Medical Receptionist

Hartlepool & Stockton Health [H&SH]; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A local healthcare provider in Tees Valley seeks a Receptionist to assist patients by providing effective reception services and handling enquiries. The role requires experience in primary care, alongside strong communication and organizational skills. Responsibilities include appointment scheduling, managing patient information, and ensuring a welcoming environment for visitors. This position is vital for supporting the practice team and enhancing patient experience.

Qualifications

• Experience of working in primary care.

Responsibilities

• Provide effective reception service to patients and visitors.
• Deal with general enquiries and appointment management.
• Ensure accurate recording of patient information and requests.

Skills

Effective communication skills

Customer service orientation

Organizational skills

Job description

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

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 of the job

• Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments.
• Using your own judgement and communication skills ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non‑disruptive manner.
• Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover and ensure procedures are completed.
• Receive and make telephone calls as required. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery.
• Enter requests for home visits onto the clinical system, ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor.
• Direct repeat prescription requests to the appropriate person and ensure that they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours, either on the computer or manually.
• Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non‑General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for the same.
• Enter patient information onto the computer as required.

About us

At Hartlepool and Stockton Health GP Federation our guiding aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of local people. Relationships are key to everything we do and by working with our practice members and their Primary Care Networks, as well as other local partners, we strive to provide excellent services that help people to live their best lives.

As part of this support, we are hosting this job advert on behalf of one of our member practices.

Job responsibilities

• Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice.
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow‑up appointments.
• Using your own judgement and communication skills ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non‑disruptive manner.
• Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover and ensure procedures are completed.
• Receive and make telephone calls as required. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery.
• Enter requests for home visits onto the clinical system, ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor.
• Direct repeat prescription requests to the appropriate person and ensure that they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours, either on the computer or manually.
• Advise patients of relevant charges for private -non General Medical Services- services, accept payment and issue receipts for the same.
• Enter patient information onto the computer as required.

Patient notes and correspondence

• Retrieve and re‑file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to.
• Ensure correspondence, reports, results etc. are filed promptly and in the correct records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are seen.
• Ensure records are kept in good repair with all necessary information on the outside cover clearly visible.

Kitchen and premises duties

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

Opening and closing duties

Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de‑activate alarm, and make all necessary preparations to receive patients.

When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights and all computers are off and the alarm activated. Check both gates are locked securely.

Premises and registration

• Ensure that all new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately.
• Ensure premises are clean and tidy at all times.
• Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager.

Additional responsibilities

To be arranged as and when you are competent to do so.

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, 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.

Equality and Diversity

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

Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people's 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‑judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development

The post-holder will 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

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 team's performance.

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Communication

The post-holder should 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 people's 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

• Experience of working in primary care

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.