Receptionist
Woodbank Surgery
Brandlesholme, Bury, BL8 1EGView on map(opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Salary
£12.71
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Not specified
Closing date
5 October 2026
5 days leftJob description
The purpose of the role is to: Offer general assistance to the practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors,...
Medical receptionist with a flexible approach to working environment. To provide an efficient service at the point of reception together with a full and comprehensive range of clerical services to the Practice.
Please see full Job Description attached
The post holder is part of a team of staff providing the practices
front-of-house service and administrative/secretarial duties; including
welcoming patients and visitors, understanding and interpreting patients
needs, resolving queries where possible or signposting patients to the
appropriate service or appointment.
The team must provide a responsive, courteous, calm and efficient
service at all times, to enable and support patient care. The team has to
respond to circumstances and a positive and flexible approach is required.
The post holder will report to the Deputy Manager.
Duties and responsibilities
The following is not an exhaustive list of duties, but is indicative of
the work that will be required. Duties are allocated within the team by the
Office Manager and some functions may be carried out at Woodbank Surgery.
Allocation of duties between sites and individuals may change over time. The
practice works in the ever-changing environment of the NHS and the tasks
required will change from time to time.
Following Practice policies, protocols and guidelines, duties may
Reception and
Administration duties
- Ensure that all patients, visitors and staff
receive a friendly service and their enquiries are dealt with efficiently.
- Provide a welcoming and efficient telephone
service, managing own time to ensure maximum waiting times are kept low.
- Provide a welcoming and efficient counter service.
- Explore patient queries and requests fully, taking
account of information in the medical record, to ensure that enquiries are
handled by the most appropriate person, without the need for a clinician
appointment when appropriate, and that any appointments booked are the most
appropriate for the request.
- Refer to procedures, guidance, colleagues or senior
staff when unsure.
- Book, cancel, rearrange and receive patients for
appointments.
- Deal with patient requests for home visits.
- Process repeat prescriptions, ensuring appropriate
checks are made.
- Explain systems to patients, e.g. appointments
system, repeat prescriptions system.
- Respond appropriately to any potential emergency
situation, ensuring access to care is not delayed.
- Arrange ambulances and interpreters.
- Extract and file medical records and correspondence
accurately.
- Collect information from patients and enter
accurately into the computer system, as requested.
- Contact patients as appropriate.
- Keep track of all tasks and ensure they are completed
in a timely fashion.
- Take payment from patients for chargeable services
ensuring they are correctly recorded, that a practice receipt is issued on
every occasion and that cash is placed in the designated secure place with the
appropriate copy of the receipt.
- Open and lock up the building as required.
- Ensure the reception area and waiting room are kept
clean and tidy.
- Stock leaflets and organise displays.
- Register new patients and process changes of
details, ensuring all checks are made.
- Operate the registration links system, ensuring
transactions are processed promptly and queries addressed.
- Maintain paper patient records, including
receiving, sorting, filing and sending.
- Operate laboratory results system (paper and
electronic) including giving authorised results to patients.
- Chase up outstanding results, as requested.
- Operate call and recall systems, e.g. for cervical
cytology and chronic disease, including keeping records, sending letters to
patients and failsafe checks.
- Administrative support for the provision of and
payment for medical reports, examinations, forms etc.
- Record out-of-hours and other patient contacts, action all correspondence to ensure it is
promptly attached to the correct patients and tasked to the relevant GP.
- Complete forms accurately and on time.
- Carry out audit and collate statistics, as
requested.
- Shredding of
confidential documents.
- Maintain necessary
stocks, including ordering.
- Create and send
referrals as directed by clinicians, using the appropriate templates and
procedures, efficiently and promptly.
- Create other
letters and documents as directed.
- Keep appropriate
records (e.g. of referrals), including computer data entry.
- Arrange or chase
up hospital or other appointments as required.
- Process requests
from solicitors for patient records and requests for forms and medical reports
and examinations.
- Create
standardised invoices and payment requests.
- Provide
administrative and secretarial support to GPs and senior staff.
- Process incoming mail, including sorting, distributing
filing and scanning.
- Other scanning and data entry as required.
- Process outgoing
mail, including accurate postage stamping/franking.
- Photocopying and faxing as required.
- Other administrative and clerical duties as
required.
- The practice does not currently offer extended
opening hours (Saturdays and later evenings) and there are no plans to do so.
However, should this be required in future, the postholder will be expected to
take part in the provision of this service. The practice occasionally provides
services out of normal hours, e.g. flu clinics. The postholder will be required
to take part in this.
- Evening shift: patients may be on the premises
later than 18:15 if surgeries run late and staff must be prepared to remain on
duty if necessary.
Communications and
relationships
- Liaise with members of the Practice, Multi
Disciplinary Team, other NHS organisations and outside agencies as appropriate
to the role.
- Participate in meetings as required.
Team working
- Understand own role and scope in the practice.
- Work as an effective and responsible team member
supporting colleagues in a flexible manner.
- Respect and protect patient confidentiality at all
times. Understand and follow the practice Information Governance Policy, and
the requirements of the Data Protection Act and the common law of
confidentiality. Refer on any queries as appropriate.
- Ensure that patients are identified correctly.
- Ensure that any data entered into the computer is
done accurately.
- Understand the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act and refer on any queries as appropriate.
- Report incidents, near misses and concerns, using
the published procedure.
- Participate in quality improvement initiatives
including Significant Event Analysis and review of patient complaints.
- Support the aims and objectives of the Practice and
contribute to the ongoing development of the Practice as required.
- Understand and
follow Practice policies.
- Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains
and promotes high service and quality standards.
Training, learning
and development
- Undergo regular
appraisal, supervision and training as necessary to update skills and
- Participate in the induction
of all new staff, students and other attached professionals.
- Provide training for the team and for other
staff (both clinical and non-clinical) as appropriate.
Equality and
diversity
The post holder is part of a team of staff providing the practices
front-of-house service and administrative/secretarial duties; including
welcoming patients and visitors, understanding and interpreting patients
needs, resolving queries where possible or signposting patients to the
appropriate service or appointment.
The team must provide a responsive, courteous, calm and efficient
service at all times, to enable and support patient care. The team has to
respond to circumstances and a positive and flexible approach is required.
The post holder will report to the Deputy Manager.
Qualifications
Essential: - GCSE grade A to C in English and Maths; - Qualified to NVQ level 2 in Health and Social Care
Desirable: - Qualified to NVQ level 3
How to apply
Applications are handled entirely by the employer on the original advert. We do not collect CVs, supporting statements or application data.
Provenance
Source
NHS Jobs
First seen
21 September 2026
Last checked
23 September 2026
Salary, closing date and description are taken from the employer's advert. The original advert always takes precedence.
About the employer
NHS organisation
This listing was structured from NHS Jobs. Vacancy details and the application process remain the responsibility of the original source.
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