Gp Receptionist

**JOB TITLE: RECEPTIONIST**
**REPORTS TO: PRACTICE MANAGER/SENIOR RECEPTIONIST**

**HOURS: 22 - 23 hours per week**

**PAY RATE: £10.42 an hour**

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

- Offer 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
- Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way
- Facilitate effective communication between patients, members the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies

**Duties and responsibilities**:
The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the Practice administration team may include any or all of the items in the following list. Duties may be varied from time to time and additional duties appropriate to the post under the direction of the Senior Receptionist/Practice Manager, dependent on current and evolving Practice workload and staffing levels:

- Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice.
- Receiving patients at the front desk, dealing with them in a polite, helpful and friendly manner
- Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments.
- Cover annual leave and unplanned absence, sometimes at short notice.
- Maintaining and monitoring the Practice appointments system.
- Processing personal and telephone requests for appointments, visits and telephone consultations and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional.
- Taking messages and passing on information -face-to-face, via telephone or computer.
- Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical is maintained.
- Shred reports, letter etc as per Practice Protocol.
- Processing repeat prescriptions in accordance with Practice guidelines.
- Computer data entry/data allocation and collation; processing and recording information in accordance with Practice procedures, and scanning documents onto patient’s records.
- Enter all new patient registration details onto the computer - strictly following the Practice Protocol for the registering of new patients.
- Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team member and associated healthcare agencies and providers
- Clearing and re-stock consulting rooms as required
- Providing clerical assistance to Practice and Trust staff as required from time to time, including word/data processing, filing, photocopying and scanning
- Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter

**Information Technology**
- Have full understanding of the practice’s appointment system
- Have a working knowledge of all software and hardware
- Have a clear understanding of the practice’s telephone systems
- Deal with IT problems, taking advice from the Senior GP and PM if required

**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
- Recognize people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

**Personal/Professional Development**
- Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
- Effectively manage own time, workload and resources
- Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
- Participate in any training programme implemented by the Practice as part of this employment

**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, the practice health & safety manual, and