Receptionist & Administrator

Hove Medical Centre; Hove; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare practice in Hove is seeking a part-time or full-time Receptionist to join their friendly team. The successful candidate will provide excellent service to patients, handle enquiries, and support clinic staff. The role requires excellent communication skills, the ability to work independently, and experience in customer service. Working hours will range between 20 to 37.5 hours weekly, with a positive work environment and generous holidays offered.

Benefits

Generous holiday entitlement

NHS pension scheme

Qualifications

• Experience of reception work and customer service is essential.
• Confidentiality is crucial in handling patients' information.
• Ability to communicate clearly and politely on the phone.

Responsibilities

• Dealing with patient enquiries face-to-face or over the phone.
• Booking appointments and managing patient data.
• Ensuring an efficient reception service for all visitors.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to work independently

Team player

Problem solving skills

Education

GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths

Tools

TPP SystmOne Clinical System

Job description

Overview

Hove Medical Centre is a well established training practice at the foot of the South Downs that requires someone to join their friendly and supportive reception team. If you like to learn new things and like to be kept busy, please read on.

We have a vacancy for either a full time or 2 part-time receptionists working between 20 and 37.5 hours per week. The hours will be worked between 08:00 and 18:30, Monday to Friday and will likely include some early starts (08:00) and some late finishes (18:30).

There will be an opportunity to work additional hours to cover holiday absences and occasional early evening clinics. The right person will provide a professional, positive and friendly service to our patients, deal with general enquiries and support our GPs, nurses and other clinicians to deliver a first class medical service.

Main duties of the job

• Dealing with patient enquiries either face to face or over the phone
• Booking appointments, working closely with our Triage GPs
• Keeping patient data up to date
• Explaining procedures
• Assisting and supporting clinic staff
• Liaising with other healthcare organisations

The candidate will need to:

• Be confidential
• Have excellent communication skills
• Able to work independently
• Be a team player

Overview of your organisation

Hove Medical Centre's clinical team is made up of 4 GP partners, 3 salaried GPs, 1 nurse practitioner, 3 practice nurses, 1 clinical pharmacist, 2 healthcare assistants, 1 social prescriber and 1 Mental Health Coordinator. The clinical team is supported by a business manager and a team of 16 admin/reception staff.

Being a training practice, the clinical team can include GP registrars, student nurses, paramedic practitioners, physician associates, clinical pharmacists and medical students. It is rewarding to see some of these clinicians return in the future, fully fledged, knowing that we helped them on their journey. We support our staff on their own journey by providing a friendly and proactive working environment.

About us

Overview of your organisation

Hove Medical Centre's clinical team is made up of 4 GP partners, 3 salaried GPs, 1 nurse practitioner, 3 practice nurses, 1 clinical pharmacist, 2 healthcare assistants, 1 social prescriber and 1 Mental Health Coordinator. The clinical team is supported by a business manager and a team of 16 admin/reception staff. Being a training practice, the clinical team can include GP registrars, student nurses, paramedic practitioners, physician associates, clinical pharmacists and medical students. It is rewarding to see some of these clinicians return in the future, fully fledged, knowing that we helped them on their journey. We support our staff on their own journey by providing a friendly, varied and proactive working environment. We offer a generous holiday entitlement and staff are entitled to join the NHS pension scheme.

Job responsibilities

Job title: RECEPTIONIST

Reports to: RECEPTION MANAGER

Hours: 20-37.5 hours per week

Job summary

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.

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 judgment 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 into the visit book, ensuring to carefully record all relevant details and referring to duty doctor where necessary
• Action repeat prescription requests and ensure that they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours, either on the computer or manually
• Prepare lists and notes for all surgeries and clinics held, ensuring completion of all associated paperwork
• Advise patients of relevant charges for private services, accept payment and issue receipts for 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
• Make and serve refreshments, ensure the kitchen is kept clean and tidy and air and tidy the waiting room in turn with other staff
• Open up premises at the start of the day and ensure the building is ready to receive patients; close and secure at the end of the day
• Ensure that all new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately
• Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the partners or the business manager
• 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. 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, the practice health & safety manual and the practice infection control policy and published procedures. This will 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
• Actively reporting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness
• Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum annually)
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children

Equality and diversity

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

• Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way consistent with practice procedures and policies
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
• Behaving in a manner that is welcoming to the individual, non-judgmental and respectful of circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights
• Participation in training programmes implemented by the practice

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, including

• Alerting other team members to issues of quality and risk
• Assessing own performance and taking accountability for actions
• Contributing to team effectiveness and suggesting improvements
• Working with individuals in other agencies to meet patients’ needs
• Managing 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 team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise 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 how policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
• Participate in audit where appropriate

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills

• Understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Excellent communication skills (Written and Oral) - Basic understanding of Microsoft Office - Clear, polite telephone manner - Accuracy and attention to detail - Time management and the ability to work to deadlines
• Smart, polite and confident - An organised approach to work with the ability to plan, prioritise and balance conflicting demands - Performing under pressure - Adaptability - Ability to use own initiative and work autonomously - Self-motivated - Ability to work flexibly
• Knowledge of TPP SystmOne Clinical System - Understanding of a primary care environment and patient care
• Problem solving skills using diplomacy and tact - Interpersonal skills

Qualifications

• GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths

Experience

• Experience of using own initiative
• Experience of working with the general public
• Experience of reception work, customer service
• Experience of working as part of a team
• Experience of working within General Practice

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.