receptionist London, England
Job description
Job Title: Medical Receptionist Responsible to: Reception Manager or in their absence the Assistance Practice Manager Hours of Work: Working 37 hours per week. Morning shift start 8.00am Afternoon / Evening shift start 10.30am A working week will be a mixture of Morning and Afternoon/Evening shift. Job Summary: Be the first point of contact between the patient and the Practice, offering general assistance to the Practice team whilst projecting a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone. Assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective manner.
You will undertake a variety of administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the Practice. The job will require you to facilitate communication between patients, members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies. Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities: This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties, but an overview of the post holders principal areas of responsibility within the practice. Duties will change in line with developments within the HNS and more particularly within this General Practice.
Handle enquiries and make appointments for patients using your knowledge of our services to help the patient to receive the help they need as soon as possible Maintaining and monitoring the Practices appointment system. Meet and direct patients and visitors to the practice using the policies of the practice as guidance Operate the telephone system, other communication equipment and computer system as required. Answer the telephone in a prompt and timely manner and deal with or redirect enquiries Accept patients requests and queries and act appropriately; including home visits, registration procedures and written repeat medication requests. Prepare repeat prescription (following procedure guidelines and training period) for checking and signing by Doctors and distribute appropriately for collection by patients.
Issue appropriate specimen containers and instructions to patients, explaining their use and later receiving back specimens when required. Advise patients that fees and charges may be made for services performed by the Practice which are outside the scope of those offered free by the NHS. Register new patients and update patient demographics and/or addresses following practice policy. Deal with registration problems when they arrive through the GP Links system Manage the Duty Receptionist list and liaise with clinicians where necessary Receive cash and/or cheques from patients for these services, issue proper receipts and appropriately record receipt of such monies.
Relay messages as required between Doctors, clinical staff, patients, colleagues and other professionals. Following receipt back of hospital letters/test results, follow GP instructions and recall, pass on to staff member for action or scanning and finally file completed actions into patients notes. Maintain electronic and manual medical records for use when needed in patient appointments, for home visits, when processing repeat prescriptions, test results and for insurance reports. Extract records of patients deleted from practice list, print all relevant computer entries and ensure smooth transition to the new GP practice.
Open all incoming correspondence (electronic and paper) and process or distribute to the most appropriate person. Computer data entry/data allocation and collations; processing and recording information. Initiate contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team members and associated healthcare agencies and providers. Accept, process and reject requests for repeat prescriptions as directed by practice policy Maintain supplies of stationery available in reception area.
Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstruction and clutter. Opening up/locking up of Practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with Practice protocols. Behave and interact in a friendly, courteous and professional manner Attend staff meetings of a general nature Undertake training where relevant to the tasks and responsibilities associated with the job and under direction from the Management Team Act as a chaperone as required, subject to training. Cover for colleagues absence on leave and/or Practice business.
At the end of the day: - tidy the working areas, put records and patient information away, tidy the waiting rooms and public areas, ensure the building is safe to be locked and made safe Such other tasks and activities as determined by the Management Team Quality: The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will: ensure information and documentation is accurate; alert the management team to issues of risk; assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision; contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance; and manage own time, workload and resources Health & Safety: The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practices Health & Safety Policy, to include: Personal/Professional Development: The post-holder will participate in any training offered and take personal responsibility for developing their knowledge, techniques and skills. 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; reporting potential risks; reporting incidents and accidents; ensuring correct PPE is worn for the appropriate task; ensuring all areas are tidy and free from hazards; carrying out regular housekeeping; and ensuring manual handling and lifting techniques are used. Communication: The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to: establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, patients and carers; recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly; Person Specification Essential Criteria: The following attributes are considered essential to this post: tenacious with an eye for detail; ability to work autonomously and use initiative to resolve issues but escalate problems or questions as appropriate; a strong customer service ethic and skills; well organised with the ability to multi-task; a friendly can do attitude; tolerance of a lot of people contact; a mature, empathetic nature; be professional, friendly and tactful; resilient, independent, positive and self-motivated; personable, team player; ability to work under pressure; able to take direction from the management and implement priorities; good listening and organisational skills; excellent IT skills and proficient in the use of Word/Excel and office package; shows integrity; and ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion at all times The post holder is required to respect the confidentiality of all matters that they might learn in the course of their employment. The post holder must respect the requirements set out in the Data Protection Act 2018.
The Practice reserves the right to vary or amend the duties and responsibilities detailed in this job description at any time according to the needs of the business. The statements contained in this job description reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required and the scope of responsibility. It should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned, including work in other functional areas to cover for absences, to equalize peak work periods or otherwise to balance the workload.
