Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Title

Medical Receptionist

Line Manager

Practice Manager

Accountable to

Practice Manager

Hours per week

25-30 Hours per week

Job Summary

To be responsible for undertaking a wide range of reception and administrative duties and the provision of general support to the multidisciplinary team. Duties can include but are not limited to, greeting and directing patients, patient registration, booking appointments, processing of information (electronic and hard copy) 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.

Mission Statement

The Kingstanding Circle Surgery is committed to providing and delivering the highest standard of healthcare to the patients of the practice and the local community, through the provision of personal medical services and interaction with NHS England.

Generic Responsibilities

All staff at Kingstanding Circle Surgery have a duty to conform to the following:

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

A good attitude and positive action towards ED&I creates and environment where all individuals are able to achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons: it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.

Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.

Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that you treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.

Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)

This practice is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities to for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety. You have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for you, your team and others, and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. All personnel are to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environment Act 1995, Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999 and other statutory legislation.

Confidentiality

This practice is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters, pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times. It is essential that if, the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained that all staff protect patient information and provide a confidential service.

Quality & Continuous Improvement (CI)

To preserve and improve the quality of our output, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do, but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work. The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the practice to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice.

This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver health care with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuous improvement, where everyone counts and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care.

Induction Training

On arrival at the practice all personnel are to complete a practice induction programme; this is managed by the Practice Manager.

Learning and Development

The effective use of training and development is fundamental in ensuring that all staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences to perform their role. All staff will be required to partake and complete mandatory training as directed by the training coordinator, as well as participating in the practice training programme. Staff will also be permitted (subject to approval) to undertake external training courses which will enhance their knowledge and skills, progress their career and ultimately, enable them to improve processes and service delivery.

Collaborative Working

All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working. Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments. Effective communication is essential and all staff must ensure they communicate in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner.

Service Delivery

Staff at Kingstanding Circle Surgery must adhere to the information contained with practice policies and regional directives, ensuring protocols are adhered to at all times. Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.

Security

The security of the practice is the responsibility of all personnel. Staff must ensure they remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager. Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks to anyone and are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured.

Professional Conduct

At Kingstanding Circle Surgery, staff are required to dress appropriately for their role. Administrative staff will be provided with a uniform whilst clinical staff must dress in accordance with their role.

Leave

All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all of their staff are afforded the opportunity to take a minimum of 20 days leave pro rata each year, and should be encouraged to take all of their leave entitlement.

Primary Responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the receptionist/administrator. There may be on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels:

a. Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointment system

b. Process personal, telephone and e-requests for appointments

c. Answer incoming phone calls, transferring calls or dealing with the callers request appropriately

d. Signpost patients to the correct service

e. Process incoming and outgoing mail

f. Initiating contact with and responding to, requests from patients, team members and external agencies

g. Process referrals to external agencies such as secondary care using the electronic referral system (ERS)

h. Process calling letters are requested

i. Process all DNA letters in accordance with current policy

j. Action GP2GP tasks

k. Read code data on EMIS Web

l. Photocopy documentation as required

m. File and store records as required

n. Data entry of new and temporary registrations and relevant patient information as required

o. Input data into the patients healthcare records as necessary

p. Scanning of patient related documentation and attaching scanned documents to patients healthcare records

q. Process requests for information i.e. SAR, insurance / solicitors letters and DVLA forms to the administrative team

r. Manage all queries (including administrative queries) as necessary in an efficient manner

s. Carry out system searches as requested

t. Maintain a clean, tidy, effective working area at all times

u. Monitor and maintain the reception area and notice boards

v. Support all clinical staff with general tasks as requested

Secondary Responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the receptionist/administrator may be requested to:

