Receptionist

**Post**: Receptionist Accountable To: Assistant Practice Manager Role Definition To ensure the smooth day to day running of the Reception area, ensuring Reception duties are completed efficiently and adhere to the guidelines that are laid down by doctors and management. To ensure that patients are received assisted and directed appropriately in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way. Provide 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. The work is of a highly confidential nature and no information, either medical or personal, should be disclosed outside of practice personnel.
To work without supervision and use initiative in execution of duties. Key Result Areas 1. Reception Duties Undertake the rota of reception duties as attached : Greeting and directing patients and visitors to the surgery in a pleasant and helpful manner Assessing and providing the patient with a clear and concise care navigation pathway to ensure they are seen by the correct healthcare professional whilst working with the tools available to the practice Register new patients and process paperwork accordingly Dealing with requests for appointments Accepting and handing out prescriptions, letters, forms and specimen bottles, etc. Receiving and processing visit requests Explain practice procedures and arrangements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover, ensuring any procedures are completed Advise patients of relevant charges for non-NHS services, accept payment and issue receipts Respond appropriately to queries and requests from patients and visitors Ensure actions requested by doctors are undertake in a timely and accurate manner Action repeat prescription requests and ensure that they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours, either on the computer or manually Ensure the kitchen is kept clean and tidy and tidy the waiting room in turn with other staff Ensure mail is posted daily Ensure that the post and specimens are ready for collection for the courier on a daily basis Informing the relevant personnel when stock is running low Where necessary, clear information should be left for incoming colleagues regarding unresolved or urgent problems 2.
Telephone Duties Make appointments at patients requests Receiving calls, taking messages and dealing with them in an appropriate and accurate manner, ensuring as much detail has been taken; who is calling, what they are calling about, a contact number to ring them back on Making telephone calls as requested, including ordering ambulances, whilst noting any necessary information/readcode within the patient record Follow the procedure to divert the telephone system as and when necessary Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery Enter requests for home visits onto the computer system 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 3. Patient notes and correspondence Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to Ensure correspondence, reports, results etc are filed electronically and promptly and in the correct records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are seen Ensure records are kept in good repair with all necessary information on the outside cover clearly visible Photocopying of patients medical records upon request 4. Premises Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and make all necessary preparations to receive patients When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights are off and the alarm activated. Extract medical records for appointments, visits, clinics or as requested To be available to the clinical staff during surgery hours to ensure the smooth running of surgery Filing of medical records, letters, reports Operation of computer for appointments system, etc.
Maintaining tidiness and general maintenance of reception, consulting and waiting areas 5. Computer Duties Ensure all prescriptions are processed accurately and available to doctors to check and sign prior to and on completion of surgery Ensure all tasks identified by Clinical staff and Practice Managers are processed accurately Ensure all referrals are entered onto the system in an accurate manner including the scanning of mail and other related paperwork Forward any referrals/correspondence via electronic means in the first instance, or post as appropriate To report IT and telephone faults and rectify as appropriate 6. 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