Receptionist & Admininstrative Support

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust; West of England; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is seeking two Receptionist/Administrators to join the Therapy Services team at Southmead Hospital. The roles require friendly, adaptable individuals who can manage a varied workload and provide excellent patient-facing service.

You will greet patients, book appointments, handle enquiries, and support data entry and records using Trust systems. Previous hospital reception experience is desirable; commitment to teamwork is essential.

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE or equivalent.
• IT literate with experience of inputting data or using a patient administration system.
• Competent keyboard skills essentially accuracy and speed.
• Experience of working in a hospital setting or in a reception/clerical role is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide a professional and friendly reception service for patients and visitors.
• Manage appointments, clinic bookings and patient enquiries.
• Support administrative processes including data entry and record management.
• Liaise with clinical and administrative staff to ensure smooth service delivery.
• Ensure accurate and timely use of Trust systems.
• Work flexibly and manage workload to maintain high service standards.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Customer service

Education

GCSE or equivalent

Tools

Patient administration system

Job description

The Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy teams at Southmead Hospital are looking to recruit two receptionists who will also provide administrative support to the services. This is a fast-paced, varied and exciting environment ideally suited to individuals who are organised, efficient and have excellent interpersonal skills. You will thrive in a role where no two days are the same.

We are looking for bright and friendly individuals who are adaptable and able to manage their own workload effectively. You should be calm, well-motivated, and demonstrate a positive and flexible approach to a challenging and varied working environment. Excellent communication skills are essential for these roles.

Previous experience of working within a hospital setting or in a clerical or receptionist role is desirable. If you are looking to become part of a diverse, dynamic and committed healthcare team, this could be the opportunity for you.

Main duties of the job

As a Receptionist/Administrator your key responsibilities will include:

• Providing a professional and friendly reception service for patients and visitors.
• Managing appointments, clinic bookings and patient enquiries.
• Supporting administrative processes including data entry and record management.
• Liaising with clinical and administrative staff to ensure smooth service delivery.
• Ensuring accurate and timely use of Trust systems.

You will be expected to work flexibly and manage your workload effectively ensuring a high standard of service is maintained at all times.

About us

You will be joining a diverse, supportive and committed team within Therapy Services at Southmead Hospital. Our teams are dedicated to delivering high-quality patient care and continuously improving the services we provide.

We value teamwork, respect, and a positive working environment, and we are committed to supporting staff wellbeing and development.

North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

Job responsibilities

We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated individuals who:

• Are organised, efficient and able to prioritise their workload
• Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Demonstrate a calm, professional, and friendly manner
• Are adaptable and able to respond to a changing work environment
• Bring a positive, flexible, and proactive approach to their work

Previous experience working in a healthcare setting or in a reception/administrative role is desirable, but not essential.

Full Job roles and description as follows:

To welcome patients,carersand visitors to the department.

To be polite and friendly, dealing with queries in an efficient andtimelymanner.

To ensure patient information is kept confidential and not shared with others.

To respond to queries from patients, carers,visitorsand staff.

Tomaintaina safe environment for patients and staff, raising concerns promptly.

To keep patients informed if clinics are overrunning.

To liaise with and alert a clinicianin the event ofa patient becoming unwell and requiring prompt/immediate attention.

To oversee patients awaiting transport and liaise with the transport departmentin relation to patients still waiting.

To take and action internal calls on the reception desk.

To follow and adhere to Trust Standard Operating Procedures and Quick Reference Guides(QRGs).

To follow procedure for patients that do not attend (DNA) their appointment and ensure the necessary actions have been carried out on the day.

To book follow up appointmentsaspatients leavethe department.

To ensure patient essential information is checked and updated at each visit,eg.telephone contacts, ethnicity etc.

If required to generate a letter for patient once appointment has been scheduled.

To carry out the administratively element of the appointment outcomein a timely mannermeeting the required key performance indicators.

Admin Support

To process patient referrals received including transferring referrals to other service providersand other departments.

To respond promptly to short-notice clinic cancellationsensuring all patients are promptly contacted by telephone and verbally informed of the clinic cancellationbeforereschedulingtheirappointment.

Retrospective booking of clinics appointments to ensure all patient attendances are recorded appropriately onCareflow.

Addingpatients to a waiting list where necessary offering appointment dates within agreed timescales as per Patient Access Policy ensuring patients are managed chronologically oraccording topriority of referral(urgentandroutine).

To deal with enquiries from all service users in a helpful,courteousand diplomatic manner.

Photocopying, filing and other administrative duties to ensure the efficient running of the office as well as being flexible in terms of ad-hoc administrative tasksrequirements.

EDMS uploading asrequired.

Ensure that patients are offered the first available date considering previously cancelled appointmentswith multiple patient cancellations being flagged to treating clinician for clinical validation.

Notifying patents of their booked appointment date and time verbally by telephone(iewhen booking into a last-minute slot).

Ensuringappropriate paperworkis sent to patientsin a timely mannerrelevant to groupbookings.

To be flexible to alter shifts to support cover and duties due to annual leave/sicknesswhere possible.

Provide cover for colleagues across the specialty during periods of planned annual leave and sickness.

Promptly answer telephone enquiries, taking and relaying messages in a polite and helpful manner. This may include enquiries from patients, theirGPsandother departments/hospitals.

Maintain a high quality in own work and encourage others to do so.

Toassistwith the trainingneeds ofnewstaffstarters.

Contribute to own personal development andassistwith learning and development activities.

Be aware of the needs and concerns of patients and to provide a friendly, efficient service to patients. Use effective listening and communication skills when dealing with potentially distressed patients. Use empathetic approach to patients seekingassistancefrom clinical staff/senior managers asappropriate.

To undertakeadditionaladministrative tasks and responsibilities as required by theB4 team leader and/orSpecialty Manager.

Person Specification

Education/Training/Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE or equivalent
• IT literate with experience of inputting data or using a patient administration system.
• Competent keyboard skills essentially accuracy and speed.

Work Experience

• Experienced of general office administration and clerical duties within or outside of the NHS or similar organisation.
• Experience of working as part of a team in a multi-disciplinary environment.
• Ability to demonstrate good customer care skills both face to face and over the telephone.
• Understand outpatient booking processes and/or a fundamental understanding of the NHS.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Good verbal and written communication skills with the ability to investigate queries, taking action as required.
• Able to develop good / strong working relationships amongst team, colleagues and staff.
• Able to deal with day-to-day duties and tasks in a calm, organised, and flexible approach to meet the needs of the service.
• The ability to work to tight deadlines in a bustling department.

Personal Qualities/Special Circumstances

• Able to work with regular interruptions and multiple service users.
• Able to work independently as well as part of a wider team.
• Work with confidence and sympathy when dealing with patients, carers and visitors.
• Advanced communication skills with a professional manner.
• Excellent timekeeping and attendance record.
• Able to deal with all levels of multidisciplinary staff groups.

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.