Receptionist - Quays Medical Practice

Join our friendly and professional healthcare team as a Medical Receptionist, where you'll play a vital role in creating a positive experience for patients from the moment they contact the practice. This fast‑paced and rewarding position combines excellent customer service, administration, and patient care, offering the opportunity to make a real difference every day. If you're organised, compassionate, and enjoy working with people, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• Welcome patients and visitors in a professional, friendly, and compassionate manner.
• Manage incoming telephone calls, emails, and enquiries, providing accurate information and directing queries appropriately.
• Schedule, amend, and cancel appointments using the practice's booking system.
• Register new patients and maintain accurate patient records in line with data protection and confidentiality requirements.
• Process correspondence, referrals, and administrative documentation efficiently and accurately.
• Support clinicians and the wider healthcare team with administrative tasks as required.
• Handle patient requests, prescriptions, and general enquiries in accordance with practice procedures.
• Manage waiting areas and patient flow to ensure a positive patient experience.
• Receive and distribute mail, documents, and other communications.
• Maintain high standards of confidentiality, professionalism, and customer service at all times.
• Contribute to the smooth day‑to‑day running of the reception and administrative functions of the practice.

About us

6,000 patients, 3 GP partners offering an excellent supportive clinical and administrative working environment. Triage practice since 2015, operating Emis and askmyGP with practice pharmacist and nurse‑led minor illness clinics. Training practice for Specialty GP Trainees, Foundation Year doctors and Cardiff final year medical students.

Job responsibilities

The purpose of the role is to:

• 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 practice manager/deputy practice manager, dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:

• Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointments system via askmyGP and Emis.
• 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.
• Actioning of path results and tasks.
• 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.
• 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.
• Keeping the reception area, noticeboards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter.
• Undertaking any training required by the practice.

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, the practice health & safety manual, and the practice infection control policy and published procedures. This will 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, PPE and maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way, free from hazards.
• Actively reporting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised.
• Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holder's role.
• Undertaking periodic infection control training, minimum annual requirement.
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

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 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 that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.

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.

This Job Description is not exhaustive and is a guideline to the scope of duties involved. It will be reviewed at regular intervals. It is not intended as a rigid inflexible specification and will be subject to the changing requirements of Quays Medical Practice.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• GCSEs English and Maths grade C or above - or equivalent.

Experience

• Minimum 2 years experience of working in a public reception or similar environment.
• Experience of dealing with the public and patients.
• Experience of working with Emis clinical system.
• Experience of managing a busy and multi‑skilled team schedule.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent keyboard and computer skills.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality and discretion.
• Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness and common sense.
• Good attendance record and timekeeping.
• Able to work under pressure and remain calm in stressful situations.
• Pleasant and articulate.
• Able to work in a changing environment.
• Enthusiastic and motivated.
• Able to use own initiative.
• Flexibility of working hours - able to work at the desired times.
• Ability to work without direct supervision and recognise workload priorities.
• Experience of a Primary Care environment.

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.