Gp Receptionist

**The Practice**

Trafalgar Medical Group Practice works from two sites in Southsea, one being Eastney Health Centre, the other Osborne Road. The successful 25,000 patient Practice continues to grow and has a medical team of seven partners, and five salaried GP’s with two more currently being recruited. Our nursing team, led by our Nurse Manager, are very experienced and highly regarded. They are all supported with an excellent admin, secretarial and reception team who work across both sites.

**The Person**

We are looking for a special person to join our reception team. You need not have had GP or medical experience before but you will need to be someone who is sensitive, confident and calm when dealing with patients, both face to face and on the telephone; you will be dealing with difficult and demanding situations on a regular basis and you will therefore need good personal resilience. Hours are negotiable although we do have to cover opening hours Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings, across two sites and flexibility would therefore be needed, in order to ensure fairness amongst the team.

**The Role**:

- Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional
- Deal with all general enquiries including booking, cancelling and amending appointments
- Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies
- Register new patients to the practice onto the Clinical System (SystmOne).
- Ensure urgent and home visit requests are recorded and acted upon appropriately to ensure timely care for patients
- Receive and make telephone calls as required; Participate in the practice call centre
- Promote online services to patients
- Advise patients of relevant charges for private services
- To assist in the making of refreshments for the Clinical Staff
- Take payment and issue receipts for any chargeable services, ensuring accurate record keeping and informing patients when a charge is likely for work undertaken.
- Ensure all messages and communications received are accurate and delivered promptly.

**Administration**:

- Action prescription requests within the practice timeframe, liaising with pharmacies as appropriate
- Receive and disseminate incoming mail as appropriate
- Ensure any safeguarding report requests are passed to the appropriate clinician in a timely manner
- Open and close premises in line with procedure - including activation/deactivation of alarm.
- Retrieve and file patients notes as appropriate, ensuring filing is completed in accordance with local policy
- Ensure the premises are completely secure. Report any security issues accordingly.

**Confidentiality**:

- As per both Government legislation and Practice policies ensure that all confidentiality, data protection and information governance policies and guidelines are followed and strictly adhered to. Reporting any infringements immediately to the appropriate person.

**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, Infection Control policy and Staff Handbook. This will 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
- 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 holder’s role
- Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
- Reporting potential risks identified
- Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
- 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 recognizes the importance of people’s 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 staff appraisal.
- Taking responsibility f