Medical Receptionist

The Lodge Health Partnership; St Albans; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare service provider in St Albans seeks a Medical Receptionist to deliver friendly and professional service to patients. You will manage communications, coordinate appointments, and utilize various computer systems like EMIS to ensure efficient healthcare delivery. Ideal candidates will have excellent communication and customer care skills, along with experience in a medical environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in General Practice or other medical environment.
• Experience in customer care.
• Ability to work as part of a multi-skilled team.

Responsibilities

• Welcome, assist, and direct patients to appropriate services.
• Manage communications including phone calls and eConsults.
• Coordinate appointments and home visits.
• Process prescription requests according to Practice protocol.

Skills

Customer care

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Ability to work under pressure

Computer literate

Education

Good secondary education

Medical Receptionist training

Customer Care training

Tools

EMIS

Microsoft Word

Job description

Working in a busy Practice puts a Medical Receptionist in a special position of trust and responsibility. You must provide a friendly, efficient, and professional front line service to patients, visitors, and the primary health care team both in person and by telephone. As the main contact for the Practice, the professional image and impression you project and the environment you maintain is essential to providing a positive experience with the Surgery.

A Medical Receptionist must have an excellent telephone manner, customer care, be organized and able to work under pressure during busy and difficult times. It is important to be able to help patients access appropriate services and to manage various patient needs - no two days are the same. Once fully trained, there may be some lone working during less busy times.

The Practice utilises a variety of computer packages in the day-to-day running of the Practice and, whilst full training is provided, all members of staff are required to use these to support efficient systems and communication.

Location

The applicant will be working at Lodge Surgery, Normandy Road, St Albans and Highfield Surgery, Russet Drive, St Albans, Redbourn Health Centre, Hawkes Drive or any other location that the Surgery may operate its services from in the future.

Main duties of the job

Welcome, assist, and direct patients to the appropriate services or healthcare professionals following Practice protocols.

Manage all communications efficiently, including phone calls, eConsults, prescriptions, and other enquiries.

Use Practice systems (EMIS, eConsult, EPS, email, intranet) to support patient care and communication.

Handle general enquiries, explain procedures, and arrange new or follow-up appointments courteously.

Coordinate appointments, messages, home visits, and other patient requests within set timeframes, ensuring accurate record-keeping.

Contact patients via phone, letter, or text as required.

Provide information on Practice services, register new or temporary patients, and follow procedures for overseas visitors.

Process prescription requests and manage private service fees, including issuing receipts and maintaining records.

Handle correspondence, reports, and results appropriately to maintain up-to-date patient notes.

Maintain a clean, professional reception and waiting area.

Open and close the premises securely, ensuring all systems and equipment are prepared or shut down as required.

Provide information on the Practice Complaints Procedure and assist with investigations when necessary.

Support training for new staff, students, and visitors.

Undertake additional administrative duties as directed by the Partners or Managers.

About us

Our GP Surgery is a friendly, patient-focused practice dedicated to providing high-quality primary care to our local community. We pride ourselves on offering accessible, compassionate, and efficient healthcare through a supportive team of GPs, nurses, healthcare assistants, and administrative staff.

We work collaboratively to deliver a wide range of medical services, including chronic disease management, health promotion, preventative care, and minor illness treatment. Our team values professionalism, respect, and teamwork, creating a welcoming environment for both patients and staff.

The practice uses modern clinical systems such as EMIS and eConsult to ensure safe, effective communication and continuity of care. We encourage innovation, continuous learning, and development, supporting all staff in achieving their professional goals while maintaining a strong commitment to excellent patient service.

Job responsibilities

Job Description

• Receive, assist, and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional within Practice protocols.
• Ensure all communications are dealt with effectively and efficiently to include telephone calls, dealing with the eConsults submitted by the patients for both clinical and administrative requests, prescription orders and any other means of communication.
• Effectively utilize the Practice computer system including EMIS, eConsult, Electronic Prescribing Service, electronic mail and intranet to support patient care and communication.
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments in a polite and helpful manner.
• Using Practice guidance and excellent communication skills ensure that patients access members of the clinical team within appropriate time frames organizing appointments, telephone messages, home visits and any other means of communication. Ensure that the necessary information is received and recorded to provide safe patient care.
• When necessary, contact patients via telephone, letters, text messages or other appropriate means.
• Provide guidance on Practice services to new patients and those seeking temporary medical cover, and ensure procedures for looking after people from overseas are followed.
• Record requests for home visits taking all relevant details and, where necessary, refer to the Duty Doctor.
• Action prescription requests according to the Practice protocol.
• Advise patients on private services available at the Practice and the relevant charges. Collect private fees, issue receipts and record as required.
• Respond to patient notes, ensuring correspondence, reports and results are dealt with appropriately.
• Tidy and maintain the reception, waiting room, public areas and consulting rooms to provide a professional image and environment.
• Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm, immediately check access to computer and make all necessary preparations to receive patients such as unlocking rooms, turning on waiting room equipment and computers, opening blinds, etc.
• When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal doors are locked, lights are off and the alarm activated.
• Provide information to patients on the Practice Complaints Procedure when necessary and, if party to a complaint, assist in the investigation process carried out by the Practice Manager.
• Provide training for other members of staff, medical students and any other visitors as appropriate to the post.
• Undertake any other additional administrative duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners, the Practice Manager or Reception Manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Good secondary education
• Dealing with the public
• Uses computer, either personally or professionally
• Good handwriting
• Good telephone manner
• Computer literate - email, internet and Microsoft Word
• Excellent customer care approachable and caring
• Ability to work as part of an integrated multi skilled team
• Calm and able to deal with difficult situations
• Use own initiative
• Keen learner
• Able to work under pressure
• Professional and friendly personality
• Organised
• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Able to work in a changing environment
• Able to provide flexible working hours
• Medical Receptionist training
• Customer Care training
• Experience in General Practice or other medical environment.
• Experience in customer care.
• Experience of using the EMIS web clinical system.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.