AO Practice Administrator

Welcome to Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC), we are an inclusive and dedicated organisation working hard to provide excellent care to our entitled personnel.
We are looking for an organised, enthusiastic and adaptable AO Practice Administrator with excellent communication and interpersonal skills to join our welcoming team within the Medical Centre at Chicksands, Shefford. You may be required to provide cover at other facilities within the Combined Practice Network (Bassingbourn and Wyton).
This is a full time role consisting of 37 hours per week., The post holder will work as a member of the Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) Team, which will provide comprehensive, efficient and effective service in accordance with Ministry of Defence (MOD) and DPHC policies and procedures. The duties could include the preparation of notes and statistics before clinics and surgeries. Administration of all medical records for Service personnel and entitled civilians. General secretarial and administrative support to the Practice team. Facilitation of effective communication between patients, members of the Primary Healthcare (PHC) team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies.
The post holder will be required to use the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP) computer system, having completed all necessary training. As the Medical Administration Officer, the post holder will have a major impact in promoting a positive image of the Healthcare Facility to patients and other users.
The ideal candidate will be happy working as part of a team, with excellent communication skills both written and oral, and understand the necessity to maintain patient confidentiality. When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.
Strategic Command Transformation
Strategic Command is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to improve the way the Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, all posts within Strategic Command Headquarters and in time the wider organisation, are/will be subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions., + Opening up/locking of Practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with Practice protocols. Maintaining Health and Safety and Environmental protection standards and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Ensuring colleagues and visitors to the Practice comply with Practice Health and Safety policy. Reporting all accidents, injuries and dangerous occurrences promptly to line management.
+ Ensuring that the reception areas are never left unmanned during normal working hours and that patient and reception waiting areas are always clean and tidy. Ensuring patient information booklets are available and current. Ensuring that information boards are current.
+ Overseeing the running of clinics, maintaining and monitoring the Practice appointments system. Preparing documentation for all clinics,
checking documents after clinics and taking appropriate action and filing away documents promptly.
+ Receiving and assisting patients and visitors, directing to others as appropriate. Handling all general enquiries from patients and others, in person and on the telephone, and takes and records messages for other members of the team. Processing and distributing incoming (and outgoing) mail.
Please refer to the Terms of Reference for further details.

Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Leadership
+ Working Together
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Delivering at Pace, The sift will be completed within 5 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.
There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.
Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs.
All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
Please note the salary will be pro-rata where part time hours are undertaken.
Please ensure you demonstrate that you have the required skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications and memberships in the CV section of the application form. Please make sure no personal details are included.
Please see the link to our Youtube channel for advice preparing your best responses with some hints and tips on answering behaviour based questions. Hints and tips such as: Your behaviours can be based on situations from work, volunteering or home; match your situation to the behaviour requested and how to use your 250-word limit.
Defence Medical Services - YouTube
This post does not offer any assistance with relocation allowances.
The successful applicant will have contact with patients and service users. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been necessary to take significant steps to protect the health and safety of our staff, patients and service users. MOD policy remains aligned with the government position that vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and others from the risk of getting seriously ill/dying from COVID-19 and reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 to others. We therefore encourage all our employees and prospective ones to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to any exemptions that may apply. Detail concerning the options available for vaccination against COVID-19, along with information on risks and side effects is available from: Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines - NHS (www.nhs.uk) to enable individuals to make an informed decision.
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact dbscivpers-sgdmsresourcingteam@mod.gov.uk.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Alongside your salary of £24,985, Ministry of Defence contributes £6,745 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ A Civil Service pension
+ An inclusive working environment
+ Free parking
+ Access to a gym
+ Pay as you dine facilities