Administrative Assistant

Job summary
The Administrative Assistant will provide comprehensive administrative support to ensure the effective and efficient running of the practice.

This is a varied role covering clinical/snomed coding, referral management, medical secretarial duties, patient recalls, QOF, audits and general practice administration. The post holder will work closely with the GPs, nurses, receptionists, administrative colleagues and external healthcare organisations.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide varied administrative support across the practice, including processing and clinically coding correspondence, managing referrals and undertaking medical secretarial duties. They will maintain accurate patient records, support QOF, clinical audits, screening and chronic disease recall systems, and liaise with patients, clinicians and external healthcare services. The role requires the post holder to work with minimal supervision, prioritise their own workload, maintain confidentiality, comply with data protection and practice policies, and contribute to CQC compliance, equality and diversity, and the effective day-to-day running of the practice.

About us
Donneybrook Medical Centre is a busy and friendly GP practice committed to providing high-quality, patient-centred care to our local community. Our multidisciplinary team includes GP partners, salaried GPs, nurses, healthcare professionals, pharmacists, administrators and reception staff, who work collaboratively to meet the needs of our patients.

We are a supportive and forward-thinking practice that values teamwork, professionalism and continuous improvement. We encourage staff development and are committed to maintaining high standards of patient care, confidentiality, equality, safety and regulatory compliance. The successful candidate will join an experienced team and play an important part in supporting the smooth and effective day-to-day running of the practice.

Job responsibilities
Main duties and responsibilities
Clinical correspondence and coding

• Process incoming clinical correspondence, including hospital letters, discharge summaries, clinic letters and other reports.
• Accurately code relevant clinical information onto patients electronic medical records using appropriate clinical/snomed codes.
• Ensure that correspondence, reports, results and other information are recorded, actioned and stored in accordance with practice protocols and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Identify information requiring clinical review and forward it to the appropriate clinician.
• Highlight urgent, significant or unclear information for prompt clinical attention.
• Update patients medical records accurately and within agreed timescales.
• Support the maintenance of complete, accurate and high-quality patient records.
• Maintain an understanding of practice coding procedures and relevant changes to coding requirements.

Referral management and secretarial duties

• Process routine and urgent referrals in accordance with practice procedures.
• Prepare and send referral letters and supporting clinical information.
• Use relevant electronic referral systems and other NHS platforms.
• Ensure referrals contain the necessary information and documentation before submission.
• Monitor referral worklists and follow up any rejected, incomplete or outstanding referrals.
• Liaise with clinicians, patients, hospitals, community services and other healthcare organisations regarding referrals.
• Deal with referral queries and provide patients with appropriate administrative information.
• Maintain accurate records of referrals and actions taken.
• Prepare letters, reports and other correspondence from information provided by clinicians.
• Support the completion of forms, medical reports and requests for information.
• Maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive medical and personal information.

QOF, recalls and chronic disease management

• Assist in producing information for clinical audits, screening programmes and chronic disease management.
• Support the effective operation of patient recall and review systems.
• Run searches and produce patient lists using the practice clinical system.
• Contact patients by telephone, text message, letter or other approved method to arrange reviews, monitoring or screening.
• Record all contact attempts and outcomes accurately.
• Identify patients who have not responded to recall invitations and follow the agreed practice escalation process.
• Keep up to date with changes to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), as required.
• Work with clinicians and other members of the practice team to support the achievement of QOF and other contractual targets.
• Identify missing or incorrect coding that may affect patient care, recalls, audits or practice performance.
• Support seasonal and national health campaigns where required.

Clinical audit and data quality

• Assist with clinical audits, searches and data collection.
• Produce reports, spreadsheets and information for clinicians and managers.
• Support data-quality improvement work by identifying incomplete, inconsistent or inaccurate records.
• Update patient information and monitoring registers in line with practice procedures.
• Assist with the preparation of evidence required for internal reviews, inspections and contractual submissions.
• Maintain accurate audit trails and records of completed work.
• Take part in re-audits and quality-improvement work where required.

General administrative duties

• Manage assigned tasks, emails, correspondence and administrative work within agreed timescales.
• Respond to telephone, written and electronic enquiries in a professional manner.
• Liaise with patients, pharmacies, hospitals and other organisations as appropriate.
• Process requests for medical records, reports, forms and non-NHS work in accordance with practice procedures.
• Maintain spreadsheets, registers, electronic folders and filing systems.
• Support registrations, deductions and amendments to patient details where required.
• Provide administrative support for clinical, practice and team meetings.
• Take and prepare meeting minutes when requested.
• Assist with general office duties, including post, scanning, photocopying and document management.
• Provide appropriate cover for colleagues during periods of absence.
• Provide reception support when required and following appropriate training.
• Undertake any other duties appropriate to the role, as reasonably requested by the Practice Manager or Partners.

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Experience of clinical coding

Desirable

• Experience of working under pressure
• Experience of working in primary care

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.