DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Reception Duties Receive and direct patients and visitors on arrival at the reception area in a friendly and courteous manner, ensuring their requirements are met professionally and efficiently. Assisting patients with self check-in as required. Provide help to patients and visitors with general enquiries, and to assist them to make appointments, using the electronic appointment system. Receive, record and direct accurate messages when appropriate and pass these onto other members of the team using emails or the clinical system. Deal efficiently with general enquiries from patients - explain surgery procedures, appointment system and all other procedures for obtaining services, hand out patient information / practice leaflet as appropriate. Provide patient forms / referral letters that are waiting for collection. Using your own judgement and communication skills ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non-disruptive manner To advise patients on approximate waiting times and of any unexpected delays. To advise patients of relevant charges for private services and take in fees from patients where applicable and issue receipts. To listen to patients complaints, remaining polite and empathetic at all times, making sure they are addressed and dealt with appropriately, enlisting the help of a senior colleague when needed. At the start of the day, make all necessary preparation to receive patients. At the end of the day ensure that the reception area is tidy and ready for use by staff the next day. Deal with any paperwork received whilst on duty, ensuring no patient information is left in drawers/on desk within the reception area. Photocopy forms/patient information etc. ready for use. Good knowledge of administrative duties Referrals, non NHS paid work, scanning, medical coding & summarising in order to best help the patient at point of contact to ensure patient contact is served with the upmost customer care that does not lead into multiple contacts for the patient. Good knowledge of prescriptions, ordering, issue of medication time frame, destination of pharmacy/chemist in order to best help the patient at point of contact to ensure patient contact is served with the upmost customer care that does not lead into multiple contacts for the patient 2. Operation of Telephone System Receive and make calls as required. Divert calls and take messages as appropriate Use of telephone management system, ensuring callers are not kept queuing longer than necessary and keeping talk time to a minimum. Transferring calls to out of hours services as required i.e. on PLT days. Answer telephones promptly in a polite and professional manner and manage calls appropriately ensure phones are answered efficiently. Dealing with patients and other callers and forwarding to the most appropriate team member if necessary. 3. Administrative Duties To register new and temporary patients who are in the practice area and inform patients of practice facilities. Register patients on the clinical system ensuring all details needed for the registration authority are completed. To check and accurately update patients addresses and telephone numbers and other contact information on the clinical system. Complete tasks sent via the clinical system. Ensure admin room is tidy, risk free and patient confidentiality is maintained at all times following the practices clean desk policy. To process urgent referrals in absence of admin Team To process the pathway for death notifications Scanning Processing of Practice Generic Email in box 4. General Tasks To ensure confidentiality is maintained for patients attending the practice and hospital at all times. Chaperone for the GPs if requested to do so training to be provided. To help with any other tasks that may require to be done in order to maintain efficient operation of the practice as requested by the doctors or managers. To attend reception meetings when scheduled. To attend PLT training. To support and mentor new staff. To contribute to team working within the practice, offering support to and seeking support from colleagues wherever possible. Ensure shutters are in place at the close of surgery and during PLT sessions (notices should be displayed for PLT) In certain circumstances it may be necessary to help cover for colleagues who are absent, or provide additional hours or take on additional duties in times of pressure/crisis. This is not an exhaustive list of duties but is intended as a guide. Communication Practice staff should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to: Communicate effectively with other team members. Communicate effectively with patients and carers. Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly. Training and Education: Continually keeps up to date with current evidence based practice Involved in continuous practice development through arrangement of clinical in house training days and taking part in that through teaching and sharing of knowledge Supports and provides mentorship for newly employed staff Participates in in-house training provided Training will monitored by annual appraisals, you will be required to complete all mandatory training this is in-house, external and electronic modules and must be kept up to date. Adhere to practice policies and procedures. Work Setting and Review Works under direct supervision of the Reception Lead Ability to prioritise duties to ensure patient needs are met Daily supervision and training of assistant post. Individual Responsibilities Attendance and completion of mandatory training as directed by the practice. Adhere to practice policies and procedures. Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development Completion of minimum necessary qualification (NVQ Level 2 in Customer Care), part of which the post holder will need to complete outside of working hours 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. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. 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