Medical Receptionist

**JOB DESCRIPTION**

**Job Summary**:
The purpose of the role is to:

- Offer general assistance to the practice team and project a positive and friendly image to the patients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone.
- Receive, assist, and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service of healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effect way.
- Undertake a variety of reception /administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the practice including the provisional of secretarial and clerical support to clinical staff and other members of the practice team.
- Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary healthcare team, secondary care, and other associated healthcare agencies.

**Duties & Responsibilities**:
The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the practice reception/administration teams may include any or all the items in the following list. Duties may be varied from time to time under the direction of the Office Manager/Practice Manager, dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:

- Answering telephones and dealing with patient, carers requests signposting callers to the most appropriate service or healthcare professional.
- Front reception desk duties.
- Opening up/locking up of the practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with practice protocols.
- Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointment system.
- Processing and distributing incoming and outgoing mail.
- Taking messages and passing on information to the appropriate team member.
- Administrative duties
- Computer data entry/ data allocation and collation; processing and recording information in accordance with practice procedures.
- Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team members and associated healthcare agencies and providers.
- Providing clerical assistance to clinical staff as required from time to time, including word/ data processing, filing, photocopying, and scanning.
- Dealing with clinic waste.
- Keeping the reception area, noticeboards, and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter.
- All other associated tasks.

**Confidentiality**
- While 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 the staff with respect their privacy and act appropriately.
- In the performance of the duties outlined in the job description, the post-holder may have to access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information from any source which 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 information.

**Health & Safety**:
The post-holder will assist in prompting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security as defined in the practice health and safety policy, the practice health and safety manual and the practice infection control policy and published procedures. 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 wat and free from hazards.
- Actively reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognise.
- Keeping own work area 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.

**Equality & Diversity**

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of the patients, carers, and colleagues to include:

- Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting then in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies and current legislations.
- Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers, and colleagues.
- Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and f the individual, is non-judgemental and respects 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 as training to include:

- Participation in a