Administrator / Receptionist

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare; City Of London; On-site; GBP 14,000 - 20,000; Part time

Job summary

Penshurst Gardens Surgery in Edgware is seeking a part-time receptionist/administrative assistant to support the practice team. You will greet patients, answer phones, book appointments, and assist with clerical tasks to ensure smooth daily operations.

The role involves handling prescriptions, data entry, and maintaining patient records according to policy. Hours are typically morning/afternoon sessions with occasional extended hours.

Qualifications

• Experience of working in a busy reception or admin role is desirable.
• Good communication with patients and staff; confident telephone manner.
• Confidentiality and data handling in a healthcare setting.
• Ability to prioritise and manage competing tasks under direction.

Responsibilities

• Provide reception and general administrative support.
• Process appointments and direct calls to the appropriate healthcare professional.
• Handle repeat prescriptions in line with policy.
• Scan and manage patient records in line with procedures.

Skills

Communication skills

Telephone manners

Keyboard skills

Confidentiality

Initiative & judgment

Conflict management

Team player

Education

GCSE level or equivalent

Eligible to work in the UK

Maths & English GCSE

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job summary

The purpose of the role is to:

• Undertake a variety of administrativeduties to assist in the smooth running of the practice including the provisionof secretarial and administrative support to clinical staff and other membersof the practice team


• Offer general assistance to thepractice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and othervisitors, either in person or via the telephone


• Receive, assist and direct patients inaccessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous,efficient and effective way


• Facilitate effective communicationbetween patients, members the primary health care team, secondary care andother associated healthcare agencies


• Prior to shortlisting, we would like to let you knowour shifts for the role. Our shifts usually run from 8am-1.15pm and1pm-6.30pm We also open for extended hours on Mondays 1pm-7.30pm, Wednesdays and Fridays 7am-1.15pm


• We generally do not offer full days but a mixture ofmorning and afternoon sessions.

Main duties of the job

The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of thepractice administration team may include any of the following which may bevaried from time to time under the direction of the Practice Manager.

Please see full job description attached.

About us

Penshurst Gardens Surgery is a GP practice in Edgware with a practice population of approximately 7500 patients.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Salary: £12.21 per hour

Part-time hours: 15-25 per week

Dutiesand responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of thepractice administration team may include any of the following which may bevaried from time to time under the direction of the Practice Manager.

Reception

• Receiving patients, consulting with members ofpractice team


• Ensure an effective and efficient and politereception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to thepractice


• Processing personal and telephone requests forappointments, visits and telephone consultations, and ensuring callers aredirected to the appropriate healthcare professional


• Deal with all general enquiries, explainprocedures and make new and follow-up appointments


• Asserting judgement to ensure that urgentappointments are given in accordance to the practice policy


• Explain practice arrangements and formalrequirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover, and ensureprocedures are completed


• Enter requests for home visits onto the dutydoctor appointment screen, ensuring to carefully record all relevant detailsand referring to duty doctor where necessary


• Arranging transport for patients


• Be aware of what is going on in the patientwaiting area and be alert to problems


• Processing and distributing incoming and outgoingpost


• Undertake any other additional duties appropriateto the post as requested by the partners or the practice manager


• Ensure that all visitors to the practice aresigned in and out of the visitors book


• Taking messages and passing on information


• Processing repeat prescriptions in accordance withpractice guidelines


• Computer data entry/data allocation and collation;processing and recording information in accordance with practice procedures


• Providing clerical assistance to practice staff asrequired from time to time, including word/data processing, filing,photocopying and scanning


• Keeping the reception area, notice-boards andleaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter


• Be able to cover all reception positions asnecessary


• To ensure that all clinical staff are ready fortheir patient surgeries: the room has its PC switched on, systems and printersare up and running


• Undertake any other additional duties appropriateto the post as requested by the partners or the practice manager

Telephone

• Have working knowledge of telephone, during andafter hours


• Answer calls in a polite and professional manner


• Receive and make telephone calls as required. Divert calls and take messages, ensuringaccuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery

Appointments

• Process appointment requests for today/futureappointments from patients by telephone and in person


• Deal with visits/requests
  Repeat Prescriptions

Repeat Prescriptions

• To collect repeat prescription requests from the post box and reception


• To retrieve requests for prescriptions made via EPS


• To liaise with patients and chemists regarding queries and requests


• To ensure repeat medication is issued in line with the protocols that are already in place and ensure that any queries raised are dealt with quickly and correctly


• To ensure that patient queries on medication are highlighted to the relevant GP


• To regularly go through prescriptions not picked up and unlikely to be picked up as a result of the timescale, to remove the details from the patient records and then destroy the prescription

Scanning duties

• Sort and date stamp all incoming patient-related mail


• Scan patient-related documents onto their medical record using read codes as agreed by the clinical team


• Add any additional information about the source of the document


• Forward the document to the doctor or nurse who initiated the referral or who is most appropriate to receive the information


• Ensure incoming letters are scanned onto the patient record within a 48/72-hour timescale


• Scan all internal paper documents on to the relevant patients record and then store the documents in line with surgery policy

Coding

• Identify relevant clinical information contained in patient correspondence


• Code or free text the clinical information on to the patient record as per practice protocol


• Deal with queries relating to coding

Administration

• To have a thorough knowledge of all practiceprocedures


• To work in accordance of written policies


• Photocopy and scan as requested


• Carryout tasks relating to patient records,including filing, document management, and ensuring patients can accessreports, prescriptions and that they are easily accessible.

Computer

• Registrations of new patients computer dataentry and medical records


• Process patients changes of address computerdata and medical records (have knowledge of practice area)


• Process repeat prescription requests in accordancewith practice guidelines

OtherTasks

• Work through and tick off all opening/closinginstructions, using the checklist provided.


• Clear rooms after surgeries


• Make and serve refreshments, ensure the kitchen iskept clean and tidy and air and tidy the waiting room in turn with other staff


• Ensure building security have thorough knowledgeof doors/windows/alarm


• Any other tasks allocated by managers
  Premises:

Premises

• Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive,de-activate alarm and make all necessary preparations to clinical rooms, readyto receive patients


• When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building istotally secured, internal lights are off and the alarm activated


• Keep the reception office and patient reception area, notice boards andleaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter

Confidentiality

• In the course of seeking treatment, patientsentrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation totheir health and other matters. They doso in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respecttheirprivacy and act appropriately


• In the performance of the duties outlined in thisjob description, the post-holder may have access to confidential informationrelating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcareworkers. They may also have access toinformation relating to the practice as a business organisation. All suchinformation 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 onlybe divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies andprocedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal andsensitive data

Health& safety

The post-holder will assist in promoting andmaintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in thepractice 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 theworkplace according to practice guidelines


• Identifying the risks involved in work activitiesand undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks


• Making effective use of training to updateknowledge 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 hazardsand infection hazards immediately when recognised


• Keeping own work areas and general/patient areasgenerally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards ofcleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holders role


• Undertaking periodic infection control training(minimum annually)


• Reporting potential risks identified

Equality and diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights ofpatients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognises 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 that 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 implementedby the practice as part of this employment, with 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

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

• 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

The post-holder shouldrecognize the importance of effective communication within the team and willstrive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members


• Communicate effectively with patients and carers


• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the implementation of services

The post-holder will:

• Apply practice policies, standards and guidance


• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work


• Participate in audit where appropriate

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working


• 1.Offering high levels of customer service


• 2.Dealing with patients/customers face to face


• 3.Dealing with patients/customers on the telephone


• 4.Microsoft office skills


• 5.Working in a busy and pressurised environment


• 6.Working as part of a team

Desirable

• Previous experience within General Practice or other NHS environment.


• Previous EMIS Web clinical system experience.

Qualifications

Essential

• Eligible to work in the U.K.


• Clean & Tidy Appearance


• General Secondary Education to GCSE level or equivalent


• Able to provide complete education/employment history

Desirable

• GCSE C or above Maths & English


• Receptionist or Customer Service qualification

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills


• Good telephone manner.


• Keyboard & Computer skills


• Understanding and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality


• Ability to use initiative, judgement & resourcefulness.


• Ability to diffuse conflict


• Able to work as part of a team.

Desirable

• Willingness to undertake training and learn new skills to further develop.


• Some knowledge of medical terminology

Disposition & Attributes

Essential

• Ability and enthusiasm to work in an ever changing environment


• Flexible and Adaptable


• Problem solver


• Ability to remain calm and polite under pressure

Desirable

• Ability to work extra hours when required.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working


• 1.Offering high levels of customer service


• 2.Dealing with patients/customers face to face


• 3.Dealing with patients/customers on the telephone


• 4.Microsoft office skills


• 5.Working in a busy and pressurised environment


• 6.Working as part of a team

Desirable

• Previous experience within General Practice or other NHS environment.


• Previous EMIS Web clinical system experience.

Qualifications

Essential