Practice Administrator/Receptionist in Nottingham

Hucknall Road Medical Centre is looking for a receptionist/administrator to join our busy GP practice in Nottingham.

Main duties of the job:

• Candidates must have excellent communication skills and be able to work well under pressure.
• The role includes providing general assistance to the practice team and candidates must have a positive can-do attitude to their work and work well as part of a team.

Working pattern: Mon 08.00‑13.00, Wed 08.00‑13.00

About us:

We are a large friendly teaching practice and we pride ourselves in excellent patient care and our ability to continually adapt to changes in Primary Care.

Job responsibilities:

The purpose of this role is to:

• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the Practice including the provision of clerical support to clinical staff and other members of the Practice team.
• 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.
• Facilitate effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies.

Main duties and responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken 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 Operational 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.
• Deal with general telephone enquiries from patients and the general public.
• Register new patients.
• Adding/creating templates.
• Record requests for home visits.
• 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 to relevant team members.
• Filing and retrieving paper notes.
• 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.
• Providing clerical assistance to Practice and Trust 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.
• Provision of refreshments for staff and visitors as required and keeping the kitchen area clean and tidy.
• Keeping the reception area, notice‑boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter.
• To organise and maintain a comprehensive and confidential filing system.
• Ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times (both in and out of working hours).
• Any filing/shredding of a personal nature should be dealt with as soon as possible.
• Ensure clean and tidy environments are maintained.
• To undertake training and development as required.
• Any other duties appropriate to the grade of the post that may be reasonably required by the appropriate manager.

Confidentiality and record keeping:

Observe a strict code of confidentiality at all times. 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.

Communication:

• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise people’s needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

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 patient’s needs.
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.
• Ensure that policies, protocols, guidance, procedures and training offered are followed at all times.

Personal and professional development:

The post holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, and seek to continually improve their skills and knowledge. Such training will include:

• Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal/or professional development.
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Additional responsibilities:

To comply with the following:

• Employment Policy & Procedures – The post holder will ensure that they read the Employment Policies and procedures.
• Health, Safety and Fire Regulations – 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.
• 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.
• Report all accidents and incidents in line with Practice protocol.

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.

Any legislation that directly and indirectly relates to your employment.

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 and seek to continually improve the overall effectiveness of duties undertaken.

The job description is intended to outline the main duties and responsibilities of the employee. This is not an exhaustive list of duties and the post holder may be required to undertake any other duties, as required, to meet the needs of the service. It is also likely that changes will be required from time to time and is not intended to be fixed for an indefinite period.

Person Specification:

Qualifications:

• Good level of education.
• NVQ 2 customer services or equivalent.

Experience:

• Ability to operate a busy telephone system.
• Working within a patient/customer environment that provides quality services.
• General clerical experience.
• Working with a computer.
• Excellent keyboard skills.
• Knowledge of general practice.
• Knowledge of NHS services.

Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to use initiative.
• Ability to work as an effective part of a team.
• Sensitive to the needs of others.
• Courteous and helpful.
• Able to accept and respond to constructive criticism.
• Motivated towards personal development.
• Punctual.
• Meticulous/thorough in processing.
• Flexible working to ensure business and service continuity.
• Logical/lateral thinker.
• Calm manner.
• Reliable.
• Honest.
• Trustworthy.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Self‑motivation.
• Able to manage own workload.

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.