Medical Receptionist

**RESPONSIBLE TO: Reception Lead**

**HOURS: FULL TIME: 37.5 p/w over 5 day shifts,**

**Shifts vary between 6.30am and 8pm**

**Will be required to work occasional Saturday**

**Job summary**:
Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way, demonstrating a high level of customer service at all times.

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.

**Main duties/key tasks**:

- Opening up and locking up of practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with the agreed protocol.
- Make appointments for patients in person, or by telephone, ensuring that all appropriate details are taken and recorded and that the patient is clear regarding the time and place of their appointment.
- Directing patients to E-consultations and relaying information to the patient from the clinical staff.
- Receive requests for home visits from patients or third parties and record the relevant details on the home visit screen.
- Deal with enquiries from patients and others in person or by telephone, providing answers or directing the enquiry to the appropriate personnel.
- Take messages communicated in person, by telephone or in writing, and forward these to the appropriate personnel.
- Ensure that letters, reports, patient records and other documents are filed accurately and in a timely manner.
- Undertake routine office duties including filing, photocopying, tidying the office and waiting room, clearing spillages and making tea and coffee.
- Accept specimens from patients and ensure that they are handled and despatched according to practice policy.
- Deal with immediate minor complaints from patients and refer all other complaints to the Reception Lead for appropriate action in line with the Practice Complaints Procedure.
- Process patient requests for prescriptions, retrieving information from the patient’s electronic record, setting out prescriptions for checking and signing, recording hand-written prescriptions in the patient’s notes and ensuring that prescriptions are locked away at the end of each day.
- Book ambulances and other transport for patients on a routine and emergency basis, in line with appropriate guidelines.
- Input and retrieve data from the practice computer system (SystmOne).
- Ensure that the telephone is transferred to and from the night service.
- Accept registration cards/forms from new patients, providing they live within the Practice area.
- Process change of address/telephone contact details of any patients, ensuring that details are recorded accurately on both the patient’s electronic file and paper records.
- Other routine clerical duties, as required by the Partners, Practice Manager, Practice Nurse or Reception Lead.
- Process documents on receipt of access to health records requests or solicitor/insurance requests for information, in line with protocol.
- Other ad hoc duties that may from time to time be required in line with the duties and responsibilities of this post.

**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 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 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