GP Receptionist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

To provide a high quality front line reception service to our patients and colleagues.

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.

• Opening surgery premises and checking heating and ventilation in waiting areas and switching on computers in reception and consulting areas.

• Responsibility for checking and securing the premises, setting the security alarm.

• Tidying the reception areas and surgery at the end of a session, ensuring that any urgent or outstanding messages and tasks are passed over to incoming colleagues for completion.

• Keeping the consulting rooms and the reception areas adequately supplied with stationery and necessary equipment, ensuring they are ready at the start of each clinic.

• Receiving and directing the patients on arrival in an efficient and polite manner.

• Courteously deal with all general enquiries, explaining surgery procedures, making new and follow-up appointments over the telephone or with direct patient contact.

• Receiving and passing on messages for clinical and managerial staff.

• Receiving requests for repeat prescriptions and processing these on computer.

• Opening mail and ensuring that it is directed to the correct recipient as soon as possible.

• Organising letters, new prescriptions and repeat prescriptions to be checked and signed by the doctor.

• Filing and extracting patients records and any documents relating to these be it from paper or electronic records.

• Enter patient information accurately on to the computer as required.

• Pass on all requests for home visits to the GP, ensuring careful recording of all relevant details.

• Retrieve, if necessary and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to.

• Ensure all correspondence, reports, results etc are scanned promptly and in the correct records.

• Registration and documentation of new patients to the practice, including re-organisation of patient notes when they are received, ensuring new patient checks are carried out.

• Registration and completion of forms for temporary residents.

• Photocopying medical records.

• Liaising with other outside agencies including hospitals, ambulance control or other bodies by telephone, fax or email.

• Recording requests for medical reports, photocopies of notes etc. and invoicing for such items.

• Flexible to work extra to cover for holidays, sickness and other absences including working at either site, Elm Lane or Chapeltown.

• Willingness to adopt and contribute to new processes.

• Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners or the practice manager.

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 may 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.

• Ensure log off procedures are followed and computer passwords and smartcard codes are not shared amongst other team members.

General

All employees are required to:

• Abide by the Health and Safety at Work Act.

• Attend mandatory training regularly.

• Co-operate and liaise with departmental colleagues.

• Observe the practices Equal Opportunities Policy in their behaviour to the public and other workers.

• Participate in an annual individual performance review.

• Participate in and contribute to team meetings.

• Respect confidentiality applying to all surgery areas.

• Work with the rest of the team in a polite and respectful manner.

• Work within the surgery no smoking policy.

• Work within the surgery policies and procedures.

All employees are expected to:

• Act in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples right, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with the practice procedures and policies, and current legislation in relation to equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, co-workers, patients and visitors must be treated equally, irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.

• Demonstrate a commitment to their own development, to take advantage of education and training opportunities and develop their own competence.

• Respect the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.

• Support and encourage harmonious internal and external working relationships.

This job description is not exhaustive and you may be asked to perform other duties considered necessary to ensure the practice runs smoothly. It should be appreciated that the practice and general practice as a whole are consistently undergoing a period of change, this will inevitably necessitate changes in particular duties involved in the job as the work load changes.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Previous reception or customer care experience

Desirable

• Previous experience in NHS/ Healthcare setting

Skills

Essential

• Organisational skills.
• Good communication skills both oral and written.
• Time management skills.
• Good telephone handling skills.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure.
• Computer/IT skills, including Microsoft Office.
• Practice a high level of confidentiality.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.

Desirable

• SystmOne skills

Qualifications

Essential

• Good general standard of education including English and Maths (A to D).

Desirable

• Customer Care or Administration qualification or equivalent

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Teamwork.
• Self-motivated and reliable.
• Smart appearance.
• Ability to work independently.
• Personable, caring polite and patient.
• Flexible approach to work able to provide cover at short notice .
• Ability and willingness to acquire new skills.
• Ability to follow practice standards and operating procedures.

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

Elm Lane & Chapeltown Surgery

Address

104 Elm Lane

Sheffield

S5 7TW

Employer's website

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