Long Stratton Medical Partnership has an opportunity for an enthusiastic and proactive receptionist to join our team on a part-time basis for 24 - 30 hours per week. The hourly rate is minimum wage for the first 3 month probationary period, rising to £12.81 on successful completion of competencies.
The receptionist provides a professional, efficient, caring and confidential first point of contact for patients, carers and visitors. The post-holder will help patients access the most appropriate service through the practice's total triage model, support the wider practice team and contribute to safe, accurate and responsive day-to-day operations.
Key responsibilities:
- Welcome patients and visitors in a courteous, calm and respectful manner, maintaining privacy at the reception desk and in waiting areas.
- Respond to general enquiries, explain practice procedures and help patients access appropriate clinical, administrative or external services without offering clinical advice.
- Identify urgent, deteriorating or potentially unsafe situations and escalate them immediately in accordance with practice protocols. Reception staff must not make clinical decisions or independently determine clinical priority.
- Support patients who may be distressed, vulnerable, angry, confused or experiencing communication barriers, using appropriate de-escalation and seeking assistance when required.
- Register new and temporary patients promptly and accurately, including processing information received through the digital registration service and checking demographic and contact details.
- Arrange, amend and cancel appointments in line with appointment-booking rules, clinical instructions and the practice's total triage arrangements.
- Process requests for home visits in accordance with the practice protocol, recording all relevant information accurately and escalating the request to the appropriate clinician.
- Manage practice email and shared work queues as allocated, responding or redirecting items promptly and securely.
- Process changes of address, telephone numbers, email addresses, consent and communication preferences accurately, confirming identity and practice boundary requirements where appropriate.
- Follow the practice procedure for reporting and processing patient deaths, ensuring that actions are completed sensitively, accurately and within required timescales.
- Understand the practice complaints procedure, respond professionally to concerns and direct or escalate them to the appropriate person without becoming defensive or attempting to investigate them independently.
- Provide reasonable cover for colleague absence and undertake other duties appropriate to the role, competence and grade when requested by the partners or management team.
- Assist with reasonable shared workplace duties, including keeping reception, staff and refreshment areas clean, tidy and appropriately stocked.
- The role involves frequent use of SystmOne, SystmConnect and X-On Surgery Connect. The post-holder must use each system competently, follow agreed workflows and escalation routes, and maintain accurate contemporaneous records.
For further information, please see the attached job description.