Care Navigator (Medical Receptionist)

Cornerstone; West Wick; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 26,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Uniform

Job summary

Cornerstone Practice Lambeth Street Surgery in Blackburn is seeking a part-time Care Navigator/Medical Receptionist for 30 hours per week. You will be the first point of contact for patients, greeting them at the front desk, answering calls and guiding people to the right clinician or service using our care navigation protocols.

The role emphasizes compassionate listening, handling queries, booking appointments and supporting online services such as the NHS App.

Qualifications

• 5 GCSE passes (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics Grade C/4 or above
• NVQ level 2/3 in Business Administration, Customer Service
• Understanding NHS primary care services, care navigation and triage pathways
• Familiarity with Patchs online requests and general administrative tasks
• Experience in a customer-facing role and ability to work under pressure

Responsibilities

• Greet patients in person and by telephone, dealing with queries respectfully and confidentially
• Offer appropriate appointments using EMIS Web and signpost to other professionals or services
• Handle prescription queries, home visit requests and results following protocols
• Provide information about available services, including new patient registrations
• Manage potentially distressing conversations with compassion and escalate when needed
• Respond to emergencies and arrange ambulances when required
• Deal with patient complaints and feedback, escalating appropriately
• Coordinate care navigation activities and support the Connect Hub rota across sites
• Maintain accurate patient records and ensure confidentiality

Skills

Verbal communication

IT skills

Data entry

Attention to detail

Prioritising workload

Conflict management

Independence & initiative

Teamwork

EMIS Web experience

NHS App knowledge

Education

GCSE English/Maths

NVQ Level 2/3 in Business Administration

Tools

EMIS Web

Microsoft Word

Outlook

MS Teams

Patchs

Job description

Are you a great listener who loves helping people ? Do you want a job where every day makes a real difference to your local community ?

We're looking for a Care Navigator/Medical Receptionist to join our friendly team at Lambeth Street Surgery, Blackburn for 30 hours a week.

Care Navigators are at the heart of modern general practice. You'll often be the first person our patients speak to, whether they walk in, phone or contact us online. By listening carefully and asking the right questions, you'll help them get to the right person or service first time, whether that's a GP, nurse, pharmacist, paramedic or a service in the community.

Lambeth Street serves a diverse and close-knit community, and no two days are the same. You'll also be part of our Connect Hub at Shadsworth Surgery, where we're developing a new model of care navigation with daily support from our GPs and ACPs. It's an exciting time to join us.

You don't need to have worked in a GP practice before. If you're caring, calm, under pressure and enjoy working as part of a team, we'll give you the training and support to grow in the role.

If you want a job with purpose, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

As a Care Navigator, your day will be varied. You will:

• Welcome patients at the front desk, answer calls and respond to online requests through Patchs
• Listen to what each patients needs and guide them to the right clinician or service, using our care navigation protocols
• Spot urgent requests and pass them quickly to the clinical team
• Book appointments and deal with prescription, test results and general queries
• Help patients use online services such as the NHS App, and support those who prefer not to
• Take your turn on the rota at our Connect Hub at Shadsworth Surgery, handling telephone and online contacts with support from our GPs and ACPs
• Share the day-to-day running of the Lambeth Street site with the team, including admin supporting the baby clinic and routine health and safety checks
• Keep patients records accurate and confidential on Emis Web

Full training is given, including care navigation training, so you'll feel confident from the start.

About us

Cornerstone Practice has been caring for people in Blackburn and Oswaldtwistle since 1988. Today we look after around 27,000 patients across four sites.

Each of our surgeries has its own small, close-knit team, but we all work together towards one goal: excellent, compassionate care for every patient. We care for the whole person and have a particular heart for people who are vulnerable or disadvantaged.

We are a Christian practice. Many of our staff are Christians, and we also have many valued colleagues of other faiths and of no faith. Our faith shapes how we care for people, but we never impose it on colleagues or patients. We simply ask that everyone is comfortable working within our values.

Our Lambeth Street team is friendly and supportive. You'll work alongside our Team Leader, Site Manager, GPs, nurses and the wider practice team, with everyone's contribution valued.

What we offer:

• Uniform

Whether you're just starting out in healthcare or looking to develop an existing career, we'll give you the tools, training and support to thrive.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for full details.

This role is the focal point of high-quality communication between patients, clinicians and outside organisations, helping ensure services are delivered safely, efficiently and compassionately.

This is a part-time post of 30 hours per week. The post holder will be primarily at Lambeth Street Surgery and like all members of the care navigator team, will be rotate to the Connect Hub at Shadsworth Surgery as part of the Practice's new model of care navigation and triage. The Connect Hub deals predominantly with remote contacts (telephone and online). Flexibility is key, as the post may occasionally require support outside of regular hours to provide cover.

