Symphony Healthcare Services Limited

Patient Services Advisor - Somerton & Ilchester, Somerset

The closing date is 26 June 2025

Job summary

Symphony has an excellent opportunity for a Patient Services Advisor to join the friendly, supportive teams at Buttercross Health Centre in Somerton and Ilchester Surgery in Ilchester, alongside working on a rotational basis at the innovative and forward-thinking Contact Hub, which is situated on the top floor of South Petherton Medical Centre. This allows for a varied and exciting working week!

The Contact Hub is a central point of contact for patients and facilitates a comprehensive triaging process, to ensure people are seen as soon as possible, by the best person. The Contact Hub manages call and queries from patients from all surgeries within the South Somerset West (SSW) Primary Care Network (PCN) which are Hamdon Medical Centre,Crewkerne Health Centre, Martock Surgery, South Petherton Medical Centre, Buttercross Health Centre in Somerton and Ilchester Surgery in Ilchester.

Based on the need to rotate, you will need access to a car / public transport to travel between sites.Please consider this before applying.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, resilient and proactive individual who is a real team player with a willingness to learn.

The position is part time - 31 hours per week, to be worked Monday to Friday. The successful candidate will be required to work flexibly, to assist with cross-site cover, as and when needed.

The rate of pay is £12.21 per hour, increasing to £12.50 once a successful 6-month probation period has been completed.

Main duties of the job

The right candidate will be confident communicating with people both over the phone and face to face, comfortable using a computer and learning internal systems, plus happy to work within a busy patient facing environment.

You will act as the central point of contact for patients, and duties will include processing administration, effective use of computer and phone systems, as well as booking appointments using online systems, processing information and liaising with both clinical and non-clinical colleagues (both internally and externally).

This role requires a methodical approach to administration tasks, a courteous, calm and effective communication style and the willingness to work as part of a team.

You will also be able to work accurately, following protocols and processes and prioritise your own workload effectively, while also meeting competing deadlines.

You will have sound IT skills and experience of using packages such as MS Office (Outlook, Word etc.).

Knowledge of the NHS / General Practice would be desirable, but not essential.

Please read the full Job Description (JD) attached carefully before applying.

About us

Symphony Healthcare Services was established in 2016 as part of the award-winning Symphony Programme Vanguard, developing new models of care. We now support 16 practices across Somerset providing care for over 130,000 patients.

Symphony has developed a model where each practice is encouraged to operate autonomously, but as a subsidiary of NHS Somerset Foundation Trust (SFT), and with the backing and economies of scale from a central support team (particularly for HR, finance, corporate and strategic management matters).

Providing NHS services is at the heart of what we do. Our vision is to ensure that primary care is sustainable for patients and practices in Somerset, and we aim to be a national exemplar for primary care provision. We work closely with our practice teams to support, develop and transform patient care and working practices with innovation and technology at the heart of what we do.

Symphony welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and underrepresented groups. When undertaking recruitment and selection for our services, Symphony are committed to equality of opportunity for all.

Symphony offers a NHS or NEST Pension, a fantastic range of employee benefits and salary sacrifice schemes (see attached poster), along with flexible working from day of employment and an agile approach to home / office-based working (where applicable).

We look forward to hearing from you and receiving your application.

Date posted

12 June 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£12.21 to £12.50 an hour

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

E0215-PSABHC-062025

Job locations

Buttercross Health Centre

Behind Berry

Somerton

Somerset

TA11 7PB

Ilchester Doctors Surgery

17 Church Street

Ilchester

Yeovil

Somerset

BA22 8LN

South Petherton Medical Centre

Bernard Way

South Petherton

Somerset

TA13 5EG

Job description

Job responsibilities

Identify and book appointments and home visits in line with practice protocols, including cross-organisation bookings.
Search for, register if necessary and book onto the computer system patients as they present at the desk.
Deal with enquiries, signposting and requests, either face to face or over the telephone from a variety of external sources, such as patients, relatives, clinical team, hospital, pathology, and work colleagues.
Deal with distressed/aggressive patients safely and appropriately as they present at the desk or over the telephone
Be able to prioritise patients in need of urgent medical attention who present to reception in person or telephone in and direct them to the correct clinical intervention/appointment

***Please read the full job description attached before applying***

Job description

Job responsibilities

Identify and book appointments and home visits in line with practice protocols, including cross-organisation bookings.
Search for, register if necessary and book onto the computer system patients as they present at the desk.
Deal with enquiries, signposting and requests, either face to face or over the telephone from a variety of external sources, such as patients, relatives, clinical team, hospital, pathology, and work colleagues.
Deal with distressed/aggressive patients safely and appropriately as they present at the desk or over the telephone
Be able to prioritise patients in need of urgent medical attention who present to reception in person or telephone in and direct them to the correct clinical intervention/appointment

***Please read the full job description attached before applying***

Person Specification

Knowledge and skills

Essential

Computer literate and good keyboard skills
Ability to listen carefully and communicate effectively and sensitively (verbal and written) to patients and staff at a range of levels
Excellent organisational skills
Strong attention to detail and the ability to transfer accurate information
Work well under pressure
Use own initiative within clear boundaries, seeking advice when necessary
Demonstrate enthusiasm and a strong sense of teamwork
Ability to complete tasks to a high standard with frequent interruptions

Desirable

Knowledge of medical terminology
Knowledge of the NHS/General Practice

Qualifications

Essential

English & Maths GCSE or equivalent (grade A*-D/ grade 9 to 3) (E)

Experience

Essential

Experience of working within a team
Recognise the significance of different situations (including emergencies) and take appropriate action, following standard policies and procedures

Desirable

Experience of working in a customer focused environment
Experience of working within an administration team
Experience of working in the NHS or similar health care setting
Awareness of clinical systems such as EMIS

Person Specification

Knowledge and skills

Essential

Computer literate and good keyboard skills
Ability to listen carefully and communicate effectively and sensitively (verbal and written) to patients and staff at a range of levels
Excellent organisational skills
Strong attention to detail and the ability to transfer accurate information
Work well under pressure
Use own initiative within clear boundaries, seeking advice when necessary
Demonstrate enthusiasm and a strong sense of teamwork
Ability to complete tasks to a high standard with frequent interruptions

Desirable

Knowledge of medical terminology
Knowledge of the NHS/General Practice

Qualifications

Essential

English & Maths GCSE or equivalent (grade A*-D/ grade 9 to 3) (E)

Experience

Essential

Experience of working within a team
Recognise the significance of different situations (including emergencies) and take appropriate action, following standard policies and procedures

Desirable

Experience of working in a customer focused environment
Experience of working within an administration team
Experience of working in the NHS or similar health care setting
Awareness of clinical systems such as EMIS

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.