Job responsibilities
JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE: Medical Receptionist
REPORTS TO: RECEPTION CO-ORDINATOR/PRACTICE MANAGER
HOURS: Full Time
This job description gives details of the core functions of all reception staff together with the support duties associated with the position. The post holder may have other duties and responsibilities outside these core functions and these will be assigned as the Practice and jobholder develops.
Job summary:
Receptionists provide a point of contact for patients and as such are required to receive, assist, and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, sympathetic, professional, and 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.
Job responsibilities:
Administration
- To have a thorough knowledge of all practice procedures
- To work in accordance of written protocols
- Retrieve and re-file information/records as required, ensuring that strict filing procedures are adhered to
- Ensure correspondence, reports, results etc. are filed in correct order either electronically or manually as required.
- General office duties such as photocopying, filing, etc as requested.
- Dealing with incoming/outgoing post.
- Processing registration requests
- Process patients changes of personal details computer data and medical records (have knowledge of practice area)
- Assist in scanning in post / emails and actioning them accordingly
- Monitor and assist in deductions
Reception
- Receiving patients, consulting with members of practice team
- Be able to cover all reception positions as necessary
- Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover, ensure procedures are completed.
- Advise patients of relevant charges for private services, accept payment and issues receipts.
- Respond to all queries and requests for assistance from patients and visitors.
- Ensure that requests for repeat prescriptions are actioned where possible within 48 hours.
- Action requests for ambulance transportation as appropriate and book where necessary
- Ensure reception and waiting areas are kept neat and tidy and posters/leaflets are in date.
- Preparation for start of day and closing at end of day.
- Stocking up items such as sample bottles and bags, printer paper, stationary etc as required
- Liaise with outside agencies such as district nurse, hospitals, clinics
Appointments
- To ensure efficiency of appointment system and monitor flow of patients into consulting rooms.
- Process appointment requests for today/future appointments from patients by telephone and in person.
- Ensure that patients without appointments but need urgent consultations are dealt with in a logical and non-disruptive manner.
- Enter requests for home visits onto computer as they are phoned in, including all relevant information and, where necessary, refer to the Duty Doctor.
- Ensure total familiarity with all appointment systems in use, including regular and incidental variations.
- Monitor effectiveness of the system and report any problems or variations required
Operation of Telephone system
- Have working knowledge of telephone system, during and after hours
- Receive and make calls as required. Divert calls and take calls as appropriate
- Ensure that full details of all incoming calls are correctly logged including signature of person receiving the call when messages are passed on.
- Covering for other staff when necessary
- Ensure that the system is operational at the beginning of each day and switched over to the out of hours service at the end of the days surgeries.
Other Tasks
- Clear rooms after surgeries where appropriate
- Adhere to the practice guidance in relation to the building ensuring building security have thorough knowledge of doors/windows/alarm and personnel safety.
- As required make tea and coffee for doctors and staff and ensure that the kitchen area is kept clean and tidy, loading dishwasher at the end of the day and emptying dishwasher after use.
- Any other tasks allocated by managers
- Covering for secretary/administrators when on annual leave
Confidentiality:
- While 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, families 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 clean and tidy, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holders role
- Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
- Reporting potential risks identified
- Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
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 recognises 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 that 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, with 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
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 strive to:
- Communicate effectively with other team members
- Communicate effectively with patients and carers
- Recognise needs for alternative methods of communication for some patients and colleagues 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
Special requirements of the post
- The role involves a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
- An understanding and acceptance of the rules and guidance on the handling of clinical waste
- An understanding and acceptance of, and adherence to, the need for strict confidentiality and handling of confidential documents and waste
- An ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness, and common sense to respond to patients, enquiries, and requests.
- Well-developed computer skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Able and willing, should the need arise, to cover colleagues who are absent due to holiday or illness
- A sense of humour
- A team player
- Positive attitude
This job description will be subject to individual performance reviews and will be modified from time to time.
