Receptionist / Care Navigator

This is a key role within the practice, acting as the first point of contact for patients face-to-face, over the telephone and through our Total Triage system. The successful candidate will work across both reception and triage duties, responding to patient enquiries and triage requests, communicating effectively with patients and ensuring they are directed to the appropriate service in line with practice procedures.

General practice is a busy and challenging environment, requiring a calm, compassionate and caring approach, with the ability to remain organised and work effectively under pressure.

Main duties of the job

You must have experience in customer service and administration with a good general standard of education including Maths and English GCSEs or equivalent. Most important is the ability to remain calm in an extremely busy and sometimes challenging environment along with the sensitivity to deal with our patients and remain efficient at all times. Previous experience in general practice would be advantageous but training will be given.

Job Responsibilities:

• Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the Practice.
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments.
• Using your own judgment and communication skills ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non-disruptive manner.
• Explain Practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover and ensure procedures are completed.
• 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 that they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours, either on the computer or manually.
• Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for same.
• Enter patient information on to the computer as required.
• Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to.
• Ensure correspondence, reports, results etc are scanned promptly and in the correct records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are seen.
• Ensure records are kept in good repair with all necessary information on the outside cover clearly visible.
• Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and make all necessary preparations to receive patients.
• Ensure that all new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately.
• Support the Practice in developing approved business changes that include process improvements and assist in embedding these into daily operations/contribute to increasing clinical effectiveness.
• Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager.

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.

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, to 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, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.
• Reporting potential risks identified.

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 peoples 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.

Personal/Professional Development:

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 teams performance.
• Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
• Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Communication:

The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognize peoples 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.
• Participate in audit where appropriate.

Person Specification:

Qualifications: Educated to GCSE level (or equivalent) including Grade C in English & Maths, EDCL/RSA Typing qualification with the ability to touch type, ECDL/CLAIT or other IT qualification, NVQ level 2 in customer service, Medical receptionist diploma.

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.