Receptionist - Primary Care in Ashton-under-Lyne

Gordon Street Medical Centre and Ashton GP Service, part of gtd healthcare, are friendly practices serving over 4000 registered patients. An excellent opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and committed Receptionist to join our team. The population is diverse and multi-cultural with a strong community spirit. A high percentage of our patients face deprivation and multi morbidity, making for a varied role as well as an opportunity to make a real difference to individuals, families and the wider community.

The successful candidate will be friendly, confident, resilient, flexible, and have well-developed teamwork, communication, organisational and customer service skills. Experience of working in a GP Practice and using Emis Web & docman would be desirable but not essential. We are keen to develop and support staff to excel in their career aspirations whilst making a positive difference to patients and the community. We put our people at the heart of everything we do. We are a values-driven organisation and we are passionate about providing the best possible healthcare for our patients.

The hours of work for this post are 20-37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 18:30, with potential availability from 07:45 when scheduled to open the practice.

Main duties of the job:

• Welcome and receive all patients and visitors to the Practice.
• Assist and direct patients to the appropriate healthcare professional/service.
• Process all requests for appointments, visits and telephone consultation/triage ensuring all calls are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional.
• Project a positive and friendly image to patients and visitors either in person or on the telephone.
• Complete new registration procedures and ensure accurate recording of details at all times.
• Receive and make telephone calls as required.
• Divert calls and take messages ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery.
• Action repeat prescription requests.
• Provide test results to patients.
• Accept payment and issue receipts for private services.
• Facilitate effective communication between patients, staff, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies.
• Act as a chaperone for general examinations if requested.
• Maintain a general overview of the reception area and take appropriate action to manage difficult/aggressive patient behaviour or those whose illness/condition worsens while waiting to be seen.
• Deal with general enquiries and explain procedures as requested.

About us:

At gtd healthcare, we do things differently. Our not-for-profit ethos and commitment to innovation offers patients the best experience possible and a unique opportunity to transform services. We are committed to developing and supporting our people to achieve their career aspirations while making a positive impact on patients and the wider community. Our values drive everything we do, with our people at the heart of delivering the best possible healthcare.

Benefits package:

• Working for a values-led organisation.
• Real living wage employer.
• Supporter of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter.
• Access to Stream, which provides flexible, on-demand access to stream your pay during the month.
• Salary sacrifice car benefit scheme.
• 30 days annual leave, rising to 32 after five years of continuous service.
• Flexible working hours and policies.
• Family friendly and carer policies.
• Opportunities to apply for innovation and quality awards.
• Access to gtd healthcare wellbeing initiatives.
• Opportunity to become part of an employee-owned organisation.
• gtd healthcare social and fun activities.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• NHS staff discounts, a free Blue Light Card and Health Service Discounts.
• Access to an employee assistance programme.

Job responsibilities:

• Welcome and receive all patients and visitors to the Practice.
• Assist and direct patients to the appropriate healthcare professional/service when they arrive at the Practice.
• Process all requests for appointments, visits and telephone consultation/triage ensuring all calls are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional and ensuring careful and accurate recording of details at all times.
• Project a positive and friendly image to patients and visitors either in person or on the telephone.
• Explain Practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients wishing to register and those seeking temporary registration ensuring all registration procedures are completed.
• Complete new registration procedures and ensure accurate recording of details at all times.
• Receive and make telephone calls as required.
• Divert calls and take messages ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery.
• Action repeat prescription requests and ensure they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours.
• Provide test results to patients on advice from the GP or Nurse.
• Accept payment and issue receipts for private (non-general medical services) services.
• Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies.
• Act as a chaperone for general examinations if requested following appropriate training.
• Maintain a general overview of the reception area and take appropriate action to manage difficult/aggressive patient behaviour or those whose illness/condition worsens while waiting to be seen.
• Deal with general enquiries and explain procedures as requested.
• Offer general assistance to the Practice team.
• To have a thorough knowledge of all Practice procedures and protocols and know where to access them for reference adhering to them at all times.
• Ensure adherence at all times to the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
• Maintain and monitor Practice appointment system.
• Process all incoming and outgoing mail.
• Action information received via email and fax.
• Undertake Choose and Book appointments as requested.
• Action, retrieve and accurately re-file patient notes and records as required.
• Ensure correspondence, reports, results etc. are filed/scanned promptly in the correct patient record and are available when patients are seen.
• Action notes from GPs for individual patients using the Practice clinical system.
• Enter and code specific data from Consultant letters, faxes and other correspondence.
• Summarise new and existing patient notes following appropriate training.
• Open up premises at the start of the day, if first to arrive, de-activate the alarm make all necessary preparations to receive patients for the opening time of the Practice.
• When last to leave premises at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, telephone diverted to Out of Hours number, internal lights are switched off and the alarm activated.
• Clear and re-stock consulting rooms as required.
• Ensure the reception area, notice boards and leaflet racks are tidy and free from clutter and obstructions.

Person Specification:

Qualifications:

• Good standard of secondary education.
• Demonstrable commitment to professional development.

Experience:

• Working in a busy public reception environment.
• Reception & clerical duties.
• Using Microsoft applications.
• Using a computerized booking in system.
• Dealing with the public/patients.
• Working in a busy telephone answering environment.
• Working as part of a team.
• Working in an NHS service.
• Working with Clinical software.

Skills and Attributes:

• Excellent organisational skills.
• Excellent communication skills verbal and written.
• Polite, pleasant & professional interpersonal manner, both on the telephone and in person.
• Able to work effectively as part of a team.
• Able to work on own initiative & problem solve within own area of work.
• An understanding, acceptance & adherence to the need for strict confidentiality.
• Able to work without direct supervision and determine own work priorities.
• Able to work under pressure.
• Able to liaise effectively with a range of individuals/services within the Practice, within GTD Primary Care and externally.
• Good standard of IT/word processing skills.
• Able to maintain an accurate and thorough approach to work.
• Able to work to set standards, policies & Procedures.
• Interest & aptitude for learning new skills.
• Willingness to actively engage in appraisal, personal development and training.
• Awareness of diversity issues & able to work in a non-discriminatory manner.
• Flexible approach to undertaking a wide variety of tasks.
• Flexible approach to working hours, willingness to work anti-social hours, shifts, cover at other Practices etc.

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.