Medical Receptionist
| Posting date: | 01 April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 14 April 2026 |
| Location: | 9 Meltham Road HD1 3UP |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Meltham Road Surgery |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: |
Summary
Job Summary:
Receive assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient, and effective way.
Provide 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
Job Responsibilities:
• Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice. Acknowledge a patients’ arrival at the desk within 2/3 minutes of arriving. If the situation is unmanageable at the time due to the number of patients waiting, then advise the patients in the queue you will be with them as soon as possible and call for assistance.
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments. This requires a helpful attitude even when experiencing negative, unresponsive, and sometimes verbally abusive behaviour from patients. Never lose your temper with patients; refer to your line manager if you feel unable to help.
• Communicate test results using taught skills and ensuring accuracy.
• 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.
• Be aware of your surroundings and of the patients in the waiting room. Be aware of which doctors and nurses are currently working in the building and whether they have arrived for their clinics. Observe clinics running late and advice patients waiting and offer apologies.
• 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. Phones must be answered promptly. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery. Be polite and helpful at ALL times. If a patient’s behaviour becomes unacceptably abusive refer the call to your line manager. Do not shout or respond in a rude manner to the patient.
• Keep your working environment clean, tidy, and free from clutter always.
• Ensure that you provide an efficient, professional, and detailed handover to the member of staff taking over from you before you leave your duty.
• Drink/rest breaks are not permitted unless your contract has specifically detailed these. Obtaining drinks should only be done by absolutely ensuring that your position is covered whilst you leave it to make a drink. At no time should you leave your post to make a drink if it cannot be covered by another member of the team. This means that phones should never be left with only 1 person to answer them.
• Enter requests for home visits onto the home visit sessions ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor.
• Action repeat prescription requests and ensure that they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours, either on the computer or manually.
• Participate daily in task management and ensure that tasks are always kept up to date.
Actively participate in Practice Training to ensure you provide a high level of service for the practice. This will mean you need to attend a training session outside of your normal working hours. You will be expected to do this to ensure that the safety of patients and the Practices adherence to the NHS Contract is achieved.
• 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 and as appropriate and within the correct time frame for safety of receipt of the information.
• Patient notes and correspondence:
o Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to.
o Ensure correspondence, reports, results/scanned etc., are filed promptly and in the correct records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are seen.
o Ensure records are kept in good repair with all necessary information on the outside cover clearly visible.
• Ensure the kitchen is kept clean and tidy and air and tidy the waiting room in turn with other staff.
• Premises:
o Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and make all necessary preparations to receive patients. Follow the opening up protocol carefully.
o When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights are off and the alarm activated. Follow the closing up protocol carefully.
• Ensure that all new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately, this should be on the same day that they attend the practice to register.
• Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post and fall within your capabilities as requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager.
Receive assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient, and effective way.
Provide 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
Job Responsibilities:
• Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice. Acknowledge a patients’ arrival at the desk within 2/3 minutes of arriving. If the situation is unmanageable at the time due to the number of patients waiting, then advise the patients in the queue you will be with them as soon as possible and call for assistance.
• Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments. This requires a helpful attitude even when experiencing negative, unresponsive, and sometimes verbally abusive behaviour from patients. Never lose your temper with patients; refer to your line manager if you feel unable to help.
• Communicate test results using taught skills and ensuring accuracy.
• 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.
• Be aware of your surroundings and of the patients in the waiting room. Be aware of which doctors and nurses are currently working in the building and whether they have arrived for their clinics. Observe clinics running late and advice patients waiting and offer apologies.
• 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. Phones must be answered promptly. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery. Be polite and helpful at ALL times. If a patient’s behaviour becomes unacceptably abusive refer the call to your line manager. Do not shout or respond in a rude manner to the patient.
• Keep your working environment clean, tidy, and free from clutter always.
• Ensure that you provide an efficient, professional, and detailed handover to the member of staff taking over from you before you leave your duty.
• Drink/rest breaks are not permitted unless your contract has specifically detailed these. Obtaining drinks should only be done by absolutely ensuring that your position is covered whilst you leave it to make a drink. At no time should you leave your post to make a drink if it cannot be covered by another member of the team. This means that phones should never be left with only 1 person to answer them.
• Enter requests for home visits onto the home visit sessions ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor.
• Action repeat prescription requests and ensure that they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours, either on the computer or manually.
• Participate daily in task management and ensure that tasks are always kept up to date.
Actively participate in Practice Training to ensure you provide a high level of service for the practice. This will mean you need to attend a training session outside of your normal working hours. You will be expected to do this to ensure that the safety of patients and the Practices adherence to the NHS Contract is achieved.
• 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 and as appropriate and within the correct time frame for safety of receipt of the information.
• Patient notes and correspondence:
o Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to.
o Ensure correspondence, reports, results/scanned etc., are filed promptly and in the correct records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are seen.
o Ensure records are kept in good repair with all necessary information on the outside cover clearly visible.
• Ensure the kitchen is kept clean and tidy and air and tidy the waiting room in turn with other staff.
• Premises:
o Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and make all necessary preparations to receive patients. Follow the opening up protocol carefully.
o When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights are off and the alarm activated. Follow the closing up protocol carefully.
• Ensure that all new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately, this should be on the same day that they attend the practice to register.
• Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post and fall within your capabilities as requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager.