Receptionist/Triage Co-ordinator
Farnham Dene Medical Practice is a two-site, GMS training practice, located in the beautiful Georgian market town of Farnham, with a patient list of approximately 14,800.
We are looking to recruit a Receptionist/Triage Coordinator to join our busy, friendly and supportive Practice. The role is based at both of our sites - within Farnham Centre for Health and at the Lower Bourne. (Please note - there are limited public transport links to the Bourne, so the applicant should ideally be able to drive).
This is a patient facing role, so you will need to be articulate and work well within a busy team. You will also need to be patient, efficient, flexible and professional with good attention to detail.
The role involves covering four reception shifts across the week, together with one shift supporting our Triage Co-ordinators, providing additional resilience to the team. The role is approximately 24 hours per week, including a Monday and Friday.
Please note: the practice operates between 8am to 6.30pm, and successful applicants must be able to work flexible shifts within these hours, including starts from 7.45am and finishes up to 6.30pm. Applicants should only apply if they are able to commit to working across this range of hours on an on-going basis.
You will also be required to provide cover for sickness and annual leave, sometimes at short notice, at both practice sites.
Reception responsibilities
- Greeting patients on arrival, handling enquiries effectively and efficiently.
- Receiving incoming telephone calls, ensuring appropriate actions, dealing with enquiries and taking messages as required.
- To make appointments and to cancel or re-arrange appointments as required.
- To explain practice boundaries, arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover, ensuring all procedures and paperwork is completed to a satisfactory level.
- Processing repeat prescription requests in line with the practice procedure.
- To book, hand out and collect back items of equipment to be used by patients in their home such as 24 hr blood pressure monitors.
- Collecting samples from patients and ensuring they are stored and/or collected in an appropriate manner for transfer to hospital or passing those for internal testing to the relevant clinician
- Undertaking other tasks as required by Practice Nurses or GPs.
- Following the procedure for opening and closing of the surgery at the start/end of each working day ensuring all areas are safe and secure.
- Fully utilising the surgery clinical computerised system to manage appointments, update records, reviewing results and for any other legitimate reason and in line with practice procedures.
- To assist other teams and members of staff where required, including providing cover as required at times other than your usual working hours and sometimes at short notice.
- To provide a chaperone service to clinicians (training provided).
- To keep the reception and waiting room areas tidy and to ensure relevant stock is held at reception for all staff to access as required (this includes forms, practice booklets, appointment cards and other similar items).
- Attending reception team and full admin team meetings on a regular basis.
- Any other duties considered appropriate to the role at the discretion of the Reception Team Leader, Practice Manager or Partners.
- This list is not exhaustive and this job description will be updated in line with the changing roles and requirements of the practice at regular intervals.
Triage responsibilities
- Monitoring online consultation triage inbox and actioning requests within the appropriate time frame
- Work closely with reception team to book same day urgent appointments slots
- Work closely with Duty Doctor to resolve any clinical request queries
- Proactively monitor appointment type usage and daily capacity, amending appointment slots if necessary
- Distribute admin requests to relevant practice team
- Signpost patients to relevant NHS services such as Pharmacy First or minor injuries unit
Qualifications:
Essential - Educated to GCSE level or equivalent, functional Mathematics and English
Desirable - GCSE Mathematics and English (C or above)
Experience:
Essential - Experience of administrative duties
Desirable - Experience of working with the general public, experience of working in a healthcare setting
Skills/Competencies:
Essential:
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
- IT skills
- Clear, polite telephone manner
- Competent in the use of Office and Outlook
- Effective planning and organisational skills
- Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
- Good interpersonal skills
- Problem solving, initiative and analytical skills
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Ability to follow policy and procedure
- Facilitate effective communication between patients and colleagues
- Professional when dealing with patients and colleagues
- Understand patient confidentiality
Desirable:
- Knowledge of EMIS and Docman
Personal Qualities
Essential:
- Polite and confident
- Flexible and co-operative
- Motivated
- Forward-thinker
- High levels of integrity and loyalty
- Discreet and professional
- Sensitive and empathetic
- Adaptable to change
- Ability to work under pressure
- Ability to multi-task
Job Type: Part-time
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
