Medical Receptionist

Job description

Job responsibilities

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

Duties and Responsibilities:

Administration

• To have a thorough knowledge of all Practice procedures.
• To work in accordance of written protocols
• Filing post in medical records
• Email and photocopy as requested
• Ensure courier takes all documentation and samples at the appropriate time
• Open and distribute incoming mail

Reception

• Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients any other visitors to the practice
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments
• Using your own judgement 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
• Handing completed repeat prescriptions to patient and checking names and address.
• Be able to cover all reception position as necessary
• Prepare lists and notes for all surgeries and clinics held, ensuring completion of all associated paperwork

Appointments

• Book appointment requests for today and future appointments from patients by telephone and in person.
• Enter requests for home visits into the visit book, ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor
• Deal with visits/requests

Computer

• Registrations of new patients computer data entry and medical records.
• Process patients change of address computer data and medical records (have knowledge of Practice area.
• Process repeat prescription requests in accordance with practice guidelines
• Assist and support patients to register for online access

Telephone

• Receive and make telephone calls as required. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery
• Have working knowledge of telephone system, during and after hours.
• Have the confidence to answer telephone calls and deal with the query with accuracy

Other Tasks

• Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and make all the necessary preparations for when patients arrive.
• Ensure all Health & Safety checks are undertaken within the desired timescales as indicated in the Practices Health & Safety Policy
• When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights are off, all electrical equipment has been turned off and the alarm activated
• Ensure building security have thorough knowledge of doors/windows/alarm
• Any other tasks allocated by managers

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 implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others health and safety and infection control 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 (but will not be limited to):

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
• Reporting potential risks identified

Equality, Inclusivity & Diversity:

The post holder will support the equality, inclusivity and diversity 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 GP Care Services policies and procedures 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
• Attendance at the quarterly Protected Time Meetings
• Attendance at all Mandatory and Statutory training requirements as indicated by the line manager

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 whilst embracing the practices ethos of recording of any errors or near misses and learning by mistakes without blame
• 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 all 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

This Job Description is neither exhaustive nor exclusive and will be reviewed annually in conjunction with the post-holder at the annual appraisal. The post-holder is required to carry out any duties that may reasonably be requested by the line manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Good level of education to GCSE standard or equivalent

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Be able to demonstrate an understanding and commitment to working within a Primary Care Team
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Capable of working supervised and unsupervised
• Capable of consistent accuracy and concentration under pressure
• Objective and impartial
• Keen to learn new skills
• Self-motivated but aware of limits of authority

Knowledge & Understanding

Essential

• Demonstrate an understanding and commitment to good standards of patient care
• Enjoys working as part of a Primary Care Team
• Sensitive to the concerns of others without being disproportionately influenced by them
• Flexible in approach to work and ability to cover colleagues during leave/busy periods
• Understanding of and commitment to Health & Safety in the workplace

Experience

Essential

• Computer literate with excellent keyboard skills
• Self-starter, able to work on own initiative, following set procedures and protocols

Desirable

• Use of clinical system software eg. EMIS
• GP Practice experience
• Reception/Customer Care experience

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• An enquiring mind with a willingness to learn new skills and procedures
• Ability to organise own tasks and work systematically
• Excellent communicator both verbally and written demonstrated with people at all levels and in all circumstances
• Ability to respect confidentiality at all times

Desirable

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

GP Care Services Ltd

Address

Village Medical Centre

Peel Street

Littleborough

Lancashire

OL15 8AQ

Employer's website

http://www.gpcareservices.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)