Job responsibilities
Medical Receptionist Job Description
Summary:
Reception staff are the first point
of contact for patients and visitors to the practice, whether face to face or
over the telephone. The impressions that you make and the work you do are
essential to the smooth running of the practice as a whole.
We expect that as part of our reception
team you will assist patients with their queries promptly, courteously and
professionally and do so with a caring and compassionate approach, respecting
the sensitive and confidential nature of the information you work with.
Your role is to work closely with
your team members to provide an efficient, effective reception and
administration service to the practice, supporting the clinical team in
providing excellent patient care.
Key working relationships:
Doctors (GP partners, salaried GPs,
GP registrars)
Practice manager
Senior administrator
Reception team
Medical students
Front desk duties:
Open and close practice when
required, maintaining security
Receive and welcome patients and
visitors promptly and courteously
Handle general enquiries,
escalating to appropriate person if needed
Deal with telephone enquiries,
taking messages if required
Register new patients following
practice registration procedure
Receive and deal with letters and
deliveries. Distribute as appropriate and follow protocols.
Receive prescription requests and
allocate to prescription clerk
Deal with outgoing letters and
hospital courier collections
Record all sums of money taken in
using petty cash system
I.T. duties
Use of the EMIS Web clinical
information system:
Book and manage patient
appointments
Manage incoming online
consultations
Create and action tasks
Manage prescription requests
according to protocol
Monitor EMIS workflow
Complete patient registration
online and face to face & update patient details
Action patient referrals through
the E-referrals system and manage inter-practice referrals
Use software associated with EMIS
WEB e.g. GP2GP, EPS, patient access when needed
Email:
Monitor personal NHS mail and practice
NHS mailboxes
Action and direct incoming emails
Use of the Docman document management
system:
Action the Docman workflow tasks
that have been sent to the reception team and ensure that these remain up to date on a daily basis
Medical Record Management:
Coding information into patient
records
Maintain paper medical records held
by surgery including filing records.
Prepare copy records as requested
including electronic format and photocopying of paper records
Other rotational duties can include:
Monitor fridge temperature in
clinical rooms (rotational duty)
Check stock held in reception and
clinical rooms (rotational duty)
General duties:
The post holder is expected to:
Be flexible to cover colleagues in
their absence including short notice cover for sickness. This may result in
longer working hours or different days to normal working days (reimbursement
for agreed additional hours worked will be made)
Attend staff meetings
Ensure reception area remains tidy
Communicate information regarding
unsolved or urgent problems to colleagues
Liaise with external bodies e.g.
local hospital departments or district nurses to obtain patients results and
follow up appointments
Contact patients - recalling -
for tests or appointments due
Participate in Care Quality
Commission (CQC) preparation work and Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) work
when required
Action requests for
transport/translators/ambulances etc
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.
All such information, from any source, is to be regarded as strictly
confidential.
Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues and 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 and safety
and security as laid out in the staff handbook and health and safety
manual. This will include:
Using personal security systems within the workplace according to
practice guidelines.
Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way 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 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 the individual, is
non-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feeling, priorities and
rights.
Personal and
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
(appraisal), including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of their
own personal and or professional development
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.
Contribute to implementation of services:
The post holder
will:
Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
Discuss with other team members how the policies, standards and
guidelines will affect own work
Participate in audit as required.
Note: The above is not intended to be
an exhaustive list of duties and as there may be alterations or additions
commensurate with the range of activities describe above.