Medical Receptionist in Erith

At Bexley Medical Group, our mission is to provide the best healthcare to our patients. We are a friendly team looking for like-minded people who can help us fulfil this mission and make a real difference to our patients' lives. You will be working across our 3 sites to support the delivery of the highest quality primary care service to our patients.

Day to day responsibilities include:

• Answering patient queries on the phone and in person
• Booking patients with the right clinician
• Calling patients to book them in for health checks and vaccinations
• Completing administrative tasks

You will need to follow our systems, policies and procedures carefully and ensure that you maintain confidentiality at all times. You will also be providing administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the Practice.

Main duties of the job:

• Experience of working in a medical surgery will be very beneficial and also use of EMIS and Docman.
• You will need to be empathetic towards patients and also have a calm and clear attitude.
• Incoming and outgoing mail and messages will need to be passed in an efficient way.
• You will need to be computer literate as you will be dealing with data entry/data collations.
• A good understanding of Data Security will be essential.
• Keeping reception area, notice boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstruction.

About us:

Our surgeries are across 3 sites; Bexleyheath, Bexley and Erith. We have over 20,000 patients across the three sites. We are a large team comprising of GP partners, salaried GPs, PAs, Nurses, a pharmacy team, administrative teams and reception teams.

Job responsibilities:

• Offer general assistance to the Practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone.
• Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way.
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the Practice including the provision of secretarial and clerical support to clinical staff and other members of the Practice team.
• Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the Practice administration team may include any or all of the items in the following list. Duties may be varied from time to time under the direction of the Senior Receptionist/Practice Manager, dependent on current and evolving Practice workload and staffing levels:

• Opening up/locking-up of Practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with Practice protocols.
• Maintaining and monitoring the Practice appointments system.
• Processing personal and telephone requests for appointments, visits and telephone consultations and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional.
• Processing and distributing incoming (and outgoing) mail.
• Taking messages and passing on information.
• Filing and retrieving paperwork.
• Processing repeat prescriptions in accordance with Practice guidelines.
• Computer data entry/data allocation and collation; processing and recording information in accordance with Practice procedures.
• Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team members and associated healthcare agencies and providers.
• Clearing and re-stocking consulting rooms as required.
• Providing clerical assistance to Practice staff as required from time to time, including word/data processing, filing, photocopying and scanning.
• Ordering, re-ordering and monitoring of stationery and other supplies.
• Dealing with clinical waste.
• Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter.

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.

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 hazards.

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 recognises the importance of people's 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.

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 team's performance.
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients' needs.
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

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 people's needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

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.

Person Specification:

Qualifications: Experience of working in a GP Practice, confident on EMIS and Docman. Computer Literate. Flexible to cover sickness or annual leave. Able to cover morning and/or evening shifts. The right candidate will demonstrate excellent communication skills, be warm, friendly and empathetic but also able to negotiate with patients. You will be a fast learner who can follow our processes carefully as well as an enthusiastic and confident team player who will fit in well with our team.

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.