Job responsibilities
Reception Duties
- Greeting patients politely and managing queues through telephone and face to face interaction
- Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way
- Ensure patients are informed if a doctor is running late or called out on an emergency
- Project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone
- Processing repeat prescriptions in accordance with practice guidelines
- Entering requests for home visits into the computerised appointment book, stating relevant information
- Deal efficiently with emergency situations
- Explain practice arrangements and requirements for new and temporary patients
- Action requests for ambulance transportation if requested by a clinician
- Provision of refreshments for staff and visitors as required
- Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter
- Handle specimens as per practice protocol
- Opening up/locking up the practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with practice protocols
Management of Appointment System
Maintain working knowledge of the appointment system, i.e. duration of appointments, knowledge of computer system, doctors & nurses rotas, procedures for booking routine and urgent appointments
Book appointments accurately and appropriately
Monitor daily available appointments and report any overload to the Reception Manager or Practice Manager
Management of Medical Records and Administration
Ensure correspondence, reports, results, etc. are filed promptly and in the correct records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are seen
Clerical duties as required, including filing and photocopying
Ensure confidential waste is disposed as per practice protocol
Operation of Telephone System
Processing telephone requests for appointments, home visits and telephone consultations and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional
Divert calls and take messages as appropriate, recording information for doctors to action (home visits, phone calls, etc.)
Information Security
Ensure patient interactions are dealt with confidentially and any confidential paperwork is dealt with in accordance with practice protocol
Patient Liaison
- Provide non-clinical patient care, dealing with requests for information, test results, requests to speak to clinical staff, ensuring confidentiality and privacy for patients
- Ensure patients have access to any relevant leaflets, support groups, carers association
- Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non General Medical Services), accept payment and issue receipts for same
Information Technology
Maintain working knowledge of the computer/clinical system, reporting any problems to the Reception Manager or Practice Manager
Adhere to practice policies regarding security and confidentiality, records management roles and responsibilities and computer skills
Respond to and action Practice Notes
Email account to be opened every working day to ensure information that has been disseminated is received in a timely manner