JOB TITLE: RECEPTIONIST/ADMINISTRATOR
REPORTS TO: PRACTICE MANAGER
HOURS: 36 HRS PER WEEK
Job Summary:
- Offer general assistance to the practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone
- Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way
- Undertake a variety of administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the practice, including the provision of secretarial and clerical support to clinical staff and other members of the practice team
- Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies
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/Assistant Practice manager, dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:
- 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
- Processing and distributing incoming (and outgoing) mail
- Taking messages and passing on information
- Filing and retrieving paperwork
- Processing repeat prescriptions in accordance with practice guidelines
- 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
- Providing clerical assistance to practice staff as required from time to time, including word/data processing, filing, photocopying and scanning
- Provision of refreshments for staff and visitors as required; loading and emptying the dishwasher and keeping the kitchen area clean and tidy
- Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter
Competence:
- You are responsible for limiting your actions to those which you feel competent to undertake. If you have any doubts about your competence during the course of your duties you should immediately speak to the Practice Manager/Assistant Practice Manager.
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
Records Management:
- As an employee of Hope Family Medical Centre, you are legally responsible for all records that you gather, create or use as part of your work within the Organisation (including patient health, financial, personal and administrative), whether paper based or on computer. All such records are considered public records, and you have a legal duty of confidence to service users (even after leaving the practice). You should consult the Practice
- Manager/Assistant Practice Manager if you have any doubt as to the correct management of records with which you work.
Health & Safety:
The post-holder will promote and manage their own and others’ health and safety and infection control as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, the practice Standard Operating
Procedures, and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include
(but will not be limited to):
- Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines
- Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines
- Correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Use and monitoring of the correct use of Standard operating Procedures for cleaning and infection control
- Responsible for correct hand hygiene of self and others
- Ownership of infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols within the team
- Active observation of current working practices across the team in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities including the provision of hand cleansing facilities, wipes etc. are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment., ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses/training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate
- Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process
- Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes
- Safe management of sharps procedures including training, use, storage and disposal
- Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management
- Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
- Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate)
- Undertaking periodic infection control training
- Routine management of own team areas, and maintenance of work space standards
- Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection
- Spillage control procedures, management and training
- Maintenance of sterile environments
- Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
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 recognizes 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 which 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, 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
- Attendance at the monthly Protected Time Meetings if indicated by the Practice Manager.
- Attendance at all Mandatory and Statutory training requirements as indicated by the
- Practice Manager
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 whilst embracing the practice’s ethos of recording of any errors or near misses and learning by mistakes without blame
- 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 patients’ needs
- Effectively manage own time, workload and resources
Communication:
The post-holder should recognize 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
Contribution to the Implementation of Services:
The post-holder will:
- Apply all 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
- Will be expected to cover additional shifts during excessively busy periods and/or annual leave
Flexibility Statement:
- The content of this Job Description represents an outline of the post only and is therefore not a precise catalogue of duties and responsibilities. The Job Description is therefore intended to be flexible and is subject to review and amendment in the light of changing circumstances, following consultation with the post holder.
Pay: From £13.14 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