Partake in audit as directed by the audit lead

b. Produce meeting agendas and record the minutes of meetings

c. Support administrative and reception staff, providing cover during staff absences

d. Complete opening and closing procedures in accordance with the duty rota

e. As required support other staff in the management of repeat prescriptions, ensuring they are processed accurately and efficiently

f. Ordering and monitoring of stationery supplies

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Person Specification Receptionist / Administrator
• Qualifications
• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent
• NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care desirable
• Experience
• Experience of working with the general public
• Experience of administrative / receptionist duties
• Experience of working in a health care setting
• Skills
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Strong IT skills
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Competent in the use of Office and Outlook
• EMIS / System one / Vision user skills
• 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
• Personal Qualities
• Polite and confident
• Flexible and cooperative
• Motivated
• Forward thinker
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Ability to work under pressure
• Other requirements
• Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check

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 details

Employer name

Kingstanding Circle Surgery

Address

26 Rough Road

Kingstanding

Birmingham

B44 0UY

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.kingstandingcirclesurgery.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Reception Team Supervision

• Provide day-to-day supervision, guidance and support to reception staff.
• Assist with the organisation and allocation of reception duties.
• Monitor workloads and help ensure adequate reception cover.
• Support the induction and training of new reception staff.
• Identify training and development needs within the team.
• Encourage good teamwork, communication and professional standards.
• Support the Practice Manager with staff performance and conduct matters where appropriate.

• Ensure patients receive a friendly, respectful and professional service.
• Deal appropriately with patient queries, concerns and complaints, escalating issues when necessary.
• Support the team in managing difficult or challenging situations professionally.
• Promote a patient-centred approach throughout the reception service.
• Ensure patients are treated with dignity, courtesy and respect.

• Use the EMIS clinical system confidently and effectively.
• Ensure reception and administrative procedures are followed correctly.
• Support accurate maintenance of patient records and information.
• Assist with appointment-related administration and other practice processes.
• Monitor and help improve reception workflows and procedures.
• Maintain accurate and confidential documentation.

• Liaise effectively with GPs, nurses, healthcare assistants, administrative staff and other members of the practice team.
• Communicate important information to the reception team in a clear and timely manner.
• Attend relevant practice meetings and contribute to discussions about reception services.
• Promote effective communication between reception and other departments.

• Maintain strict patient confidentiality at all times.
• Comply with practice policies, NHS requirements and information governance procedures.
• Ensure sensitive patient and practice information is handled appropriately.
• Follow GDPR and data protection requirements.

• Follow practice health and safety procedures.
• Report any hazards, incidents or concerns to the appropriate person.
• Ensure reception areas are maintained in a professional and safe condition.
• Comply with all relevant practice policies and procedures.

• Contribute ideas and suggestions to improve the patient experience and efficiency of reception services.
• Identify recurring issues and work with the Practice Manager to develop appropriate solutions.
• Support the implementation of new systems, procedures and changes within the practice.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Level 3 Business Administration very relevant for supervising reception/admin staff.
• Level 3 Customer Service useful for patient-facing reception leadership.
• Level 3 Team Leader/Supervisor apprenticeship
• ILM Level 3 Award/Certificate in Leadership and Management
• Care Certificate
• Previous experience working in a General Practice/Primary Care environment
• Previous experience working in a GP reception or administrative role
• Practical experience using the EMIS clinical system
• Experience dealing directly with patients and members of the public
• Experience working in a busy environment and managing competing priorities
• Experience handling confidential and sensitive information
• Experience supporting, guiding or supervising colleagues

Desirable

• If you're already working as a GP Reception Supervisor
• You don't necessarily need to obtain a qualification before being considered a supervisor. Experience can be just as important, particularly if you're responsible for things such as:
• supervising reception staff
• organising rotas and annual leave
• training and inducting new receptionists
• dealing with patient complaints
• managing difficult situations
• monitoring reception performance
• supporting clinicians and the practice manager
• managing telephone/appointment systems
• handling confidentiality and information governance
• implementing practice procedures

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 details

Employer name

Kingstanding Circle Surgery

Address

26 Rough Road

Kingstanding

Birmingham

B44 0UY

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.kingstandingcirclesurgery.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)