• Greet patients in person and by telephone, dealing with all queries, concerns and appointment requests respectfully and confidentially
• Offer appropriate appointment using EMIS Web, signposting to other professionals or services where necessary
• Handle prescription queries, home visit request and results following protocols with care and urgency
• Provide information about available services, including new patients registrations
• Manage potentially distressing or difficult conversations with compassion
• Respond to emergencies and arrange ambulances when required
• Deal with patient complaints and feedback, escalating appropriately

Care Navigation and Connect Hub

• Use active listening and structured questioning to understand a patient's needs and navigate them to the most appropriate service, clinician or resource
• Rotate to the Connect hub at Shadsworth Surgery as part of the team rota, supporting clinical triage workflows under the supervision of clinicians
• Manage and prioritise incoming telephone and online requests (including Patchs) using agreed clinical and non-clinical pathways
• Contribute to the ongoing development of the Connect Hub as a new model of general practice

Administration

• Maintain accurate records, update patient details and handle all documents confidentially
• Monitor appointments availability, repeat prescription and documents for clinics
• Manage scanning, coding, filing and shredding of documents
• Ensure the surgery is open, tidy and prepared daily
• Support administrative functions such as mail, stationery orders and GP Tasks

Communication

• Provide a link between patients, primary care, secondary care and allied services
• Work with colleagues to ensure smooth handovers and continuity of care
• Contact patients by letter, or telephone when required
• Liaise with GPs, nurses, pharmacists and the wider team so patients received joined-up care

Training and Development

• Complete all mandatory training, including Basic Life Support, Fire Safety, Safeguarding and Information Governance
• Support the induction of new staff and take part in annual appraisal

Professional Responsibilities

• Uphold patient confidentiality and data protection (GDPR and Caldicott principles) at all times
• Follow practice policies, including health and safety, infection control and the Chaperone policy
• Act in accordance with the practice's Christian values and Equal Opportunity policy, treating everyone with dignity and respect

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Local knowledge, including basic geography and awareness of community services
• Understanding of the need to safeguard children and vulnerable adults
• Understanding of patient confidentiality and data protection
• Understanding of NHS primary care services, care navigation and triage pathways
• Familiarity with online consultation systems (e.g. Patchs), the NHS App and digital patient access
• Awareness of alternative services patients can be signposted to (e.g. Pharmacy First, NHS 111)

Qualifications

• 5 GCSE passes ( or equivalent ) in English and Mathematics Grade C/4 or above
• NVQ level 2/3 in Business Administration, Customer Service

Experience

• Working knowledge of administrative task, appointment booking and record keeping
• Use of basic office software (Microsoft Word, Outlook, MS Team)
• Previous experience in a customer-facing of the public in a busy environment
• Experience managing competing priorities under pressure
• Previous work in a healthcare or GP practice setting
• Experience in a customer-facing role
• Experience using the EMIS Web clinical system
• Experience of telephone triage or care navigation

Values and Attitudes

• Positive, flexible approach to change and new ways of working
• Willingness to learn, develop and complete training
• Resilient and able to stay calm under pressure
• Judgement, common sense and discretion
• Compassionate handling of sensitive issues
• Professional manner and able to maintain confidentiality
• Reliable, motivated and committed to the team
• Flexible approach to working hours and cover
• Able to support and contribute to the Christian ethos and organisational values of the practice
• Interest in community health and wellbeing
• Ideas for improving services and patient experience

Skills

• Excellent verbal communication, face-to-face and by telephone
• Confident IT skills, including Microsoft Office and email, and the ability to learn new systems quickly
• Accurate data entry and attention to detail
• Prioritising and managing a varied workload under pressure
• Conflict management, tact and diplomacy
• Ability to work independently, use initiative and work well in a team
• Use of clinical software (e.g. EMIS Web)
• Ability to help patients use online services and the NHS App

Other Requirements

• Have the right to work in the UK
• Able to travel between the 4 practice sites
• Flexible to work across core hours (8am to 6:30pm), including early starts and late finishes on a rota
• willing to cover colleagues for annual leave and sickness when needed
• willing to undergo DBS
• willing to complete all mandatory and role-specific training
• Full UK driving licence and access to a car

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 name

Cornerstone

Address

Cornerstone Practice Lambeth Street Surgery

Cornerstone Practice Lambeth Street Surgery

Lambeth Street

Blackburn

Lancashire

BB1 1LZ

United Kingdom

The Cornerstone Practice Shadsworth Surgery