Receptionist | Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

We are excited to be recruiting for receptionist roles for the pre-assessment and urology teams moving to the community diagnostic centre (CDC). The CDC at Gilbert Hitchcock House on Kimbolton Road has well-established community services such as phlebotomy, MRI, ultrasound, x-ray and cardiology diagnostic tests. Pre-assessment and urology outpatient services will provide essential services for patients in a newly refurbished area. This outpatient location means people will not need to come to the hospital and instead can be seen in a purpose-designed space.

The receptionist will be essential to the smooth running of the outpatient clinics, greeting people as they arrive and ensuring their appointments, tests and diagnostics are recorded on the IT system and followed up. We are looking for friendly, efficient and organised reception staff to work alongside the urology and pre-assessment teams. The applicants should be flexible to support covering the role between 8am and 6pm. Full-time and part-time posts are available.

• To greet people at reception in a helpful, polite and efficient manner.
• Check people in and out of their appointments.
• Answer phone enquiries and respond to emails.
• Work with colleagues as part of a team.

The successful applicant will help deliver patient services in order to support high standards of care. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential to the role along with good administration and IT skills and a good work ethic.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high-performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region, you will have access to a programme of high-quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values: We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust's core values. We achieve this by using values-based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when a sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering the first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.

The post holder will work within the Pre-op assessment and urology one-stop clinics and be responsible for providing a welcoming and efficient service as the patient’s first point of contact with the hospital. This will include greeting and signposting patients and relatives, processing patients using the Patient Administration System and liaising with clinicians and colleagues to facilitate a smooth and timely flow of patients through the department. The role is responsible for setting high standards of patient care by enacting the Trust’s values at all times.

Key Responsibilities:

• To liaise with the nursing teams, consultants and resident doctors, and trust support staff in person, via telephone and email as and when necessary.
• To show a caring and professional approach towards patients and visitors when carrying out reception and appointment duties, and when liaising on the telephone.
• Escalate patient queries, capacity problems and general issues to the role’s line manager or relevant clinical staff as appropriate.
• To show a caring and professional approach towards patients, relatives and carers. This may require acting with resilience to deal with sometimes distressed patients and relatives in an empathetic manner.
• To carry out associated clerical duties, for example maintaining accurate filing systems, receiving post, diary management and scanning patient notes if required.
• To keep waiting areas tidy and patient information materials up to date.
• To undertake the role’s duties in the case of a major incident or clinical emergency in your department (for example calling 999 in the event of a clinical emergency).
• Attend appropriate meetings, as required by your line manager.
• To check and update patient details on arrival and book them into clinic, retrieving data from a number of internal and external Patient Administration Systems.
• To book patient appointments in line with the Patient Access Policy, print letters and arrange any appointment-related services as and when required (e.g. transport and interpreting services).
• To input outcomes of appointments, including those of patients that did not attend, on the Patient Administration System and other relevant computer systems in a timely and accurate manner according to the relevant Trust standards.
• To check incoming email inbox(s) on a daily basis to keep up to date with departmental and Trust-wide news and information.
• To support the receipt of referrals into the service, as required by the line manager.
• Act in a flexible manner to utilise skills in other functions if and when appropriate, which might include prioritising and supporting urgent tasks.
• To keep patients updated when clinics are running late, providing updates regularly (e.g. every 30 minutes).