Medical Receptionist inPontefract inPontefract PUBLISHED FRI 6 DEC 2024

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced and well-motivated receptionist to work in our fast-paced friendly practice. Applicants must be able to work on their own initiative, as well as part of a team and have excellent communication (verbal, written and telephone), IT and customer care skills. Knowledge of Systm1 preferable.Hours of work to be discussed at Interview

First point of contact for patients, hospitals and any other outside agencies.

Main duties include answering telephone calls from patients to make appointments, repeat prescriptions and answer any queries.

Actioning tasks and queries from GPs, nurses and colleagues.

Processing repeat prescriptions from patients and any queries from Pharmacies.

About us

Reception Duties:

• Ensure efficiency of appointment system and monitor flow of patients.
• Ensure that patients without appointments, but who need urgent consultation, are seen in a polite, logical, professional and non-disruptive manner.
• Ensure routine and urgent appointments are booked appropriately.
• Ensure patients are aware of times when GPs and nurses are available to give advice on the phone.
• Ensure that patients are aware that they can request longer consultations with GPs, if required.
• Explain practice arrangement and formal requirements to new patients and temporary residents and ensure procedures are completed, i.e., filling in the correct forms.
• Accept payment from patients for private reports and issue receipts.
• Follow-up path lab reports and contact patients if necessary.
• Respond to all queries and requests from patients and visitors.
• Enter all requests for home visits onto computer including all relevant information and if necessary refer to on call doctor.
• Action requests for ambulance transportation on-line or over the phone and enter in diary.
• Ensure patients are treated as individuals and extend courtesy, respect, privacy and confidentiality at all times, whilst listening to them, recognising their needs and responding to them.
• Ensuring efficient handover with colleagues.
• Provide back-up relief for reception duties as and when required at Church View Health Centre and Southmoor Surgery as required.

Management of Appointment System:

• Ensure total confidentiality.
• Ensure patient files are updated.
• Ensure total familiarity with all appointment systems in effect including regular and incidental variations.
• Book appointments for patients and all members of the practice.

Management of Medical Records:

• Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring that strict alphabetical order is adhered to and in adherence to practice protocols.
• Ensure all correspondence, reports, results, etc are filed in the correct records and in keeping with practice protocols.
• Ensure all records are kept neat and tidy and in good repair with all the necessary information recorded on the outer cover and brought in line with practice policy.

Preparation of Consulting Room:

• Ensure GP consulting rooms are prepared in advance in readiness for each consulting session, checking full range of forms and requirements of re-stocking including computer prescriptions as required by GPs and locums.
• Ensure consulting rooms are prepared in advance in readiness for locum staff.
• Ensure all consulting rooms are checked at the end of each session when the GP has left and ensure the room is left tidy and secure.

Operation of the Telephone System:

• Receive and make calls as required in a polite and professional manner.
• Divert calls and take messages as required

Start and End of Day Procedures:

• Open premises at the start of each day and make all necessary preparations to receive patients.
• Secure premises at the end of day, ensuring building is totally secured and the alarm is activated.

Repeat Prescribing:

• Receive patient requests for authorised repeats (in writing, on-line and verbally), ensuring they are actioned within 48 hours if possible and if not a written explanation left.
• Ensure that the details of the issue of all repeat prescriptions are entered on the correct patient computer records.
• Where the information received is incorrect or insufficient please ensure that the request is authorised by the appropriate doctor to action.
• Provide the point of contact for patients with enquires relating to repeats and ensure that any problems are brought to the attention of the appropriate doctor and follow-up action is taken to resolve such matters.
• Sort out all signed prescriptions ensuring they are all signed and all queries have been actioned.
• Monitor electronic prescriptions allocating to the doctor/s on surgery the following day.
• Encourage patients to use the on-line service and electronic transfer of prescriptions to their requested chemist.

Front of House:

• To greet patients and visitors in a friendly and courteous manner at all times.
• Booking in of patients not using automated system.
• Book appointments for patients coming to reception after clinical appointments.
• Receive patient requests for authorised repeats.
• Distributing prescriptions.
• General enquiries.
• Ensure waiting area is kept tidy.
• Opening Consulting Rooms

Administration:

• Updating waiting lists
• Create, update and action tasks as appropriate.
• Provide administrative support for designed QOF area which includes telephoning patients, sending appointments.
• Choose & Book print out appointment information if requested by patient

Additional Duties:

• Making drinks for doctors and any visitors to the practice.
• To participate in staff training and meetings

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:

Promote and maintain 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

Equality and Diversity:

Support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples 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:

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
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work

Quality:

Strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk

• 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 teams performance
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

Communication:

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

Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly