Dental Receptionist

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Salisbury; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for a full-time Receptionist/Administrator at Salisbury. You will be the first point of contact, delivering a welcoming, efficient service and supporting the Community Dental Service across Wiltshire and Swindon.

Role involves booking appointments, handling payments, and assisting the Dental Team. Some weekend and bank holiday work may be required. Access to transport is essential.

Qualifications

• Significant general office experience.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage a busy workload.
• Good IT skills and confidence using computer systems.
• Experience using a dental IT system would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Process and administer face to face, written, answerphone and telephone enquiries, in line with policy and service standards.
• Provide information and advice about dental services and NHS care for unregistered patients.
• Obtain personal details and handle sensitive information with patient confidentiality.
• Administer NHS charges, calculate fees and collect payments.
• Maintain appointment systems and support the Dental Team with admin tasks.

Skills

Administration experience

Communication skills

Organisational skills

IT skills

Dental IT system experience

Education

NVQ Level 3

RSA intermediate

NHS Dental rules knowledge

Tools

Dental IT system

Job description

Employer Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Salisbury Central Health Clinic Town Salisbury Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 18/09/2026 23:59

NHS AfC: Band 3

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital.

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used, then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Job overview

Community Dental Service, Salisbury

Are you an organised, friendly and professional administrator who enjoys helping people and providing excellent customer service?

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Community Dental Service for Wiltshire and Swindon as a full-time Receptionist/Administrator based at our Salisbury site.

As the first point of contact for our patients, you will play a vital role in ensuring a welcoming and efficient service. This is a varied and rewarding position where no two days are the same, offering the opportunity to work within a supportive healthcare team and make a real difference to patients' experiences.

The successful candidate may be required to provide cover at other sites across the service, therefore access to reliable transport is essential. The role also includes participation in some weekend and bank holiday working to support the Community Dental Out of Hours Service.

This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of a dedicated and welcoming team committed to providing high-quality dental care across Wiltshire and Swindon. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a patient-focused environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as part of a front-line team to deliver high quality services to public and staff. The post holder will be required to arrange appointments and provide information to patients. The role will involve handling payments, maintaining accurate records of transactions, undertaking basic banking and reconciliation duties. The post holder will also provide administrative support to members of the Dental Team. The role requires travel to all 4 sites of the service throughout Wiltshire and Swindon as required. The post holder will be required to work to a flexible shift pattern which will include weekends and bank holiday working.

What you'll be doing:

• Welcoming and assisting patients both in person and over the telephone
• Booking, changing and managing appointments
• Providing information and support to patients and visitors
• Processing payments
• Supporting the team with a range of administrative and office tasks
• Helping to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the service

What we're looking for:

• Previous administration experience is essential
• Excellent communication and customer service skills
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage a busy workload
• Good IT skills and confidence using computer systems
• Experience using a dental IT system would be advantageous, although full training will be provided

Working for our organisation

Salisbury is an attractive place to live and work and really gives you the best of everything. With easy access to London and local airports, the city of Southampton is only a short train or car journey away or if you prefer the sea, Bournemouth is also accessible. Don't just take our word for it, why not explore what Salisbury has to offer by visiting www.experiencesalisbury.co.uk

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Responsibilities and Duties

• Process and administer face to face, written, answerphone and telephone enquiries, requiring access to information and appointments in line with policy, procedures and service standards. Where necessary liaise with interpreters and other stakeholders
• Provide information and advice about dental services and access to NHS Dental Care for unregistered patients.
• Obtain personal details from patients and other sensitive personal, social and medical information, often of a complex nature. Handle all information in accordance with relevant legislation and with high regard for patient confidentiality.
• Ascertain whether patients should pay NHS charges or, if in receipt of benefits, which of these are relevant to exemption charges. Administer dental charges including exemption categories and checking of eligibility. Calculate fees, collect and handle patient payments. Take responsibility for security of monies.
• Receive and prepare documentation for patients and ensure completion of NHS Dental Forms.
• Maintain and operate the appointments system including call forwarding, filing of clinical records and multiple appointment diaries. Collate performance data from the appointments system.

Please see the attached job description for full information

Person specification

Experience

• Significant experience of general office work
• Experience of operating a cash handling system
• Experience of Health and Safety practice
• Understanding of personal health and safety responsibilities
• Previous experience of Dental reception work
• Previous experience of working with Dental IT systems

Education

• NVQ level 3 or equivalent training
• RSA intermediate or equivalent
• Knowledge of the NHS Dental rules and regualations

Thank you for expressing interest in this role. For further employer guidance, please review the attached supplementary applicant information.

Certificate of Sponsorship - Sponsorship can only be offered where the role meets the relevant eligibility criteria, including minimum salary requirements. Please note that not all roles within the organisation are eligible for sponsorship. Eligibility for this role includes:

• Current right to work in the UK, subject to verification

Meeting the Skilled Worker visa criteria, where applicable

From 4 April 2024, UK immigration policy changes increased the minimum salary levels required for Skilled Worker visas. Further information is available on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Current employees should be aware that this position is advertised as a Great Western Hospitals position and appointment ends any TUPE protection.

Candidates are responsible for covering the cost of their own DBS check if required: £21.50 for a Standard DBS check, recoverable from the first pay, or £49.50 for an Enhanced DBS check, divided and recoverable over the initial two pay periods. Payment for DBS checks for bank posts must be settled prior to commencement. Apprentices are exempt from DBS payment.

We are committed to supporting our staff in achieving a healthy work-life balance through flexible work arrangements. Upon joining the Trust, you have the right to request flexible working, with an unlimited number of requests allowed.

Upon acceptance of a job offer, your information will be transferred to the national NHS Electronic Staff Records System. All communication regarding your application will be conducted via email; please ensure to check your junk/spam folders as emails may occasionally be filtered there.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.