Receptionist/Clerical Officer

NHS; England; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare trust is seeking a Receptionist/Clerical Officer to support their Sexual Health Service in Sefton. The successful candidate will be the first point of contact, providing reception duties and administrative support in a fast-paced environment. Strong communication skills and the ability to manage varied tasks are essential. This role requires flexibility to work across different venues and have previous reception or administrative experience.

Qualifications

• Experience of dealing with the public, both face to face and on the telephone.
• Previous receptionist or administrative experience.
• Understanding of confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Meeting and greeting service users as they arrive in the department.
• Creating, updating and amending electronic patient records.
• Providing non-clinical advice and signposting service users.

Skills

Good written and verbal communication skills

Interpersonal skills including tact and diplomacy

Good customer service skills

Typing and keyboard skills

Ability to prioritise own workload

Flexibility, reliability and punctuality

Education

Educated to GCSE standard or equivalent in Maths and English

ECDL or equivalent experience of using Microsoft Office Software Packages

Job description

Go back Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Receptionist/Clerical Officer

The closing date is 21 September 2025

The Sexual Health Service is seeking to appoint Clinic Receptionist/ Clerical Officers to join their teams, working across clinics in Sefton.

The Clinic Receptionist/ Clerical Officer is the first point of contact for users of the Sexual Health service and will support day to day operational duties within a fast-paced service.

You will be required to staff the Single Point of Access, providing non-clinical advice, signposting, and arranging appropriate appointments for patients when they contact the service.

Working closely with the Sexual Health Administration Manager you will provide receptionist duties and other administrative support to the sexual health service.

You will be able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills and will have the ability to forge and maintain good working relationships with colleagues.

The ability to effectively communicate with service users is essential.

Please Note: Under UK law, we are unable to sponsor candidates for VISAs for this position. Therefore, applicants must have the right to work in the UK without the need for sponsorship.

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

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide clerical support to the Sefton Sexual Health Service.

The post holder will be required to work in all departments of the Sefton Sexual Health service where necessary including Single Point of Access.

This will also include reception duties at various locations, data input, record management, booking service users onto the Sexual Health Patient Administration System and assisting in the day to day running of the reception.

The post holder will deal pleasantly with clients, members of the public and staff.

From 1st April 2026 MWL will no longer provide the sexual health contract and it will not be an NHS provider after this date.

About us

The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.

From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.

The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.

Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:

• CARE that is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
• SAFETY that is of the highest standards
• COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
• SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
• PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients

Our achievements include:

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

Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description for full details.

• Meeting and greeting service users as they arrive in the department
• Issue service users with a registration form for completion and input their details accurately onto the Sexual Health Management System.
• To create, update and amend electronic patient records, with particular emphasis on ensuring all demographics are accurate.
• Use the Sexual Health Patient Administration System to book and track service users through the service
• Undertake photocopying, scanning, email and memo requests
• Prepare documentation and labels ready for the patients attendance
• Ensure waiting area and workspace is kept tidy
• Undertake reception administration duties, including filing, database input and ensure secure storage of confidential information
• Attend to mail, redirecting and distributing correspondence as required
• To ensure that at the end of clinic all patient identifiable information is securely stored
• Assist in the securing of the reception area at the end of clinic and the locking up procedures of the building.
• To staff the Single Point of Access, providing non-clinical advice, signposting service users to the most appropriate walk in clinic and management of appointments
• To ensure personal and telephone enquiries from service users are dealt with in a confidential, polite, helpful and non-judgemental manner
• Record telephone conversations in electronic records in a clear, concise manner.
• Liaise with other clerical and secretarial staff as necessary
• Provide cross cover for colleagues within the Sexual Health services during sickness or annual leave.
• To work across the service in both Hub and Spoke venues including evening and weekend provision to meet the needs of the service
• To act as the first point of contact for service users making complaints either in the clinic or on the telephone ensuring that they are handled sensitively and in a positive manner, with onward referral to the relevant Manager within the service as necessary in accordance with Trust policy
• Assist with the induction, training and supporting of new receptions and staff in liaison with the Sexual Health Administration Manager
• Work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team to meet the needs of service users
• Issue condoms to service users aged 18 or over
• Keep up to date with sexual health issues, current legislation, service policies and procedures ensuring clinical governance is maintained.
• Attend internal staff meetings including working groups in order to assist in the development of the service
• Inform Sexual Health Administration Manager of any significant changes within the clinic in relation to reporting incidents, accidents, complaints and waiting times

Person Specification

Educated to GCSE standard or equivalent in Maths and English Evidence of good written and verbal communication skills ECDL or equivalent experience of using Microsoft Office Software Packages Experience of dealing with the public, both face to face and on the telephone Previous receptionist or administrative experience Typing and keyboard skills Understanding of confidentiality Good interpersonal skills including tact and diplomacy Good Customer Service skills and ability to deal with service users in a professional and positive manner Ability to prioritise own workload Ability to act on own initiative and understand limitations of own role and knowledge Flexibility, reliability and punctuality Ability to work in a sensitive, confidential and non-judgemental manner Ability to be mobile and able to work in all venues across Sefton as and when required

Proposed Interview date: 22nd May 2025

Please note that this vacancy may close early should a sufficed number of application be received.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE standard or equivalent in Maths and English
• Evidence of good written and verbal communication skills
• ECDL or equivalent experience of using Microsoft Office Software Packages

Experience

• Experience of dealing with the public, both face to face and on the telephone
• Previous receptionist or administrative experience
• Experience of working in the NHS or similar Health Care Setting

Skills

• Typing and keyboard skills
• Understanding of confidentiality
• Good interpersonal skills including tact and diplomacy
• Good Customer Service skills and ability to deal with service users in a professional and positive manner
• Ability to prioritise own workload
• Ability to act on own initiative and understand limitations of own role and knowledge
• Flexibility, reliability and punctuality
• Ability to work in a sensitive, confidential and nonjudgemental manner

Other

• Light physical effort
• At keyboard for long periods
• Combination of sitting, standing and walking
• Concentration for accessing and updating patient details, answering queries and data inputting
• Occasionally speaking to distressed or emotional service users either by telephone or face to face
• Ability to be mobile and able to work in all venues across Sefton as and when required
• Use of computer for long periods
• Office conditions

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.

Employer name

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust