Care Navigator

West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group; Botesdale; Remote; GBP 12,000 - 18,000; Part time

Job summary

Botesdale Health Centre seeks a Care Navigator to join the team on a part-time basis, 17 hours weekly (Wed 8.30–18:00, Fri 8.30–18:00, with 1 hour lunch each day). The role focuses on patient engagement, referral management, triage hub operations, and ensuring safe, courteous patient care.

You will handle patient enquiries, coordinate with clinicians, maintain data protection, and support high-quality services within the NHS framework.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written.
• Strong organisational and administrative abilities.
• Experience in a patient-facing role, ideally in healthcare.
• Commitment to patient confidentiality (UK GDPR).
• Ability to work under pressure with high patient interaction.
• Ability to follow established protocols precisely.
• Compassionate, patient-centred approach.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the first point of contact for patients, handling enquiries by phone or at reception.
• Process referrals from GPs using the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS), including urgent 2WW referrals.
• Triage submissions in the Triage Hub, assess urgency and flag safeguarding indicators.
• Explain triage outcomes to patients and coordinate care plans with the team.
• Maintain information governance and confidentiality with strict data access controls.
• Identify and escalate potentially serious problems to clinicians promptly.

Skills

Communication

Organisation

Patient-facing experience

Data protection (UK GDPR)

Pressure management

Protocols adherence

Compassionate care

Tools

EMIS

Anima

e-RS

Job description

About the Role

Are you a compassionate and organised individual with excellent communication skills? Join Botesdale Health Centre as a Care Navigator and become a vital part of our dedicated team, ensuring our patients receive the right care, at the right time. This position is offered on a part-time basis for 17 hours per week working the following days: Wednesday 8.30am to 18.00pm (1 hr lunch break) and Friday 8.30am to 18.00pm (1 hr lunch break)

At Botesdale Health Centre, we pride ourselves on providing high-quality medical care in a friendly, courteous, and professional manner. As a Care Navigator, you will be at the forefront of our patient services, working across various touchpoints to guide and support our patients through their healthcare journey.

Key responsibilities:

Patient Engagement: Serve as the first point of contact for patients, dealing with enquiries both on the phone and at the reception desk, providing a high-quality and responsive customer care service.

Referral Management: Process all referrals sent from GPs, efficiently utilising the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). This includes submitting urgent referrals, such as two-week-wait (2WW) referrals, recording e-RS references in clinical records, and tracking their progress to ensure timely patient care.

Triage Hub Operations: Play a crucial role within our Triage Hub, reviewing online consultation submissions, assessing urgency (categorising as Emergency, Urgent, Routine, Self-care/advice, or Signpost), and identifying any red-flag keywords or safeguarding indicators.

Patient Communication & Coordination: Contact patients to explain triage outcomes and confirm care plans. Coordinate with the team in the triage hub to book appointments based on urgency, modality, and clinician, ensuring patient agreement and providing clear next steps and safety-netting advice.

Information Governance & Confidentiality: Adhere strictly to patient confidentiality at all times, only accessing patient data necessary for your role using your own login, and never discussing patient information in public areas. Report any suspected unauthorised access or confidentiality breaches immediately.

Safety & Escalation: Identify potentially serious problems and escalation concerns to the appropriate clinician without delay.

About the Candidate

To be considered for this position, you will have the following skills and experience:

Essential:

• Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to convey information clearly and empathetically to patients, even in challenging situations.
• Strong organisational and administrative abilities, with keen attention to detail.
• Proven experience in a patient-facing role, ideally within a healthcare setting.
• A clear understanding and commitment to patient confidentiality, data protection (UK GDPR).
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, prioritise tasks, and manage a high volume of patient interactions.
• Ability to follow established protocols and procedures meticulously.
• A compassionate and patient-centred approach to care.

Desirable:

• Experience in using clinical systems (e.g. EMIS, Anima, e-RS) and online consultation platforms.

About Us

At Botesdale Health Centre, you will be part of a supportive and forward-thinking team dedicated to making a real difference in our community. We offer a rewarding role where your skills will be highly valued, contributing directly to positive patient outcomes.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds in line with the Equality Act 2010.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. All appointments are subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including DBS clearance.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Please note 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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.