Job responsibilities
The
Saint Vincent Practice
Saint Vincent Medical Centre
77 Thorne Road
Doncaster
DN1 2ET
Tel 01302 361318
Fax 01302 366876
JOB TITLE: RECEPTIONIST
REPORTS TO: RECEPTION
MANAGER/PRACTICE MANAGER
HOURS:18-20 hours per week
Job summary:
The
purpose of the role is to:
Offer
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
Receive,
assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare
professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way
Facilitate
effective communication between patients, members of the practice team,
secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies
Job responsibilities:
Duties and
responsibilities:
The
duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of receptionist team
may include any or all of the items in the following list. Duties may be varied from time to time under
the direction of the senior receptionist/practice manager, dependent on current
and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:
- Processing
personal and telephone requests for appointments, visits and telephone
consultations, and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate
healthcare professional
- Processing
and distributing incoming (and outgoing) mail
- Taking
messages and passing on information
- Filing
and retrieving paperwork
- Initiating
contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team member
and associated healthcare agencies and providers
- Ensure an effective
and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other
visitors to the practice
- Deal with all
general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up
appointments.
- Using your own
judgment and communication skills, ensure that patients with no prior
appointment 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, and ensure procedures are completed.
- Receive and
make telephone calls as required.
Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and
prompt appropriate delivery.
- Enter requests
for home visits, ensuring to carefully record all relevant details and referring
to duty doctor where necessary.
- Action repeat
prescription requests and ensure that they are ready for collection by the
patient within 72 hours.
- Advise
patients of relevant charges for private (non General Medical Services)
services, accept payment and issue receipts for same.
- Premises:
o
Open
up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and
make all necessary preparations to receive patients.
o
When
last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally
secured, internal lights are off and the alarm activated.
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
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 generally clean, 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, 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 recognise 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
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