Practice Receptionist with Administrative Duties

Deadline: 29/12/2025. We encourage early applications, as we may close the vacancy once sufficient applications have been received. Please ensure your application clearly demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria for the job.

This role requires availability across five days per week. If you have any constraints, please discuss them with us.

PLEASE DO NOT APPLY IF YOU DON'T HAVE RELEVANT EXPERIENCE IN A GP SURGERY OR HOSPITAL SETTING.

JOB TITLE: PRACTICE RECEPTIONIST WITH ADMIN DUTIES

REPORTS TO: PRACTICE MANAGER

HOURS: PART-TIME 25 HOURS PER WEEK

Job Summary:

To support the Practice Manager to ensure the smooth running of the practice. To work at Reception providing excellent customer care and to help develop efficient systems of operations management to include IT, Human Resources, Financial and day to day administrative tasks. To be flexible to cover other receptionists' leave at short notice, as and when required.

The post holder will be a member of the surgery team with the delegated responsibility to carry out administrative tasks, reception duties and cover. They will ensure the effective processing of all tasks and appropriately liaise with our clinical and non-clinical teams.

Job Responsibilities:

Reception Duties

• Responding to patients' queries in a timely, polite, efficient and professional manner at all times. Excellent customer service is a strict requirement. You will be required to demonstrate that you possess this skill and your performance will be monitored throughout your employment.
• Answering the telephone, gathering patients' queries, booking appointments for the practice or the Hub, and conveying messages.
• Accepting and processing requests for repeat prescriptions.
• Opening and work flowing patients' correspondence as appropriate.
• Processing Data Access requests as per Data Protection regulations.
• Ensuring telephone messages are recorded accurately and brought to the attention of the relevant GP
• Arranging transport for patients
• Filing results and any other relevant documents in patients' notes and re-filing notes after use
• Maintenance of patients' notes including starting a new wallet when required and dividing the contents in a logical manner
• Helping with the sorting of filing in new medical records in order that they are in the form used in the Surgery
• Actively participating on patients' Recalls
• Documentation of home visits
• Ensuring the building's security is maintained

Administration

• To have a thorough knowledge of the Practice Policies and Procedures
• To work in accordance with the Practice's protocols
• To receive deliveries into the practice and process relevant accompanying paperwork
• To send out recall and invitation letters and texts when necessary
• To send DNA letters to patients when required
• To monitor electronic patients' correspondence and ensure tasks are sent to the Doctors accordingly.
• To observe and adhere to governance security requirements
• To report all accidents/untoward incidents promptly to the line manager.
• To liaise with the Practice Manager to identify problems relating to patients' dissatisfaction
• To respond to and resolve, as far as possible, by examining paper and computerised records or by liaising with the appropriate doctor/ nurse. These may be face to face, by telephone, email or our website.
• To undertake continuing education to keep abreast of current health trends/initiatives (Continuing Professional Development)
• To ensure own knowledge of building facilities, security or fire systems, health and safety policy and other practice procedures is kept up to date by attending staff meetings and reading circulated material designed for this purpose
• To be responsible for processing prescription requests.
• Patient affairs i.e. PCSE workflow, records management, summarisation, address checks etc.
• To keeping a record of all medical reports requests
• Recorded Delivery Post
• To carry out registrations as per the Practice protocol
• To maintain adequate stocks of stationery and clinical supplies in liaison with the Practice Manager.
• To carry out scanning
• To participate and contribute to the achievement of QOF indicators
• To participate and contribute to the implementation of any Core and Enhanced Service or Health Campaign as determined by the Practice
• To process and monitor eRS referrals, CtheSigns and any other software in accordance with practice procedures.
• To raise simple test requests and referrals as per doctors' instructions.
• To act promptly on tasks sent by GPs or other relevant staff.
• To liaise with hospitals to chase appointments, results etc when required
• To undertake any reasonable task as allocated by the Practice Manager

Information Technology

• To support the Practice Manager on IT matters
• To be fully competent in all IT software in use such as EMIS Web, Docman, AccurX etc
• To assist monitoring the achievement of higher target Cytology and Childhood Immunisations , QoF and Enhanced Services.

Finance

• To charge patients the appropriate amount for private work, providing a receipt to the patient and recording the charge in the Petty Cash log sheet

Practice Development

• To participate in monitoring performance and data collection as necessary.
• To participate and contribute in all QoF/DES/LES/LIS and other practice quality standards as determined by the practice and its contractual framework.
• To attend all practice meetings and team meetings, and take minutes when required.
• To critically analyse actual or potential risks to ensure effective management.
• To report incidents to the Practice Manager.

Premises

• To ensure building security is maintained – have thorough knowledge of practice shut down procedure and setting of alarms.
• Key holder.
• To ensure the implementation of the practice health & safety policy.

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.

Dress Code

• To adhere to the Practice uniform policy

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 recognises 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 individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development and undertaking basic life support training when required.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

• Communicate new protocols and procedures and apply them accordingly.
• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
• 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 team's 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:

• Liaise with the practice manager regarding documentation of absence as per protocols.
• Liaise with colleagues for Reception cover.
• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise people's needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Practice Receptionist with Admin Duties - Person Specification

Essential

• "O"/GCSE Level qualifications in English & Maths or equivalent.
• Previous experience in a GP Surgery or Clinical setting
• Excellent computer skills – word processing, spreadsheet and database skills.
• Ability to organise workload priorities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate positively with patients and all members of the practice team and external organisations.
• Excellent knowledge of English language and grammar.
• Flexibility to change shift at short notice and work early mornings or evenings.
• Able to work 5 days/week

Desirable

• Experience of Clinical Systems such as EMISWeb and DOCMAN
• Experience of Patient/Total Triage
• Knowledge of languages other than English.

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Free flu jabs

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday (4hrs/day)

Ability to commute/relocate:

• LONDON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 29/12/2025

Reference ID: REC_DEC25_SS

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent contract

Salary: 12,698.40 per annum

Expected hours: 20 per week over 5 days

Education:

• GCSE or equivalent (required)

Experience:

• Customer service: 1 year (required)
• Administrative experience: 1 year (required)

Language:

• English (required)

The Merton Medical Practice is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on age, disability, gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know.

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Pay: £12,698.40 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Free flu jabs

Ability to commute/relocate:

• London SW19 1DG: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Application question(s):

• Are you able to work over 5 days (Mon-Fri)?
• Are you able to start as early as 7.45am and finish as late as 8pm, depending on your shift?

Experience:

• Customer service: 1 year (required)

Work Location: In person