Dental Receptionist/Administrator

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities:

To provide and co-ordinate an efficient customer focussed reception and administration service to include a full range of secretarial, clerical and administrative duties to support the dental clinical team, and patients and their carers who access the community dental service.

Responsible for all administration duties connected with patients appointments, the efficient running of electronic appointment and patient records system (Dentally), including telephone and face to face communications, collection and banking of patients charges and other duties to ensure the day to day smooth running of the dental service.

Key Responsibilities/Duties

Provide the first point of contact function for all enquiries regarding the service and deal with general enquiries and resolving issues from patients, carers and other health professionals, and other external organisations, both in person and by phone, signposting where necessary.

To communicate appropriately and sensitively with patients/carers/relatives who may be fearful, anxious, vulnerable, have sensitive concerns, have special needs, and/or show challenging behaviour, i.e. physical and learning disabilities, have visual or hearing impairment, dementia, or where English is not their first language. This list is not exhaustive.

Maintain patient and staff confidentiality at all times, adhering to Trust information governance and data protection policies and procedures.

To manage, organise, maintain and co-ordinate electronic clinical appointment and patient record systems ensuring appointments are booked efficiently and comprehensively, maximising the clinical time available, e.g. Dentally electronic patient record system and Press Triage system.

To receive, process and accurately enter patient sensitive/confidential information onto the electronic clinical appointment and patient record systems, ensuring all user fields are completed and updated each visit.

Document direct and indirect contact with patients in the electronic patients records in line with local policy and procedures.

Monitoring, processing and logging referrals, organising appointments directly with patients/carers via telephone and letter.

File, retrieve and archive patients referrals/records/notes.

To be responsible for the archiving of patients records in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

To provide word-processing, photocopying, scanning and faxing of documents. Collating and circulating documents. Drafting and typing of letters and documents for signature and proof reading when required.

Receive and divert telephone calls and record comprehensive and complicated messages from patients, staff and other healthcare professionals, for the dental team and other staff members. Analyse the information received and determine the appropriate action and priority for the attention of clinicians.

On a daily basis identify patients eligible to pay charges/fees revenue for their dental treatment in line with current NHS regulations. Responsibility for collecting/receiving payments from patients or their carers including cash, cheques and credit card payments and issue of receipts.

To ensure all cash floats and patients charges/fees are accurately balanced and financial records are kept updated on a daily basis.

Responsibility for banking of patients charge/fees revenue following the Dental patients charge revenue and petty cash standard operating procedure.

Manage and process all incoming and out-going mail, including referrals.

To co-ordinate the sale of dental resources, monitor and maintain stock levels (where applicable).

Monitor and maintain stationery stock and request procurement of resources when required.

Liaise with dental laboratories with regard to dental appliances for patients, which may include collection of and deliveries of appliances and general enquiries.

Organise and book interpreting services for patients and their carers.

Demonstrate an awareness of the complaints procedure including defusing and resolving potential conflict/complaint situations to avoid escalation, when required.

To liaise effectively with patients, colleagues, patient representatives and partner agencies at all levels both within the Trust and across the NHS and in other organisations.

To organise and administrate meetings and events when required including:

• Booking venues
• Minute taking/co-ordinating agenda items
• Progressing any follow up actions
• Making accommodation and catering arrangements.

To be able to work without direct supervision, prioritising own workload.

To ensure the waiting and reception areas are welcoming, clean and tidy.

To ensure patients are safe within the reception area and take appropriate action when necessary.

Recognise and assist as part of the team with the management of medical emergencies should they arise.

Work as part of a team; provide assistance and support to colleagues, allocating duties to others if appropriate, providing guidance and advice to new staff and colleagues.

Work with other staff members to identify working environment risks and to report any risks immediately to ensure the environment is safe for everyone.

To work within National and Trust Policies and Procedures.

To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and their carers and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.

To liaise with other agencies with regard to orders and invoices.

To attend regular meetings and take minutes when required e.g. dental team/staff dental development meetings.

To participate in in-service training as appropriate.

To assist in the induction and training of new staff.

To refer any problem areas to senior members of Dental Management Team.

To be flexible, maybe on occasions required to work in other locations within the Dental Network.

To exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent and reliable attendance.

To comply with annual PDR and appraisal system.

To participate in personal objective setting and review, including the creation of a personal development plan.

Skills & Attributes

Essential

• Excellent organisational/ administrative skills.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft packages, e.g. Word, Excel and Access.
• Excellent keyboard skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent telephone skills.
• Ability to work flexibly and effectively to ensure achievement of objectives.
• Ability to work effectively as a team member.
• Ability to work on own initiative.
• Ability to prioritise own workload, identify and manage competing pressures

Additional Criteria

Essential

• The ability to travel independently across the Trust
• The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs

Qualifications

Essential

• Good standard of general education.
• NVQ LEVEL 2 Customer Care or equivalent or be working towards.

Desirable

• Shorthand
• IT qualification e.g. ECDL.
• NVQ Level 3 Customer Care.
• NVQ Level 3 Business/Office Administration qualification

Relationships

Essential

• If you are related to a director, or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship.

Experience

Essential

• To have proven experience of working within an office environment.
• Previous reception and administration experience.
• Proven experience in using Microsoft packages, Word, Excel.
• Word Processing/ Typing skills to RSA 3 or equivalent experience.
• Experience of minute taking

Desirable

• Dental Reception experience.
• Experience of Electronic Patient Record and Appointment systems, e.g. Dentally.
• Experience of dealing with a range of health, education and Social Care professionals.
• Experience of dealing with patients with a wide range of physical and learning disabilities

Sponsorship

Essential

• Do you have the right to stay and work in the UK without sponsorship (share-codes will be checked if applicable)

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).