will be expected to provide absence cover, with a minimum of two weeks notice. It will involve a mix of in-hours and out of hours shifts (including some overnights) over a mix of weekdays, weekends and bank holidays.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To receive incoming calls promptly and efficiently from Patients, Health Care professionals and services, process onto Shropdocs operational and clinical applications or other as appropriate, in accordance with laid down guidelines, fast tracking to the appropriate health care professional or service.

2. To ensure all calls are input into our Clinical software in a precise and timely manner.

3.To arrange and send all the relevant paperwork to healthcare providers in a timely manner.

4. To ensure that all associated administration is completed including scanning/photocopying.

5. To book patient transport using the appropriate service, enabling patients calls with ambulance if emergency transport is required as defined by our 999 trigger list.

6. To support clinicians in liaising with the various medical, social and transport services to ensure the delivery of agreed care.

7. To conference call with healthcare providers where relevant to provide the most appropriate patient care.

8. To ensure that you remain up-to-date and familiar with all non-clinical CCC and Call handling protocols and processes on the Shropdoc Hub, reading regular updates and keeping up to date with Bluestream training modules.

9. To make outbound calls to patients to arrange outpatient appointments.

10. To ensure that all patients who have been assessed by 111 or a Triage Clinician requiring a Home Visit or Base Appointment are passed to the relevant Primary Care Centre (PCC) for action, and that the call is actioned without unnecessary delay and within designated timescales by the PCC

11. To monitor and continually assess PCC workload ensuring that cases are dealt with within the laid down Service Level Agreement (SLA) timescales taking necessary action where appropriate should any fail to meet the SLA or where workload is high and it is anticipated that cases will not meet SLA

12. To Liaise with Doctors and Drivers working out of PCCs and on Home visits keeping continual contact with regard location, workload and approximate timescales. Tracking via webfleet

13. To update information on all of Shropdocs databases / systems ensuring clear and concise notes are made for handover purposes.

14. Arrange and administrate care plans for patients undergoing long term treatment.

15. To enter appointments in relevant clinics.

16. To receive incoming calls from lone workers, recording information and escalating risks in accordance with laid down guidelines.

17. To search for correct demographics using Summary Care record, verify patients details and update records if required.

18. To attend and participate in training and Mandatory Training sessions as directed

19. To attend and participate in Operational Team Meetings.

20.To maintain a constant and continuous interest in Health and Safety matters applicable to Shropdoc activities, and strive to ensure that all staff avoid risks, and discourage irresponsible behaviour. Ensuring that in the event of incident/accident these are reported to the appropriate bodies/personnel and in the appropriate accident books.

21. To actively participate in the training and mentoring of current team and any new members of staff.

22. To be fully aware and able to implement all or any contingency plans as required.

23. To liaise with patients and the wider Primary Health Care Team as required to ensure the efficient management of patient care.

24. To undertake any duties of a similar nature consistent with the responsibilities of the post in order to provide a quality service.

25. To ensure that general housekeeping duties are carried out on each shift.

26. In line with other posts may be subject to change according to service needs, in consultation with the post holder

At Shropdoc, we are committed to an inclusive workplace where all individuals, including those with disabilities, are valued. We encourage applications from candidates with disabilities and are dedicated to providing the support and adjustments needed for success in the role.

Shropdoc is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our patients and expects all staff, contractors and volunteers to share this commitment. Candidates will undergo thorough onboarding and safeguarding checks including checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service.

We want to encourage individuals from all backgrounds, experiences and beliefs, who share our mission of keep the patient at the heart of all that we do to work with us.