GP Receptionist

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB TITLE: Medical Receptionist

MAIN PURPOSE OF POST: Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way. Provide 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.

RESPONSIBLE TO: Operations and Practice Managers

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reception Duties

Monitor flow of patients into consulting and treatment rooms

Ensure that patients without appointments but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non-disruptive manner

Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover, ensuring procedures are completed

Advise patients of relevant charges for private services, accept payment and issue receipts

Respond to all queries and requests for assistance from patients and other visitors

Enter requests for home visits into the computer stating time received and including all relevant information and where necessary refer to the Duty Doctor

Action repeat prescriptions within 2 working days in line with the practice protocol

Action requests for ambulance transportation and enter details on computer

Ensure reception and waiting areas are kept neat and tidy

To attend training as required by management

To attend all reception team meetings and Doctor/site meetings when scheduled

Record Keeping

Internal record keeping as required

Accurate filing of patient correspondence within the surgery records

Appointment systems

Ensure total familiarity with all surgery appointment systems including regular and incidental variations

Book appointments and recalls ensuring sufficient information are recorded to retrieve medical record

Monitor effectiveness of the system and report any problems or variations required

Preparation of Consulting Rooms

Ensure that the consulting rooms are prepared in readiness for each consulting session

Ensure that the consulting rooms are checked at the end of each consulting session and left tidy and secure

Operation of Telephone System

Receive and make calls as required

Ensure that the system is operational at the beginning of each day and report any problems with the phones to the Reception Supervisor

Start and end of day procedures

Open premises at the start of the day, deactivate alarm and make necessary preparation to receive patients

Secure premises at the end of the day, ensure building is totally secured, internal lights off and alarm activated

Administration

Distribute e-mails to the appropriate departments and log hand-delivered post in the electronic log

Ensure appropriate correspondence is passed onto the scanning team promptly

Liaise with patients, external departments, both face to face and by telephone or e-mail

Check and action e-mails, tasks and workflows on a daily basis

Your work may change, subject to consultation, depending on the needs of the organisation. This may include incorporating administration work within your working week.

Special requirements of the post

Understanding and acceptance of and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality.

Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness, common sense and local knowledge, to respond to patients enquiries and requests.

Excellent communication skills.

Flexibility

The applicant will be required to work at our premises at 108 Watling Avenue, Burnt Oak and 42 London Road, Stanmore

Essential to be able to provide reasonable cover for absent colleagues from time to time at both surgery sites

May be required to carry out other reasonable tasks from time to time as requested by the Partners, Practice and Operations Managers

Data Protection and Confidentiality Issues

To ensure that when accessing data relating to patients, the information obtained and used is registered appropriately under Data Protection Act

To ensure that all information held centrally by the practice relating to the patients health, medical treatment, personal details and registration details remains confidential to the practice and patient

To ensure that all requests for medical information about a patient from external organisations and patients family members is legitimate, complies with Access to Medical Records and other legislation, has the written consent of the patient and practice. Must be familiar and comply with Information Governance guidance

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, to 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

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 demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Undertake significant analysis in order to improve systems and communication within the practice

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 peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

NOTE:

This job description reflects the present requirements of the post. As duties and responsibilities change and develop the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post-holder.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualifications and professional experience
• Good general education to at least GCSE level
• GP practice experience
• Reception/ customer care experience
• Knowledge, skills and abilities
• Deal confidently and courteously with people both in person and over the telephone
• Work flexibly as a team member (frequent cover for sickness and leave)
• Work on own initiative and prioritise workload
• Good IT skills
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications
• Personal Qualities
• Team worker
• Tolerant, tactful and discreet
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to work on its own initiative
• Be prepared to learn and adapt and embrace changes
• Self-motivated and reliable
• Able to tolerate stress and manage it appropriately
• Self-reliant & proactive
• Able to multi-task
• Able to recognise own limitations, identify learning needs and act on them appropriately
• Other Job Requirements
• Willingness to further your career

Desirable

• Working knowledge of the EMIS Web (desirable)
• Working knowledge of Docman (desirable)
• Working knowledge of AccuRx (desirable)
• Working knowledge of eConsultations (desirable)

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

Watling Medical Centre

Address

108 Watling Avenue

Edgware

Middlesex

HA8 0NR

Employer's website

https://www.watlingmedicalcentre.com/ (Opens in a new tab)