Job Summary
We are seeking a professional and organised Medical Receptionist to join our team. The successful candidate will be the first point of contact for patients, providing excellent customer service and ensuring smooth administrative operations within the practice. This role offers an opportunity to work in an environment where attention to detail and compassionate communication are valued.
This post is for either 18 or 24 hours a week, working 6 hour shifts from Monday to Friday in accordance with the rota. Shift patterns are either 7:45 am to 1:45pm or 12:30pm to 6:30pm.
Duties and responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the practice administration team may include any or all of the items in the following list. Duties may be varied from time to time under the direction of the Practice Manager, dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:
- Opening up/locking up of practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with practice protocols
- Ensure there are stocks of prescriptions, forms etc.
- Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice.
- Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and ensure procedures are completed.
- Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointments system
- Processing personal and telephone requests for appointments, visits and telephone consultations, and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional.
- Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non-General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for same
- Record all petty cash transactions in petty cash book.
- To work in accordance of written protocols.
- Processing and distributing incoming and outgoing mail.
- Opening post and dealing with accordingly
- Dealing with the Courier
- Taking accurate messages and passing on information
- Filing and retrieving paperwork
- Processing repeat prescriptions in accordance with practice guidelines
- Handling completed repeat prescriptions to patient and checking names and address.
- Computer data entry/data allocation and collation; processing and recording information in accordance with practice procedures.
- Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team member and associated healthcare agencies and providers
- Clearing and re-stocking of consulting rooms as required.
- Providing clerical assistance to practice staff as required from time to time, including word/data processing, filing, photocopying and scanning.
- Monitoring of stationery and other supplies
- Provision of refreshments for staff and visitors as required, keeping the kitchen areas clean and tidy.
- Keeping the reception area, noticeboards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter.
- Being able to cover all reception positions as necessary.
- Undertake any other tasks appropriate to the post requested by the partners or managers.
- Processing and labelling other samples for pathology.
Confidentiality:
- In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.
- In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.
- Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Health & safety:
The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security as defined in the practice health & safety policy, the practice health & safety manual, and the practice infection control policy and published procedures. This will include:
- Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
- Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
- Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills.
- Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way, free from hazards
- Actively reporting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
- Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holder’s role
- Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
- Reporting potential risks identified
Equality and diversity:
The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:
- Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation.
- Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
- Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal/professional development:
The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, with such training to include:
- Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
- Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
Quality:
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:
- Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
- Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
- Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team’s performance.
- Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patient’s needs.
- Effectively manage own time, workload and resources
Communication:
The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
- Communicate effectively with other team members.
- Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
- Recognise people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
- Document all contact with or about patients in the clinical system
Contribution to the implementation of services:
The post-holder will:
- Apply practice policies, standards and guidance.
- Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work.
- Participate in audit where appropriate.
This post is for either 18 or 24 hours a week, working 6 hour shifts from Monday to Friday in accordance with the rota. Shift patterns are either 7:45 am to 1:45pm or 12:30pm to 6:30pm.
There will also be times that overtime is required to cover annual leave and sickness.
The practice reserves the rights to close the application early if a high amount of applications are received.
Pay: £12.21 per hour
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
