Job summary Hartshill Medical Centre is a well-established practice with a focus on high quality training and patient care. We are based in a purpose-built medical centre, caring for 8000 patients. We provide a high standard of training to GP registrars (ST3, ST2 & ST1) and medical students. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic, hard working receptionist with excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills. This role will involve spending time in a patient facing capacity and completing tasks. The successful candidate must also be passionate and committed to delivering the highest quality of care for our patients. Main duties of the job You will be responsible for the general administrative and reception duties within the Practice and work with our established processes, policies and procedures to provide a comprehensive high-quality service and deal efficiently and courteously with patient enquiries. You will have excellent communication skills, a compassionate and friendly nature who can operate in a busy environment with a range of people and professions, as you will be working our clinical and administration teams. Your regular duties in this role will be dealing with telephone, face to face and electronic enquiries, booking and/or amending patient appointments and home visits, contacting patients to provide information from the clinical team and assisting patients to access our services and those available in the wider community. This role is ideal for someone who is highly organised and an effective communicator who can provide a professional and warm welcome to our patients, ensuring every contact is of the highest quality. About us We are an established practice with many long-serving members of the team, with historically a very low staff turnover. In the last year we have expanded our team to welcome some of our amazing apprentices to the Hartshill family and created new roles. Date posted 23 October 2024 Pay scheme Other Salary £11.44 an hour Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time, Part-time Reference number A0728-24-0002 Job locations Ashwell Road Stoke-on-trent ST4 6AT Job description Job responsibilities Reception duties Greeting patients in a friendly and approachable manner, putting them at ease Assisting patients to make and amend appointments whether that be directly booking them an appointment or directing them to the online consultation webpage Signposting patients to other relevant services (care navigation) Answering patient questions, within your competency Passing on messages on behalf of the clinic team Giving out results, where appropriate Documenting communications/ interactions with patients in the clinical notes Keeping the clinical records up to date Accepting specimens following established practice protocols Assisting patients to register with the practice Take part in recalls for patient health checks Complete opening and closing procedures Key administrative areas Monitoring the various task groups within the practice, acting on them in an efficient manner Engaging with the practices recall systems Action incoming emails Processing repeat prescriptions Photocopying, scanning and filing of paper records Undertake such duties as may be required from time to time to support the day-to-day functioning of the practice. Communication Communicate effectively with other team members Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating Maintain effective communication within the organisation 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, 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. Any breach of confidentiality is a disciplinary event and will be treated as gross misconduct which could result in termination of employment Health & Safety The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, to include: Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazard Reporting potential risks identified. Equality and Diversity The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include: Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights. Personal/Professional Development The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, including Statutory and Mandatory training. Such training to include- Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work. Attend and participate in practice meetings as required Quality The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will- Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs Effectively manage own time, workload and resources. Contribution to the Implementation of Services The post-holder will- Apply practice policies, standards and guidance Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work Participate in audit where appropriate Implement maximum flexibility of work to maintain a high level of efficiency, eg working in any area of the practice if requested to do so, according to the needs of the practice Comply at all times to the Staff Contract, Practice Policies & Procedures including CQC policies, Data Protection & GDPR Feedback To listen to feedback from patients and colleagues whether this be a compliant, comment or compliment and if it cannot be dealt with immediately to the Practice Manager. CCQ To work within the guidelines set be CCQ to ensure the Practice is safe, efficient and provides the best possible care for patients. Job description Job responsibilities Reception duties Greeting patients in a friendly and approachable manner, putting them at ease Assisting patients to make and amend appointments whether that be directly booking them an appointment or directing them to the online consultation webpage Signposting patients to other relevant services (care navigation) Answering patient questions, within your competency Passing on messages on behalf of the clinic team Giving out results, where appropriate Documenting communications/ interactions with patients in the clinical notes Keeping the clinical records up to date Accepting specimens following established practice protocols Assisting patients to register with the practice Take part in recalls for patient health checks Complete opening and closing procedures Key administrative areas Monitoring the various task groups within the practice, acting on them in an efficient manner Engaging with the practices recall systems Action incoming emails Processing repeat prescriptions Photocopying, scanning and filing of paper records Undertake such duties as may be required from time to time to support the day-to-day functioning of the practice. Communication Communicate effectively with other team members Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating Maintain effective communication within the organisation 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, 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. Any breach of confidentiality is a disciplinary event and will be treated as gross misconduct which could result in termination of employment Health & Safety The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, to include: Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazard Reporting potential risks identified. Equality and Diversity The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include: Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights. Personal/Professional Development The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, including Statutory and Mandatory training. Such training to include- Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work. Attend and participate in practice meetings as required Quality The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will- Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs Effectively manage own time, workload and resources. Contribution to the Implementation of Services The post-holder will- Apply practice policies, standards and guidance Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work Participate in audit where appropriate Implement maximum flexibility of work to maintain a high level of efficiency, eg working in any area of the practice if requested to do so, according to the needs of the practice Comply at all times to the Staff Contract, Practice Policies & Procedures including CQC policies, Data Protection & GDPR Feedback To listen to feedback from patients and colleagues whether this be a compliant, comment or compliment and if it cannot be dealt with immediately to the Practice Manager. CCQ To work within the guidelines set be CCQ to ensure the Practice is safe, efficient and provides the best possible care for patients. Person Specification Qualifications Essential GCSEs in Maths and English at grade C (grade 4) or above Desirable NVQ Level 3 or equivalent level of knowledge in office procedures Experience Essential Experience of working under own direction Evidence of working with IT systems Experience in working in a customer/ patient/ client facing role Desirable Experience of working in medical administration Experience in a patient focused environment Experience in wide range of administrative systems and software programmes Experience of supporting service improvement Previous experience in NHS/Primary Care/Local Authority role Person Specification Qualifications Essential GCSEs in Maths and English at grade C (grade 4) or above Desirable NVQ Level 3 or equivalent level of knowledge in office procedures Experience Essential Experience of working under own direction Evidence of working with IT systems Experience in working in a customer/ patient/ client facing role Desirable Experience of working in medical administration Experience in a patient focused environment Experience in wide range of administrative systems and software programmes Experience of supporting service improvement Previous experience in NHS/Primary Care/Local Authority role 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 Hartshill Medical Centre Address Ashwell Road Stoke-on-trent ST4 6AT Employer's website https://www.hartshillsurgery.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)