Receptionist (Outpatients, Virtual & Community Diagnostic Centre)

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Reception Team for our new Community Diagnostic Centre working alongside our Outpatient and Corneo Department reception team at The Queen Victoria Hospital. You will be key to supporting our new service welcoming patients. Your role will include checking patients in and out for their hospital appointments, dealing with patient enquiries over the phone and face to face, and working in a team consisting of nursing, administration and clinicians in the Outpatients Department.

We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic, motivated, flexible, hardworking, and positive thinking whilst adhering to the Trust Values. The service operates Monday to Friday, and the shift pattern will be 8 am to 4 pm.

Manage Outpatients, Virtual Clinic, and CDC Reception desks for the department and deliver an excellent patient experience by meeting and greeting stakeholders in a friendly and professional manner. Ensure visitors and patients are directed to the appropriate waiting area, as required, keeping parents, carers, and patients regularly informed of any delay.

To identify patients that may require transport, interpreters or any other special needs and escalate to Band 3 Reception staff to action, in accordance with Trust guidelines. Manage the flow of patients and their carers through the reception area, identifying those who may require assistance or to be highlighted as a priority to the clinical staff. Maintain contact with patients waiting either in person or online, and maintain regular communication with the clinicians throughout the day, ensuring they are aware of any patient who has been waiting a long time.

The ability to respond to unexpected events or difficulties encountered by both clinicians and patients, either in the clinic or online, identifying the possible causes of any issue and choosing the most appropriate course of action in order to resolve it. Deal with queries and potentially challenging or distressed patients at reception or online, especially if clinics are running late, clinics have been cancelled at short notice, or the patient has received upsetting news.

To answer and resolve a wide range of telephone, face to face and online queries to the department in a professional, empathic, polite, and courteous manner. These may be non-routine and will require some questioning of the caller, who may be a patient, carer, or member of another hospital team, in order to understand the nature of their query and then take action as appropriate. Phone for taxis for patients who have attended the hospital but are less able.

Maintain a tidy, safe working environment, reporting any hazards or faults in a timely and appropriate manner. Encourage patients to complete the Friends and Family Survey. Check that patients' arrivals and departures are correctly recorded on trust systems which are currently Enlighten for check-in, and Attend Anywhere for video consultations. Validate patients’ identification and demographic details. Where new or revised information is obtained, update the Trust’s Patient Administration System (PAS).

Ensure Trust standards relating to confidentiality are followed at all times, including the disposal of confidential material and use of online/video systems. Ensure all clinics, whether face to face, telephone or virtual, are cashed up on a daily basis on the Trust’s PAS. Book follow-up appointments as and when requested by the clinician, ensuring that patient cancellations and DNAs are dealt with in accordance with the Access policy.

Raise Datix to the Risk team for incidents that occur within the department. Ensure uncashed clinic reports are actioned weekly, liaising with secretaries as required. Work with the team leader and clinical service managers to identify opportunities to improve the service. Undertake any other reasonable duties, responsibilities or projects as requested commensurate with the postholder’s skills, knowledge and experience.