Job Responsibilities: Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice. Acknowledge patients arrival at the desk within 2/3 minutes of arriving, if the situation is unmanageable at the time due to the amount of patients waiting then advise the patients in the queue you will be with them as soon as possible and call for assistance. Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments. This requires a helpful attitude even when experiencing negative, unresponsive and sometimes verbally abusive behaviour from patients.
Never lose your temper with patients; refer to your colleague or line manager if you feel the situation requires it -please ask the patient to wait (preferably in the waiting room) and that you will call a colleague/manager to assist the enquiry as soon as possible. Communicate test results using taught skills and ensuring accuracy -always repeat test results which are taken over the phone from hospital/laboratory. Complete referrals on the day to the relevant hospital departments as requested by clinical staff and accurately document the receipt in patients records as appropriate. Management of alerts on patients record i.e.
ask patient if they also would like to be booked for smear test, blood test et cetera 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 please bring to the attention of the clinician on duty as soon as possible. Be aware of your surroundings and of the patients in the waiting room. Be aware of which doctors and nurses are currently working in the building and whether they have arrived for their clinics. Observe clinics running late and advise patients waiting and offer apologies.
Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover and ensure appropriate recording procedures are completed. Answer telephone call promptly and make telephone calls as required. Phones must be given priority over other tasks at reception and answered first. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery.
Be polite and helpful at ALL times. If a patients behaviour becomes unacceptably abusive refer the call to your line manager or admin lead. Do not raise your voice, shout or respond in a rude manner to the patient. Book, Cancel, amend patients appointments using clinical staff on System 1 Maintain good rapport/relationships between internal and external NHS bodies/parties of the practice at all times Arrange appointments for patient reviews as part of QoF, out of hospital target (OOH), dashboards and other practice priorities paying attention to CQC best practice guidelines.
Keep your working environment clean, tidy and free from clutter at all times; paying due attention to infection control and health and safety guidelines/procedures. Ensure that you provide an efficient, professional and detailed handover to the member of staff taking over from you before you leave your duty. Ensure that the admin duties/tasks allocated to you for that day are completed within the appropriate timelines. If this is not possible, inform your line manager immediately.
Admin duties include patient recalls (tasks), Ask my GP requests, GP links (all aspects), reception in-tray, patient records delivery/collection and prescriptions. Log and deal with insurance form/letter requests accurately and within the correct timeframe appropriate procedure. Book interpreters for patients as required (double appointment). Book emergency and non-urgent transport for patients at the request of clinicians.
Actively participate in Practice Training to ensure you provide a high level of service for the practice. This will mean you may need to attend training sessions outside of your normal working hours as well as within your working hours. You will be expected to do this to ensure that the safety of patients and the Practices adherence to the NHS Contract is achieved. Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non NHS) services, accept payment and issue receipts for same.
Enter patient information on to the computer as required and as appropriate and within the correct time frame for safety of receipt of the information Scan and action the clinical correspondence as per the GP instructions into the patients medical records. To have and overview of the demands and complete workflow of the practice Open and deal with the internal and external post on the regular basis Man the practices email box Reply to urgent emails within 48 hours and urgent ones within 24 hours Ensure shared areas as well as your own working area is kept tidy; kitchen, waiting rooms Premises: Open up premises at the start of the day and ensure that rooms are checked when first to arrive for the clinicians including fridge temp and make all necessary preparations to receive patients. Follow the opening up procedure carefully. When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights are off, windows closed and locked, computers shut down.
Follow the closing up procedure carefully. Ensure that all new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately, this should be within 48 hours that they attended the practice to register. To partake in practices targets by asking patients to complete patient surveys Proactively inform patients of benefits for signing up in the online services where patients can book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view their medical records Attend reception and staff meetings Be flexible to cover shifts in the event of staff holidays and sickness at short notice. Notify your line manager or a Partner of any untoward incidents or near misses.
These need to be dealt with using the significant event process. Effectively signpost patients to other services appropriate to their needs Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partner or the Practice Management. 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, 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 Acting in a way that recognizes 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 Quality: The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will: Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk, particularly upon observation of failure by a team member. 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 Communicate effectively with other team members Communication skills should include active listening and the ability to respond to feedback. 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

Please refer the Job description for details