Patient Access and Triage Coordinator

Job Overview
Hours:37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Salary: Dependent on experience

We are a large, modern GP Practice in Headington with patient care at the heart of all we do. We’re looking for an organised, proactive Patient Access and Triage Coordinator to join our busy administrative team. This role is far more than standard admin — you’ll be the link between patients and clinicians, ensuring every patient gets to the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

You will work closely with GPs, nurses, pharmacists, and other staff to assess and allocate incoming patient requests to the correct pathway, advise clinicians on available appointment types and resources, and action triage outcomes quickly. You will sometimes provide cover for our urgent care coordination function, helping to manage same-day capacity and prioritise urgent cases.

This is a busy and demanding role that requires flexibility, quick thinking, and excellent communication. You should be a team player with strong IT skills, good judgment, and the ability to work calmly under pressure.

Key Responsibilities:

Duties may be varied from time to time under the direction of the Patient services manager and other senior members of staff, dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:

• Assessing incoming triage requests from online, telephone, and in-person contacts.
• Allocating requests to the correct pathway (e.g. GP, urgent hub, nurse, pharmacist, admin).
• Advising clinicians on available appointment types, resources, and care pathways.
• Actioning triage decisions promptly — booking appointments, sending patient messages, requesting additional information, and updating records.
• Providing cover for the Urgent Care Coordinator role, managing same-day capacity, and escalating urgent cases.
• Managing routine administrative tasks such as registering new patients, handling prescription requests, allocating lab results, and processing administrative letters.
• Liaising with patients and clinicians to ensure smooth communication.
• Responding to practice emails and incoming calls in a timely manner.
• Maintaining accurate and secure patient records on EMIS and other systems.
• Providing cover for other administrative staff during absences.
• Any other duties as reasonably required by the Patient Services Manager.

Other requirements of the post-holder:

Confidentiality

• In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.
• In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Health & Safety

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, the practice Health & Safety Manual, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills.
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
• Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holder’s role
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
• Reporting potential risks identified

Equality and Diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers, and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation.
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development

The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team’s performance.
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients’ needs.
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognize people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services

The post-holder will:

• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance.
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work.
• Participate in audit where appropriate.

Person Specification

Essential

• Good standard of general education, with GCSE English and Maths (Grade C/4 or above) or equivalent.
• Proven ability to make decisions, prioritise, and manage competing demands.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong IT skills and ability to learn clinical software (EMIS, AccuRx, Docman).
• Experience of working in a busy, high-pressure environment.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Calm, flexible, and positive attitude.

Desirable

• Experience in NHS primary care, urgent care, or care navigation.
• Knowledge of medical terminology.
• Experience with EMIS Web, AccuRx, and Docman.
• Understanding of primary care appointment systems and patient pathways.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £25,838.00-£27,500.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Flexitime
• On-site parking

Work Location: In person