Person Centred Care Officer

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We are united by a common purpose of providing the best and safest care; and by our shared values of Care, Truth, Participation, Compassion and Dignity.

Netcare invites you to be part of our journey.

ROLE SUMMARY

Person centred Health and care focuses on dignity and respect, information sharing, participation and collaboration. Person centred care highlights a way of thinking and acting that focuses on a partnership with an individual to ensure that their immediate needs are met. Providing choices and respecting choices made by them. At all times still delivering that exceptional level of care with a strong focus on respect and compassion. The focus is on a holistic approach to wellness, putting the Netcare patient and their families at the centre of the Netcare quality care model, maximising patient satisfaction while at the same time digitally enabling the Netcare of tomorrow.

The Person Centred Care Officer will assist with improving the efficiency and quality of contact with patients and family by being involved in patient interactions and the resolution of complaints. This individual will ensure a high level of patient service including meeting patient needs, maintaining patient service levels and monitoring and reacting to patient feedback.

The Person Centred Care Officer will anticipate needs and build rapport with the patient so that the patient values the experience and feels they can return to a Netcare facility in future. The focus is on building a long standing relationship where patient social circumstances, preferences, values and needs are all taken into consideration. This individual will participate in discussions regarding patient feedback and will facilitate and co-own the investigation and responsibility of complaint resolution. This will include documentation and feedback to the customer.

KEY WORK OUTPUT AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

• Welcome the patient and the family to the hospital and ensure that the patient experience is memorable by making the patient feel like a valued guest.
• Communicate to the patient and their family that different avenues for feedback are available and encourage the utilisation of these feedback mechanisms.
• Serve as the face of patient care by dealing effectively with all customer complaints which includes resolving them effectively while maintaining confidentiality at all times.
• Escalate and oversee resolution of any IT system or other operational complaint to the appropriate stakeholder and ensure that the complaint is effectively dealt with.
• Ensure that complaints and concerns are acknowledged in a timely, appropriate, empathetic and respectful manner.
• Facilitate and assist with investigations relating to the quality of the service provided, identify stakeholders who are required to assist or provide input and implement improvement actions in line with the complaints standard operating procedure.
• Ensure that all hospital stakeholders understand and comply in a consistent manner to the patient complaint standard operating procedure.
• Provide feedback to the patient and their family on an ongoing and regular basis in an appropriate, empathetic and respectful manner.
• Escalate appropriate concerns accompanied by the relevant investigation outcome and other documentation to the General Hospital Manager, Regional management and Head office structure in line with the standard operating procedure.
• Finalise complaints by ensuring that all information on the system is processed accurately and timeously and that the relevant documentation is completed.
• Conduct ward rounds to engage patients during their stay in order to provide feedback and identify any problems with regards to service delivery.
• Communicate with patients during their hospital stay to ensure that complaints are effectively dealt with prior to the patient leaving the Netcare facility.
• Ensure that any complaints raised post the discharge of the patient are investigated and resolved effectively.
• Demonstrate an ability to sensitively and confidentially deal with problems and apply judgment in problem solving, conflict resolution and cultural awareness.

Organisational effectiveness and quality improvement

• Ensure that time is allocated to assisting all the Hospital stakeholders to identify and implement function specific improvement work within each of the relevant areas.
• Present to the Hospital General Manager concerns and possible improvement initiatives based on patient and family feedback and co-own the testing of improvement ideas.
• Collaborate and co-own with head office initiated improvement work such as explaining medical information to a patient in a way that they understand.
• Role model and explain the importance of person centred care to other hospital-based teams such as security, porters, parking attendants, food hostesses, retail pharmacy employees, radiography, pathology services and doctor’s rooms.

Reporting and documentation

• Capture complaints on the relevant Netcare system and ensure that these complaints are resolved within the relevant timeframes.
• Track, analyse and report patient feedback and ensures the implementation of action items aimed at improving the quality of patient care.
• Assist with the interpretation of data and utilise important feedback provided in the existing Netcare reports to improve the patient experience.
• Assist Management with the preparation of reports as required.
• Monitor and record compliance to improved outcomes.

Compliance administration

• Comply with the patient care Standard Operating Procedures, ensuring that all employees have read and understood them.
• Execute corporate CSA (controlled self-assessment) and audit activity relevant to person centred health and care.
• Keep up to date with Netcare’s evolving policies and procedures.
• Handle all routine administration queries and work requests that may not be included in this role profile and resolve these efficiently and effectively within the required turnaround times.

GROWING WITH PASSIONATE PEOPLE

Personal and Professional development

• Active involvement in own professional development to maintain a satisfactory level of skill and knowledge as required by Management and relevant to the role.

Build and maintain stakeholder relationships

• Work effectively and co-operatively with others to establish and maintain good working relationships that are mutually beneficial.
• Establish and service relationships with all internal and external stakeholders, including Hospital management, patients, service providers and colleagues to improve the patient experience.
• Demonstrate personal commitment to internal and external stakeholders by fulfilling responsibilities, involving others, gaining support for ideas generated and removing obstacles to team accomplishments.
• Establish and consolidate good interpersonal relationships by listening to others and objectively considering their ideas and opinions even when they conflict with their own ideas.
• Actively participate as a member of a team to achieve goals and does not function independently.

SKILLS PROFILE

EDUCATION

• Essential: Matric
• Preferred: Relevant tertiary qualification.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Essential: At least two to three years’ experience working in a customer facing role within a healthcare or hospitality environment.

KNOWLEDGE

• Essential: An intermediate to advanced level of Computer Literacy and proficiency in MS Office applications.
• Superior interpersonal skills (developing and maintaining positive relationships; communicating clearly and effectively with people at all levels with verbal and nonverbal communication; working with others to identify, define and solve problems).
• The ability to communicate and write exceptionally in the English language.
• Ability to inspire others to believe in the culture of person centred care.
• Knowledge of customer service practices and principles.
• Professionalism.
• Multi-tasking ability and the ability to handle stressful situations and difficult stakeholders (internal and external) appropriately.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

In the event of any physical or psychological limitation that may impair the employee’s ability to perform the required job function, the employee must consult the employer for reasonable accommodation.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Professional flexibility in working hours while supporting daily business hours.
• Will interact with internal and external customers through several different means.
• Travel to support the functions of the role may be required.

Join the team committed to providing the best and safest health and care.