Reception/Administrative Duties: Ensure efficiency of appointment system and monitor flow of patients into consulting and treatment rooms. Ensure that patients without appointments who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non disruptive manner. Explain the Practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover, ensure procedures are completed. Advise patients of relevant charges for private services accept payments and issue receipts for same. Respond to queries and requests for assistance from patients and other visitors. Ensure requests for home visits are dealt with in the correct manner. Action requests for ambulance transportation as required. Ensure reception and waiting areas are kept neat and tidy. Ensure patient prescription requests and queries are dealt with in an efficient and timely manner. All administration duties to include daily tasks, emails, queries. Management of appointment system. Ensure total familiarity with appointments system including regular and incidental variations. Book appointments and recalls ensuring sufficient information is recorded to retrieve medical records. Monitor effectiveness of the system and report any problems or variations required. To sign post patients to the most appropriate clinician. Operation of telephone system: Receive and make calls as required. Divert calls and take messages as appropriate. Start and end of day procedures: Open up premises at the start of day and make all necessary preparation to receive patients. Secure premises at end of day, ensure the building is totally secured, internal lights off. Any other delegated duties considered appropriate to the post. Special requirements of the post: An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality. An ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness, common sense and local knowledge to respond to patients enquiries and requests. Excellent communication skills. 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 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, 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 Communication: The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to: Communicate effectively with other team members Communicate effectively with patients and carers Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly