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Job Description
JOB TITLE: Night Patient Care Assistant
REPORTING TO: Nursing Team Leader
AREA: Support

Kentdale is a specialist orthopaedic and spinal referral practice, based in Milnthorpe, Cumbria. It majors in orthopaedics but also offers additional services in soft tissue, neurology and physiotherapy. Established in 2011, Kentdale has built its reputation as a high-quality referral service in the North West and West Yorkshire.

Kentdale Referrals are excited to announce they are hiring for a Patient Care Assistant to join their team! This role will be working 38.5h p/w. 4 Nights on 4 off shifts starting at 8pm - 8am.

Overview

The role of a Patient Care Assistant is to support the nursing and wider practice team in achieving the highest standards of care. The Patient Care Assistant role will involve working in a variety of areas within the practice to support the team. It will be necessary to accept instruction from a variety of people including Management, Veterinary Surgeons and Registered Veterinary Nurses. Working enthusiastically within the team you will help maintain a happy, efficient and effective working environment.

Main purpose & goals

• Ensure the highest standard of care is provided to our patients and clients.
• Work and communicate effectively with colleagues and clients. Demonstrate the ability to be reliable, adaptable, understanding and empathetic.
• Manage your areas of responsibility; working with other team members order to achieve this.
• Demonstrate a professional appearance reflecting the highest standards of professional practice.
• Ensure that you are clear of your roles, responsibilities and boundaries; demonstrating an awareness of the professional responsibilities of other team members.
• Participate and engage in training appropriate to your role, this may be in-house and/or by an external provider.
• Promote our team members, services and products, both in and out of the practice, at all times
• Understand and implement practice and group policies.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with patient handling and restraint. Ensuring that all handling and restraint is carried out in a ‘patient friendly’ approach to ensure no unnecessary stress or discomfort to the patient.
• Prepare and maintain patient accommodation taking into account the condition and welfare of the patient, environmental enrichment and additional supporting aids as necessary.
• Cleaning and disinfection of patient accommodation to include ward and isolation accommodation.
• In-patient care to include exercising, feeding and grooming of hospitalised patients.
• Monitoring, recording and providing supportive care to patients, under the direction of the Veterinary Surgeon or Registered Veterinary Nurse.
• Assisting with laboratory diagnostic techniques to include preparation of equipment, processing samples and packaging for external laboratories.
• Assisting with diagnostic imaging to include maintenance and preparation of equipment and patient preparation and positioning.
• Cleaning, packaging and sterilisation of sterile supplies.
• Maintenance of theatre to include preparation of the environment and equipment and cleaning.
• Assist with patient preparation, surgical team support and recovery under the direction of the Veterinary Surgeon or Registered Veterinary Nurse.
• Assist with the management of the pharmacy to include unpacking of orders, stock rotation and environmental temperatures. Prepare and dispense a range of medication under the direction of the Veterinary Surgeon or Registered Veterinary Nurse.
• Cleaning, disinfection, equipment and consumable maintenance throughout the practice environment.
• Assist with reception and client care to include answering the telephone, dealing with enquiries, booking procedures and taking payments.
• Follow standard operating protocols at all times to include:
• Wearing of appropriate personal protective equipment
• Waste disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste
• Handling and restraint of patients
• Area and equipment specific procedures
• Assist the Veterinary Surgeons, Registered and Student Veterinary Nurses, Reception staff and any other team member who requires support, where and when required.
• Attend and contribute to practice meetings and events.

JOB TITLE: Receptionist      

REPORTING TO: Client Care Manager

Kentdale Referrals are recruiting for a Receptionist to join their team! Your working hours will be 37.5h per week. Mon-Fri 8am - 7pm, 1:4 Saturdays.

Overview

The Client Care Assistant is a pivotal role, taking responsibility for ensuring pet owners, referring vets, and colleagues receive the very highest levels of customer service and administrative support.

The Client Care Assistant, will be responsible for ensuring client, referring veterinary practices, and patients receive a professional and specialist service throughout their time with us.

The successful candidate will be diligent, organised, and professional, with the ability to maintain a harmonious working relationship with others and promote collaboration amongst teams. The need to be confident, committed, and able to work well under pressure, with exceptional organisational skills. Their ability to prioritise and multi-task is vital. Their ability to work well within an evolving team is crucial, as well as being confident to self-autonomously and independently focus on activities.

Main purpose & goals
The purpose of this position is to serve as a member of the reception team providing an excellent service to our clients, visitors, and referring vet practices. This will include arranging appointments, keeping accurate records, various clerical duties related to patient care, treatment, and helping to facilitate accurate communications between clients, veterinary surgeons, our nursing teams, and hospital manager. 

Our client care assistants should create the image and the first impression of our business, remaining calm, courteous, and professional always, regardless of a client or visitor’s behaviour. Our client care assistants should make a positive impression, ensuring clients feel confident in our service, and help to set clients at ease if they are worried.

This position requires a practical knowledge of the hospital’s organisation and services; the basic rules and regulations governing visitors; dispensing restrictions; basic animal patient treatment; recognition of an emergency; accuracy in transcribing information/messages and a practical knowledge of the standard procedures, veterinary records and terminology used in the practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and deal with appointment bookings in a professional and efficient manner
• Answer and make calls to veterinary practices, insurance companies and clients with a high level of customer service
• Support the reception team with a range of administrative duties
• Have a high level of attention to detail to making sure paperwork is completed and correct to support the team and wider business
• Able to work well in a fast-paced environment and still maintain a high level of customer service and completing all tasks to a high standard
• Show awareness of financial control within the practice and follow up with clients for outstanding payments
• Be happy to discuss financial issues with clients if needs be
• Daily management of the practice diary to ensure all patients are booked in efficiently and any gaps can be proactively filled
• Maintain the highest professional and ethical standards
• Make sure communication is to a high standard with referring vets and colleagues
• Ensure that a high standard of client care is maintained at all times within the team
• Work closely with clinicians, the nursing teams and management to maximise the efficiency of the practice.
• Typing of reports to ensure referring vets are kept up to date.

Benefits

• 5 weeks holiday + bank holidays + Birthday Leave
• Career progression opportunities
• Staff discount schemes
• Life Assurance
• Enhanced equal family leave
• E-car salary sacrifice scheme
• Employer contribution pension scheme  
• Wellness program including:
  • Employee assistance program
  • Eyecare voucher scheme
  • Free annual Flu jab
  • Cycle to work scheme
• Recruitment referral reward scheme.

We are proud to be Linnaeus, part of Mars.

Linnaeus is a forward-thinking group of highly respected primary care and specialist referral practices in the UK and Ireland. Being family owned and part of Mars Veterinary Health, the largest veterinary company in the world, allows us to focus on advancing the veterinary profession to provide industry-leading pet care and unique career opportunities for our people.

Why Linnaeus?

-    We pride ourselves in offering high-quality excellence of service and clinical care for our clients and their pets

-    We lead on sustainability and collectively drive positive change for people, pets and the planet

-    We prioritise your mental health and wellbeing – valuing equity, diversity and inclusion

-    We support your personal and professional development with best-in-class career frameworks and training programmes. We will empower and support you to grow your career from day one.

We team up within our Mars family in partnership for a stronger future.

Linnaeus is an equal-opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. We treat each other fairly and equitably and we are committed to fostering a culture that is inclusive and diverse for all our Associates.

At Linnaeus, A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS starts with a better world for our people.

If you would like to apply for this role, please click the ‘Apply’ button or for more information or please reach out directly to our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected]