Job responsibilities
Job descriptionJob responsibilities
Tettenhall Medical Practice
Lower Street,Tettenhall,Wolverhampton,West Midlands,WV6 9LL
JOB TITLE:RECEPTIONIST
REPORTS TO:PRACTICE MANAGER
HOURS:MONDAY FRIDAY BETWEEN 8.00AM & 18.30PM
Job Summary: 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 or website.
Job Responsibilities:
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 careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Doctor.
Enter patient information on to the computer as required.
Patient notes and correspondence: Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to.
Ensure correspondence, reports, results etc are scanned promptly and in the correct records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are seen.
Ensure consulting areas are always kept ready for next use.
Ensure waste is collected from the rooms and dealt with appropriately according to Staff Handbook.
Ensure safe and efficient use of the building according to the procedures outlined in the Staff Handbook.
Ensure that all new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately.
Assist patients with special needs to access the services. Liaise with outside agencies.
Support visiting staff to ensure welcome and observation of practice procedures.
Attend Practice Meetings..
Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager.
Opening & Closing surgery, which includes: switching on/off all PCs, ensuring that the caller display is operational, and opening/closing the blinds. The prescription box should be taken out of the rolodex when opening and back in when closing;
Confidentiality
In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder will 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, 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 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 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
- Training sessions when necessary
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
- Recognize 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
Equal Opportunities
Knightsbridge Medical Centre is an equal opportunities employer and you will be expected to comply with all relevant policies and procedures in this area together with all other policies and procedures as initiated by the practice.
Work Visa/ Permits/Leave To Remain
If you are a non-resident of the United Kingdom or European Economic Union, you are required to have a valid work visa and leave to remain in the UK, which is renewed as required. The Practice is unable to employ or continue to employ you if you require but do not have a valid work visa and/or leave to remain in the UK.
Code of Conduct
All staff are required to work in accordance with the code of conduct for their professional group (e.g Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health Professions Council, General Medical Council, NHS Code of Conduct for Senior Managers).
Infection control
It is the responsibility of all staff, whether clinical or non-clinical, to familiarise themselves with and adhere to current policy in relation to the prevention of the spread of infection.
Clinical staff, on entering and leaving clinical areas and between contacts with patients, must apply alcohol gel to their hands and also wash their hands frequently with soap and water. Staff are required to communicate any infection risks to the Infection Control lead.
Complaints
From time to time, complaints may occur, no matter how professional the approach of our staff. All complaints are investigated promptly, and the full co-operation of staff is required. The current guidelines amplify the above points with policies and procedures explained.
Clinical Governance and Risk management
The Practice believes everyone has a role to play in improving and contributing to the quality of care provided to our patients. As an employee of the practice you are expected to take a proactive role in supporting the Practices clinical governance agenda by:
Taking part in activities for improving quality such as clinical audit
Identifying and managing risks through incident and near miss reporting and undertaking risk assessments
Following polices, guidelines and procedures
Maintaining continued professional development
Clinical staff making entries into patient health records are required to follow any Practice standards of record keeping
Information Quality Assurance
As an employee of the Practice it is expected that you will take due diligence and care in regard to any information collected, recorded, processed or handled by you during the course of your work and that such information is collected, recorded, processed and handled in compliance with Practice requirements and instructions.
Freedom of Information
The post holder should be aware of the responsibility placed on employees under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and is responsible for helping to ensure that the Practice complies with the Act when handling or dealing with any information relating to Practice activity.