Receptionist, Healthcare

To be responsible for undertaking a wide range of reception duties and the provision of general support to the multidisciplinary team. Duties will include but are not limited to, greeting and directing patients, effective use of the appointment system, booking appointments, processing of information and assisting patients as required. To act as the central point of contact for patients, the distribution of information, messages and enquiries for the clinical team, liaising with multidisciplinary team members and external agencies such as secondary care and community service providers.

• Service of patients enquiries in a helpful and sympathetic manner, via face to face, email and over the telephone.
• Handle general enquiries referring where necessary.
• Make new and follow-up appointments.
• Accept and record messages for the Practice Nurses, GPs and other members of staff.
• Record requests for repeat prescriptions.
• Record requests for home visits and contact the duty doctors with late calls.
• Record payments received from patients for private services e.g. immunisations, private prescriptions, private medical certificates etc.

Essex House Surgery aims to provide high quality health care in a safe, responsive, courteous and effective way. Our goal is to provide a wide range of quality, evidence-based, accessible primary care services in an environment that supports and promotes learning, team work and good communication. Our staff are committed to providing the best care possible and to involving patients in decisions about their care.

We aim to treat all patients with dignity and respect, providing the same care irrespective of race, gender, religion, age or medical condition. Our overarching aim is to treat our patients and colleagues in a way we would want members of our own families to be treated.

• Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointment system.
• Process personal, telephone and e-requests for appointments.
• Answer incoming phone calls, transferring calls or dealing with the callers request appropriately.
• Deal with incoming emails and web requests, redirecting or dealing with the request appropriately.
• Signpost patients to the correct service.
• Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, team members and external agencies face to face, by telephone and electronically.
• Read code data on Vision.
• Photocopy documentation as required.
• Issue acute prescriptions and reprint lost prescriptions.
• Data entry of new and temporary registrations and relevant patient information as required.
• Input data into the patients healthcare records as necessary.
• Participate in health promotion activities, and promotion of online and other services.
• Scanning of patient related documentation and attaching scanned documents to patients health care records.
• Generate and send correspondence to patients and external agencies via letter, email and e-referral service (eRS).
• Direct and deal with requests for information i.e. SAR, insurance / solicitors letters and DVLA forms.
• Contact helpdesk for support when necessary.
• Attend meetings and training when required.
• Manage all queries as necessary in an efficient manner.
• Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times.
• Monitor and maintain the reception and waiting areas and notice boards.
• Loading and unloading dishwasher.
• Preparing rooms for meetings, including refreshments when necessary.
• Support all clinical and administrative staff with general tasks as requested.
• Ensure all rooms and admin areas are adequately stocked with stationery supplies and forms.

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral).
• Clear, polite telephone manner.
• Competent in the use of Office.
• Effective time management (Planning & Organising).
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Problem solving & analytical skills.
• Ability to follow policy and procedure.
• Flexible and cooperative.
• Can do, will do attitude and approach.
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent.
• GCSE Mathematics & English (C or above).

• Experience of working with the general public.
• Experience of administrative duties.
• Experience of working in a health care setting.

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.