Out-of-Hours Clinical Systems Dispatcher

Job description

Job responsibilities

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Operational Shift Manager (during their working hours) and on-call director when Operational Shift Manager/s are not working.

ACCOUNTABLE FOR: Operational supervision of Drivers/Patient Support when Operational Shift Manager not working

RESPONSIBLE FOR: Ensuring an effective operational environment to enable GPs, nurses, and other clinical staff to provide care.

JOB PURPOSE

The Out of Hours Service ensures that urgent care is available evenings, overnight and bank holidays, during both the week and weekends.

• 18:30pm 08:00am Monday Friday
• 24 hours Weekend and bank holidays

The Clinical Systems Dispatcher is responsible for ensuring effective dispatching within medical records and co-ordinating patient flow for face to face appointments and home visits within set timelines.

The Clinical Systems Dispatcher acts as the operational point of contact when the Operational Shift Manager is not on duty (overnight) for all aspects of the Out of Hours clinical service. To act as an operational liaison point for other Taurus service to support transfer of patient care and to escalate concerns or problems that arise on shift when the Operational Shift Manager is not working to the Director on Call when required.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

To operationally support patients to move smoothly across Taurus and local services by facilitating appointments and appropriate access to clinical care.

To co-ordinate and supervise the drivers and overnight nurses in the absence of the Operational Shift Manager, ensuring they carry out their role effectively, answering any queries they may have and giving appropriate support.

To provide job role training and support to Drivers and Receptionists as and when required on shift.

To ensure the patient has been allocated and aligned to the most appropriate clinician on shift and co-ordinate face to face appointments, triage, and home visits within the appointment/booking system.

Coordinate face to face appointments, triage, and home visits within the appointment / booking system

Escalate allocation and coordination issues rising from clinicians to Operational Shift Manager when on duty. If urgent and overnight in OOH to Director on Call and non-urgent through routine shift reporting.

To manage patients within the ADASTRA and EMIS medical system and effectively dispatch and coordinate appointments according to pre-determined priorities from 111 and mallings.

Ensure all cases achieve a timely response, meeting our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from an operational perspective.

When there is a medic-vehicle tracking system available, to ensure the most appropriate resource is tasked to the next home-visit.

When timed delays occur, undertake comfort-calls with home-visit patients to make sure they are aware of the delay and expected arrival time. To check if the circumstances of the patient have changed/worsened and to escalate, as required.

To provide a shift handover that includes any breaches of KPIs and any issues that have arisen.

To accurately report shift activity indicating key issues and priority actions.

To report incidents on DATIX.

To be responsible for ensuring patients in the waiting area are observed. If timed delays are incurred to communicate the delay to patients. To identify any deterioration in the patients health for escalation to a clinician.

To work alongside and in the absence of the Operational Shift Manager to help oversee the medicine bags process supporting drivers with safe handover to clinicians.

To liaise with NHS111 and Mallings Healthcare any operational queries e.g. out of area patient. Note: The Clinical Systems Dispatcher on behalf of a clinician, may escalate inappropriate referrals.

To ensure that patient surveys and questionnaires (electronic and/or paper) are carried out at the service delivery sites when required.

To use a variety of IT tools/software effectively to support operational working.

To Support notification/post event messaging process to GP practices.

To be able to use clinical systems and software, listed below:

To act as a chaperone if required

To ensure referrals from clinicians are dealt with according to process.

ADASTRA tasks

• Monitor incoming cases from 111 and Malling services
• Transfer cases from the ADASTRA system to the EMIS system, including patient details and consultation information
• Undertake patient searches in ADASTRA in the event of missing or incomplete case information
• Close cases in ADSATRA once clinicians confirm they are complete

EMIS tasks

• Register new patients onto the EMIS system
• Update patients personal details onto the EMIS database when required
• Book patient appointments onto the EMIS appointment book in a timely manner
• Actively monitor clinicians appointment diaries for potential KPI breaches

NHS Portal

• The NHS portal inbox receives palliative care notifications and patient appointments that are blocked from the normal pathway
• Palliative care cases are to be transferred across to the ADASTRA system
• Patient appointments via the portal are checked and verified against the EMIS system

This list is not exhaustive, and roles and responsibilities may be reviewed and extended in line with changing requirements of Taurus and the wider healthcare environment.

COMMUNICATIONS AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Mallings Healthcare

NHS111

Operational Shift Manager

Operational Manager

Drivers

GPs

Advanced Clinical Practitioners

Advanced Nurse Practitioners

Receptionists

Responsible Person

Deputy Responsible Person

Overnight Nurses and other District Nurses

Patient/ Patient relatives and carers

Ambulance service / paramedics

Other healthcare professionals

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to GCSE or O level standard or equivalent (minimum 3 at grade C or above)

Desirable

• Fire warden qualification or trained
• First Aid qualification or trained

Experience

Essential

• Able to effectively manage customers complaints and concerns
• Able to communicate effectively verbally and written, with representatives of other organisations
• Teamwork and co-operation to achieve optimal results
• Strong organisational skills
• Ability to use initiative to resolve problems and/or suggest improvements
• Computer literate, including use of word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, the internet, patient database systems and presentation software
• Ability to manage competing demands and prioritise these appropriately
• Strong inter-personal skills with colleagues, clinicians, patients, managers, and other stakeholders
• Customer Service skills

Desirable

• Experience of supervising or managing others
• Experience of working in a healthcare environment

Personal Qualities or Attributes

Essential

• Friendly and approachable
• Reliable individual
• Working effectively with a team

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

Taurus Healthcare Limited

Address

Station Medical Centre

Station Approach

Hereford

HR1 1BB

Employer's website

https://www.herefordshiregeneralpractice.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)