The Locomotor service outpatient department at St Leonard’s is one of the busiest areas in the hospital, receiving over 250 patients a day and holding over 40 clinics. The Locomotor department houses the Locomotor Service (Physiotherapy) and an interdisciplinary Pain service.

Front Desk Assistants will work closely with the Team Leaders in Outpatients to ensure patients waiting in reception have help if they need it. Patients attending the department may be doing so for the first time so may benefit from the additional support and welcome of a volunteer. Some of our patients face many challenges as a result of their pain such as; poor sleep, stress, forgetfulness, reduced mobility, difficulty standing or difficulty sitting, With so many people coming into the Department each day it is essential that volunteers have a calm and friendly manner at all times and take a proactive, problem solving approach to the role.

Duties:
1. Welcoming patients into the Department and directing people to the waiting areas.
2. Sign in patients for ESP and Pain service – checking patients name against a printed list
3. Sign in patients for Physiotherapy:
-When patients have an appointment card, letter or text message for their Physiotherapist then sign the patient in.
-Where the patient does not have an appointment card, then direct the patient to reception
4. Refer any patient signing in for physiotherapy who is more than 15
minutes late or where there is confusion over their appointment to the receptionist
5. Receive notification from reception if a member of staff is off sick, if a patient of that clinician attends direct the patient to reception
6. Hand patients assessment paperwork, clipboard & Pen:
- Triage assessment forms
- Pain Service outcome measure questionnaire
- Check that all pages of the forms have been written on, as patients may forget to complete all pages ( though not checking content)
- Providing support to help patients who ask for some help complete forms. The volunteer must only write what the patient asks them to write down and should not advise or guide in any way that is clinical. Volunteers need to be mindful of confidentiality and limitations of privacy of within the waiting room
7. If patients have been waiting more than 10 minutes alert the receptionist
8. Assist patients who are struggling to stand or find a comfortable seat by escorting them to a seat and if necessary taking their request to reception if they have difficulty standing.
9. Buzz patients attending upstairs clinic through door and also for the pain management program on Thursday lunchtime
10. Where patients are uncertain, especially on their first visit, accompany the patient to the upstairs waiting room using the lift .
11. When patients are nervous of lifts for whatever reason, it may
occasionally be helpful to climb stairs to the 1st floor with patients. Should the volunteer struggle with stairs, this is not a barrier to the volunteer, other strategies can be discussed with that individual volunteer
12. Accompany patients: to the toilet (where the toilets the clinical areas are used)
13. Alert reception if a patient has been waiting more than 30 minutes for transport to take them home.
14. Accompany transport patients back to B block reception for collection who are able to walk
15. If the patient is unsteady on their feet, there is any manual handling be required or there is a concern about steadiness a physiotherapist should be consulted.
16. Following completed training volunteer will, if willing and able, to take wheelchair patients to B block reception
17. Directing patients to the other facilities in St Leonards as required, eg, tea and coffee points, toilets, or to other departments
18. Answering patient queries wherever possible or asking a member of the Outpatient Team to assist.
19. Providing water for patients and ensuring any spillages are cleared up or reported immediately
20. Keep the waiting area tidy, refill information racks and remove out-of-date notices.
21. Tidying the clinical area at the end of the physiotherapy session
22. Assist in keeping Physiotherapy stationary levels toped up, if necessary photocopying more from paper master copy. Use discretion to organise printing when the department is quieter.
23. Asking patients to give feedback on their experience of the service provided by Locomotor by completing a survey.
24. Adjust DVD health educational video play back to meet preferences of patients in the waiting room