Medical Receptionist - Part Time in Bury St Edmunds

Woolpit Health Centre is seeking a professional and personable Medical Receptionist to join our busy and dedicated team. This is a key role within the practice, focused on delivering a friendly, efficient, and high-quality service to our patients while supporting the smooth day-to-day running of the Practice. We welcome applications from individuals with experience in healthcare administration, particularly within the NHS. However, we also encourage candidates with strong transferable skills, excellent communication and a genuine passion for patient care to apply.

As a Medical Receptionist, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the patient experience. You will be the first point of contact for patients, helping them access the appropriate services and responding to enquiries in a professional and compassionate manner. Our Reception Team operates on a variable shift pattern between 08:00 and 19:00. The post holder must be adaptable and willing to work across these hours to support the needs of the service. This is an excellent opportunity to join an experienced and supportive team committed to delivering high standards of patient care.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure that an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice
• Deal with all general enquiries and explain surgery procedures
• Answer the telephone and call navigating to appropriate clinicians or healthcare professionals depending on the presenting condition
• Book, amend and cancel patients' appointments, ensuring optimum efficiency of the appointment system
• Monitor and process online requests via Anima alongside the duty GPs
• Receive and record requests for home visits, ensuring clinicians have the necessary paperwork
• Undertake various administrative actions such as scanning and uploading patient documentation as part of the workflow process, ensuring that correspondences such as reports and results are filed electronically in the correct patient record
• Open up/lock up the practice premises and maintain security
• Process and distribute incoming and outgoing mail
• Take messages accurately and pass on information
• File and retrieve paperwork and medical records as necessary
• Monitor daily inboxes and process digital requests
• Work collaboratively as part of a team in a fast-paced environment
• Provide general administrative support such as filing, photocopying and scanning
• Input data and code patients' healthcare records as necessary
• Resolve low level IT issues and report complex IT problems to the relevant organisation
• Be flexible and provide cover for staff sickness and annual leave as needed
• Carry out any reasonable duties requested by the Doctors, Practice Manager, Operations Manager, Reception Manager or Lead Receptionist

Benefits

• Attractive rates of pay with annual pay review (not agenda for change)
• Regular one-to-ones to aid good communication
• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Voluntary overtime when available
• Plenty of training opportunities
• Membership of the NHS contributory pension scheme including: The NHS Pension Scheme is a defined benefits scheme, Life insurance, Family benefits including an adult dependants pension and children's pension, Ill health benefits
• Free uniform
• Option of NHS discount and Blue Light Card for retail/dining/holidays

Skills

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Effective time management
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Good interpersonal skills
• Ability to follow policies and procedures
• Competent in the use of Office and Outlook

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent
• Active signposting or Care Navigator training qualification

Personal Qualities

• Polite and confident
• Flexible and cooperative
• Motivated
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Ability to work under pressure / in stressful situations
• Able to communicate effectively and understand the needs of the patient
• Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort

Experience

• Experience of working with the general public
• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of working in a healthcare setting

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.