Receptionist - Hattersley Group Practice

gtd healthcare is one of the largest, not-for-profit, NHS commissioned primary and urgent care providers in North West England. An exciting opportunity has arisen for enthusiastic and committed individuals to work as a Receptionist in our Hattersley Group Practice.

We are a busy but friendly Practice, dedicated to serving our registered patients across the Hyde community for over 25 years. The practice is keen to develop and support staff to excel their career aspirations whilst making a positive difference to patients and the community.

The successful candidate will be friendly, confident, resilient, flexible, 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 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 Monday 08:00 to 14:00, Wednesday 08:00 to 13:00 and Friday 08:00 to 13:00.

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.

For further details, please refer to the attached job description.

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

As an employee of gtd healthcare, you will be able to take advantage of our benefits package, including:

• 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

Reception duties

• 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 behavior 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.

The post holder will participate in any training activity implemented by the Practice or gtd healthcare as part of this employment, such activity to include:

• Participation in an annual performance review (appraisal), including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own development activity.
• Taking responsibility for own development and learning by following through objectives set at appraisal.
• Ensure attendance at identified training events.
• Attend induction training, mandatory training and mandatory updates as required.
• Attendance at Practice meetings.
• Support the induction and training of new members of staff in reception procedures.

Equality & 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 individuals 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 nonjudgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.

Quality

The post holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice by:

• Alerting other team members to issues of quality and risk.
• Assessing own performance and taking accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision.
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and teams activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Person Specification

Experience

• Working in a busy public reception environment.
• Reception & clerical duties.
• Using Microsoft applications.
• Using a computerised 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 e.g. EMIS, Docman, accurx.

Qualifications

• Good standard of secondary education.
• Demonstrable commitment to professional development.
• IT/ Word processing.

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 healthcare 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.