Receptionist - Emergency Department (Shift work)

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust; Bath; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Emergency Department Receptionist on a part-time basis (30 hours/week) for a busy 24/7 ED in Bath. The role demands flexible shifts, professional front-of-house conduct and accurate clerical support to the clinical team.

Key responsibilities include handling reception duties, triaging basic patient arrival information, managing calls and emails, and maintaining confidentiality and empathy in sensitive situations.

Qualifications

• Must have understanding and knowledge of general office equipment (computer, photocopier, scanner, telephone system)
• Evidence of good literacy skills
• Evidence of good numeracy skills
• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in Customer Service or equivalent practical experience
• ICT qualifications (Desirable)

Responsibilities

• Provide efficient administration and reception service supporting the Emergency Department clinical teams.
• Provide front of house services to patients and relatives ensuring confidentiality.
• Handle Emergency Department telephone and email queries.
• Book in and direct patients, performing basic triage and informing clinical staff as needed.
• Demonstrate empathy when dealing with highly sensitive situations and distressed patients.

Skills

Multitasking

Communication

Confidentiality

Stress management

Education

NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Tools

Telephone system

Computer

Photocopier

Job description

Job Overview

Emergency Department Receptionist – Part Time 30 hours per week

This role is offered on a 6 month secondment or fixed term contract. Are you looking for varied shift work in a fast‑paced environment, with excellent learning opportunities and no two days the same? If so, we would love to hear from you.

We are looking for a motivated and reliable Receptionist to join our Emergency Department Reception Team. This is a busy, 24‑hour service where you will play a vital role in supporting patients arriving via GP referral, ambulance, or self‑presentation. The Emergency Department operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including bank holidays. The role therefore requires flexibility to support a range of shift patterns across these service hours. We are currently offering a part‑time vacancy and provide a supportive and welcoming environment within an enthusiastic and committed team of receptionists and clinical staff. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your skills while working in a dynamic and rewarding setting.

Main duties of the job

• To provide an efficient and comprehensive administration and reception service, supporting the Emergency Departments clinical teams.
• To provide front of house services to patients and relatives in a professional and sensitive manner ensuring confidentiality at all times
• To deal with all Emergency Department telephone and email queries
• Book in and direct all patients who attend the Emergency Department, carrying out a basic triage of patients, taking into account the severity of the complaint, and ensure clinical staff are aware of their arrival as necessary.
• Provide empathy when dealing with highly sensitive areas, such as relations of very poorly or deceased patients, or with sensitive health conditions.
• To undertake any clerical duties as deemed necessary and reasonable, working autonomously and without direct supervision to prioritise and complete the workload, using established practices and procedures, seeking support if appropriate.

Working for our organisation

At the RUH we’re proud to put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone’s contribution in supporting the exceptional, person‑centred care we pride ourselves on.

We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks – celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.

A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.

We value staff wellbeing, with a well‑established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We’ve even got a pool!

We are committed to supporting you and hope you want to join our team. In the meantime, find out more about living and working in the beautiful historic city of Bath, learn about our extensive package of staff benefits, and read about how we’re providing healthcare fit for the future with the landmark Dyson Cancer Centre and our passion for research.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Please find attached to the vacancy a detailed person specification and job description for further information about this role.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Must have understanding and knowledge of general office equipment i.e. computer, photocopier, scanner, telephone system
• Evidence of good literacy skills
• Evidence of good numeracy skills
• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in Customer Service or evidence of equivalent practical experience

Desirable criteria

• ICT qualifications

Specific Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to handle several tasks at once with frequent interruptions and prioritise workload
• Evidence of ability to communicate with all levels of staff and members of the public
• An understanding of the meaning of confidentiality and the requirement for this to be maintained
• Ability to deal with the general stresses of working with difficult patients and the distressing circumstances that can arise

Desirable criteria

Knowledge and experience

Essential criteria

• Previous experience within a clerical environment
• Previous experience working with Patient Administration systems

Desirable criteria

• Previous Emergency Department or Hospital receptionist experience

Please note - Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered unless an alternative right to work solution can be provided. Candidates requiring sponsorship (or will need sponsorship at the end of a current visa e.g. those with graduate visa's) should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying: Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if we receive a high number of applications. We strongly encourage you to complete and submit your application in good time to ensure it can be considered.

Documents to download

• Receptionist_Emergency Department_Job_Description (PDF, 321.4KB)
• Join the RUH (PDF, 1.3MB)

Further details / informal visits contact

Name Paula Fullbrook Job title Admin Team Leader Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01225 826307 Additional information