Medical Receptionist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Arden Medical Centre

Medical Receptionist Job Description

Responsible to: Practice Manager

Hours: Varied

Special requirements of the post:

The purpose of the role is to:

Provide a key service within 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.

Ability to use own resourcefulness and be able to work under pressure without direct supervision

To have excellent communication skills and patience

To be reliable and flexible

Communicate effectively with and support the GPs in fulfilling their role

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the Practice
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments.
• Using your own judgment and communication skills ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non-disruptive manner.
• Ensure that any problems not resolved by the end of a shift are communicated to fellow receptionist
• Explain Practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover and ensure procedures are completed.
• Receive and make telephone calls as required. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery.
• Enter requests for home visits onto the system, ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor. Print encounter forms for all patients requesting home visits.
• Liaise with GPs and carry out tasks requested by them
• Action repeat prescription requests and ensure that they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours. Ensure that scripts that need to be collected by the chemist are marked appropriately.
• Chaperone patients if requested
• Be able to provide cover for colleagues who are on holiday or sick
• Be aware of the contents of the staff manual and keep up to date with changes by regularly checking the notice board and reading the minute of the practice notice board
• If necessary prepare lists and notes for all surgeries and clinics, ensuring completion of all associated paperwork
• Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for same.
• Computer data entry, processing and recording information in accordance with practice procedures

• Open and date stamp post and distribute to recipients
• Scan documents on to the clinical system and read-code and file as per practice protocol

• Receive deliveries checking the delivery details before signing to accept the delivery.

• Patient notes and correspondence. We strive to be a paper light practice however paper records are still a requirement and there will be some of the following:

o Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to

o Ensure correspondence, reports, results etc are filed promptly and in the correct records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are seen.

o Ensure records are kept in good repair with all necessary information on the outside cover clearly visible.

• Make and serve refreshments, ensure the kitchen is kept clean and tidy and tidy the waiting room in turn with other staff.
• Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter
• Premises:

o Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm, record fridge temperatures and notify of irregularities, make all necessary preparations to receive patients.

o When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights are off and the alarm activated.

• Ensure that all new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately
• Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies
• Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners, the Practice Manager or the Senior Receptionist.

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 will 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 and free from hazards
• Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally tidy, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holders role
• Undertaking periodic infection control training
• 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 recognizes the importance of peoples 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 supporting 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 teams 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 at all times:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

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

Arden Medical Centre has a policy where any new staff member and their family members cannot be a registered patient at the surgery.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE or equivalent (required)

Desirable

• Customer service: 1 year (required)
• GP Receptionist experience essential

Experience

Essential

• GP Receptionist experience essential

Desirable

• GP Receptionist experience essential

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Arden Medical Centre

Address

Downing Close

Station Road

Knowle

B93 0QA

Employer's website

https://ardenmedicalcentre.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)