Job description

Job Title: Dental Booking Agent - Clinical Assessment and Booking Service (CABS)

Team: Dental CABS

DBS Check Level: Basic

Shifts available (working across a 4 week rolling rota):

• Monday weekly 17.00-22.00
• Tuesday weekly 18.00-22.00
• Tuesday weekly 18.00-00.00
• Wednesday weekly 22.30-06.59
• Thursday weekly 18.00-22.00
• Thursday weekly 22.30-06.59
• Sunday weeks 2&4 13.00-19.00
• Sunday weekly 18.00-00.00

Base location: Sheridan Teal House, Bradley and/or Lexicon House, Leeds (First 12 weeks of training would be based at Bradley, Huddersfield)

Line Manager: Shift Supervisor CABS

Job Purpose:

• To undertake dental call-handling and booking duties. As a key member of the CABS team you will contribute to the delivery of a quality service and the maintenance of quality standards.
• Contact with the CABS service may be directly via a telephone call, in which case it will be necessary to take demographic details and undertake a non-clinical assessment to arrive at a disposition to meet the patients need for urgent dental treatment.
• The post-holder will be responsible for receiving Dental calls made directly to the CABS service and the accurate input of caller information on to the computer system.
• Alternatively, some patients will have already gone through a clinical assessment process undertaken by NHS 111, in which case the demographic information and disposition will be available from an ITK message in the computer system.
• The post-holder will be responsible for contacting patients where their details are notified via NHS 111 ITK contact information and book them into available appointments across Yorkshire and Humber, as appropriate, in line with relevant protocols.

Principal Responsibilities:

Call-handling and non-clinical assessment of calls received into CBS:

• To receive incoming Dental telephone calls in a polite and professional manner in keeping with the image of Local Care Direct.
• To record accurately the demographic details of the caller onto the computer system.
• To deal with the callers request for access to Urgent Dental Treatment Services by working through the non-clinical assessment computer system to identify the appropriate disposition and priority.
• Based on the disposition produced by the non-clinical assessment system, offering and agreeing on the most convenient appointment available in their geographic area. Travel out of area to be offered as appropriate, if authorised by the Shift Supervisor.
• Transfer the call to a Dental Triage Nurse, or to another clinician or service, when that is indicated by the non-clinical assessment computer system.
• Communicate effectively with callers, in order to ensure that they understand the rationale behind the system of assessment and prioritisation.
• Where Dental Nurse triage is not indicated or necessary and it is inappropriate to book the patient into an urgent dental appointment, or when there is no available appointment, offer appropriate and accurate advice to the patient regarding access to a regular dentist or other relevant service e.g.: pharmacist; dental laboratory; GP/other HCP referral to a domiciliary dental service.

Dealing with ITK cases received from NHS 111 will entail:

• Contacting the patient and checking demographics before offering and agreeing on the most convenient appointment in their geographic area. Travel out of area to be offered as appropriate, if authorised by the Shift Supervisor.

For all patients:

• Ascertaining the patients payment status and offering advice regarding this as necessary. Also ensuring that the patient knows to take proof of their exemption/remission and/or advising regarding completion of a declaration.
• Advising the patient of the NHS dental charge applicable to their appointment. Also advising as to whether payment can be made by card or has to be cash
• Booking the patient into an appropriate appointment slot on MyOffice.
• Ensuring that the patient has full details of the location of the appointment, together with any specific information relating to access etc.
• Ensuring that the patient is fully aware of the time of their appointment together with the time that they need to arrive in order to complete a medical history form and relevant paperwork in advance of the appointment. To also advise the patient that if they do take any regular medication they should take details of this to the appointment.
• Offering to those patients that are looking for a regular NHS dentist all possible relevant information available.
• Contacting patients, across areas, to check that they still need their appointment, in order to minimise the number of patients who fail to attend.

General

• As the demand for appointments may exceed the number of appointments available, the Dental Booking Agent will need to be sympathetic to the patient but at the same time recognise that the patient may well be unhappy with the situation and be able to deal with this appropriately.
• The Dental Booking Agent will be expected to support managers in the implementation of new or changed services which impact on the Local Care Direct CAB service.
• The Dental Booking Agent will be expected to support Shift Supervisors as required.

Communications & Relationships

• To liaise with patients, dental practices and NHS 111 in a professional and consistent manner
• To work in a collaborative manner with other members of the Dental CABS team

Organisational

• To uphold and promote Local Care Direct values and ensure these are translated into working practices and service design

• To maintain the highest standards of conduct

Patient care

• To ensure that the quality of patient care is paramount

Confidentiality

• To operate within information governance protocols and business confidentiality is maintained at all times.

Training

• To ensure that all mandatory training required is kept up to date

Infection Prevention and Control

• Healthcare workers have a duty of care to patients and are expected to comply fully with the companies Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) policies and attend/complete IP&C training, for personal and patient safety and for prevention of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI). Knowledge, skills and behaviour in the workplace should reflect this.

Safeguarding

• Individuals have a duty of care to children and vulnerable adults that they come into contact with whilst at work to safeguard and promote their welfare and to work to prevent, recognise, respond, appropriately refer and record potential neglect or abuse, adhering to the companys Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults policies and procedures.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Desirable

• Administration or Customer Service qualifications

Experience

Essential

• Experience of dealing with the public in a busy environment via telephone or face to face.

Desirable

• Previous experience of working with core NHS operational systems Adastra / NHS Pathways / MyOffice

Skills

Essential

• Evidence/Example of ability to work under pressure but still maintain standards expected.
• Good IT skills
• Evidence of highly developed communication skills verbal and written
• Example of highly developed customer service skills.
• Ability to understand the need for, and ability to follow systems and process in place.

Desirable

• Evidence of experience in Microsoft packages including knowledge of MS office.
• Evidence and example of conflict resolution skills.

Knowledge

Essential

• Fluent in English language.
• Evidence of good geographical knowledge of the Yorkshire & Humber region.

Desirable

• Knowledge of Local Care Direct Services
• Knowledge of working in a Dental/Healthcare Environment
• Knowledge of NHS Dental Services
• Knowledge of NHS dental patient charges/exemptions
• Knowledge of Health and safety principles

Personal attributes

Essential

• Ability to attend work regularly out of hours.
• Flexible, willing to work in areas other than main base and adaptable to change.
• Example of ability to work alone and also as part of a team.

Desirable

• Example showing ability to stay calm under pressure.