PBS Clinic Receptionist | Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Knowsley; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare organization in England is looking for a PBS Clinic Receptionist. This role involves greeting patients, managing appointments, and maintaining accurate patient records in a busy outpatient department. The ideal candidate should possess excellent communication and keyboard skills, and be able to work well under pressure. A flexible approach to work is essential as shifts cover evenings and weekends. Previous clerical experience, particularly within the NHS, is desirable.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a clerical environment, preferably in the NHS.
• Ability to greet patients and visitors politely.
• Capacity to manage a demanding role successfully.

Responsibilities

• Handle patient appointments and check demographics accurately.
• Respond effectively to incoming calls.
• Input patient attendances and outcomes onto the system.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Keyboard skills

Ability to work under pressure

Teamwork

Pleasant and courteous disposition

Tools

Hospital Information System

Job description

Applications are invited from enthusiastic, hard working, self-motivated and committed individuals for the position of PBS Clinic Receptionist.

Candidates must have previous experience within a clerical environment (previous NHS experience is desirable) and have excellent communication skills. It is important that the successful candidate has a pleasant and courteous disposition, a polite telephone manner with a flexible attitude towards the demands of this post.

The ideal candidate must be able to work as part of a team, use own initiative, be able to meet deadlines and work with all disciplines of staff. We are looking for a person who can work well under pressure and remain calm and confident in difficult situations. The successful candidate will work days, evenings and weekends on different shift patterns to meet the demands of the Outpatient Department service requirements.

The successful applicant will be based on Clinic Reception in the busy Outpatients Department.

Duties include: accurate data inputting, making appointments using the Hospital Information System, responding efficiently and effectively to telephone calls and liaising with staff in the clinic including Doctors, Secretaries, Nurses and any other relevant staff. Keyboard skills are essential; full IT training will be given. The role may be demanding at times.

Outpatient Department opening times:
8:00 am – 8:00pm weekdays
8:00 am – 5:00pm weekend

All reception posts cover all sites: St Helens Hospital, Whiston Hospital and Lowe House.

The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our Services

• Acute Care – Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
• Primary Care – Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
• Community Services – Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
• Specialist Regional Services – We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Key Duties

• As a receptionist you must greet patients’, visitors’, and colleagues in a polite manner.
• Print patient clinic lists and relevant reports for clinics as required on a daily basis ensuring all relevant clinical staff are given copies.
• Check patient demographics including ethnicity with patients as they arrive at reception desk. Update Trust Patient Administration System (PAS) following the departmental operational procedure document.
• Identify any overseas visitors by checking present address and previous address within the last 12 months.
• Make appointments as required on PAS. Record on appointment card and hand card to patient or send a patient letter in the post within time limits (under 3 months, write appointment card, after 3 months request letter on PAS to be sent in post).
• Rearrange appointments for patients from cancellations and non‑attendance DNA patients following the Trust DNA procedure. Ensure all appointments are booked within 18‑week Trust/Government targets liaising with nursing and clinical staff. (Please read DNA procedure on Reception desk).
• Input patient attendances and outcomes onto the Trust PAS system, including any procedure coding as instructed from patient outcome sheet.
• Hold all clinics on a daily basis according to Patient Access Policy.
• Ensure 18‑week pathway process is adhered to and pathway clock start and stop times are inputted accurately. Liaise with Data Quality Team.
• Register all patient health record supplements (HRS) movements on the PAS system. Including dispatching HRS notes to other locations within the Hospital and receiving HRS notes into clinic areas.
• Deal with patients and their relatives in a friendly and sympathetic manner and attend in‑house Customer Care Workshop.
• Give general advice to patients in relation to their appointments or re‑direct to an appropriate department.
• Arrange ambulance transport for patients when required on the Patient Transport System (PTS).
• Deal with complaints on a first line basis or refer to nurse in charge of clinic or relevant department / member of staff. (N.B. May occasionally experience stressful or distressing situations).
• Prior to clinics commencing, organise workload to ensure all patients health records (HRS) checked with current patient lists, liaising with Health Records Department regarding health records not delivered/available.
• Ensure patient outcome forms/slips are attached to the HRS case notes for completion by the clinician. Notify nurse in charge of clinic of any incomplete outcome slips while patient in attendance at clinic.
• Complete all EDMS CQUINN never letters in accordance with local Trust procedure.
• Complete medical insurance forms (Medicash etc.) that do not need written medical input by clinician.
• Deal with telephone appointments and queries in a professional manner and accurately record messages.
• Comply with Trust and Departmental Policies and Procedures.
• The post holder will be responsible for the undertaking clerical duties to support the process of the Trust’s patient activity and to meet the relevant departmental targets following departmental booking Policy and Procedures.

Training Responsibilities

• Attend I.T. training and keep abreast of updates as they occur.
• Attend non‑clinical mandatory training and other training courses relevant to the job role. Maintain record in personal development portfolio.
• Record all ‘in‑house’ reception training provided by Team Leader.
• To be aware of the Records management, Information Governance, Caldicott, confidentiality and data protection act.
• To work towards relevant qualification/customer care workshop/Develop Personal Resilience course.

This advert closes on Tuesday 9 Dec 2025.