Job responsibilities
JOB DESCRIPTION RECEPTIONIST / ADMINISTRATOR
REPORTS TO: Practice Manager
Job Summary
To receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way, and provide general assistance to the practice team whilst projecting a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone.
Duties and Responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the Practice Receptionist Team may vary from time to time under the direction of the Practice Manager or Senior Receptionist, dependent on current and evolving Practice workload and staffing levels. Responsibilities include opening up and locking the Practice premises, maintaining security in accordance with Practice protocols, and ensuring that the building is secured prior to leaving in the evening. The post-holder will ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and other visitors, deal with general enquiries efficiently and courteously, explain procedures, make new and follow-up appointments, and assist patients requiring urgent consultations by directing them to the appropriate service. They will explain Practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover, register these patients with the practice, process telephone, online and in-person requests for appointments, visits, and consultations, take messages accurately and ensure prompt delivery, and enter requests for home visits onto the computer system while ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and referring to the Duty Doctor when necessary. Additional duties include photocopying, scanning, filing, viewing internet messages and dealing with them, actioning repeat prescription requests so they are ready for collection within 48 hours, printing blood forms, advising patients of relevant charges for private services, accepting payment and issuing receipts, entering and amending patient information on the computer, retrieving patient notes as required, re-stocking GP consulting rooms, completing forms, processing patient samples in line with practice protocols, dealing with urgent results for GPs, liaising with local hospitals, assisting other members of the Primary Health Care Trust, covering for absent colleagues when necessary, and undertaking any other duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners or the Practice Management Team.
Confidentiality
Patients entrust the Practice with sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. The post-holder must respect this privacy and act appropriately. Access to confidential information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers, and the business of the Practice must be regarded as strictly confidential. Such information may only be shared with authorised persons in accordance with Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and data protection.
Health and Safety
The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health and Safety Policy and Infection Control Policy. Responsibilities include using personal security systems within the workplace according to guidelines, identifying risks in work activities and managing them appropriately, making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe manner, actively reporting health and safety hazards and infection hazards, keeping work and patient areas clean, undertaking periodic infection control training, and reporting potential risks.
Equality and Diversity
The post-holder will support equality, diversity, and the rights of patients, carers, and colleagues by acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, respecting privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs, and behaving in a welcoming, non-judgmental manner that acknowledges individual circumstances, feelings, priorities, and rights.
Personal/Professional Development
The post-holder will participate in training programmes implemented by the Practice, including annual individual performance reviews, maintaining records of personal and professional development, taking responsibility for their own learning and performance, demonstrating skills to others, and completing all mandatory training as required.
Quality
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice by alerting team members to issues of quality and risk, assessing their own performance and taking accountability for actions, contributing to team effectiveness by reflecting on activities and suggesting improvements, working effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patient needs, and managing their own time, workload, and resources effectively.
Communication
The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team, communicate effectively with team members, patients, and carers, and respond appropriately to alternative communication needs.
Contribution to the Implementation of Services
The post-holder will apply Practice policies, standards, and guidance, discuss with team members how these affect their work, and participate in audits where appropriate.