Outpatient Receptionist

Centralised Outpatient Services at North Bristol NHS Trust support the clinical divisions and specialties to administer their outpatient services. The service comprises our patient-facing Reception Team, our telephone and email-based Patient Contact Centre and our administrative Booking and Referrals Teams.

This is a dynamic service with opportunities for future development for staff who excel in their roles. This is a patient-focused environment, where we are committed to supporting professional growth and career progression.

Main duties of the job

Candidates are invited to join our Reception Team, where we are looking for confident individuals who can bring their customer services and professional communication skills to the workplace.

Attending hospital is often an anxious time for patients, and your calm, friendly and empathetic approach will be essential. You will be required to greet patients, carers and visitors and assist with multiple queries such as hospital transport issues and booking urgent follow-up appointments.

You will also be required to be a competent user of the Information Technology systems.

About us

North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

Job responsibilities

To welcome patients, carers and visitors to various specialty appointments within the Trust. To be polite and friendly, dealing with queries in an efficient and timely manner. To ensure patient information is kept confidential and not shared with others. To respond to queries from patients, carers and visitors. To maintain a safe environment for patients and staff, raising concerns promptly if there are any safety or wellbeing issues. To keep patients informed if the clinics are overrunning. To liaise with and alert a clinician in the event of a patient becoming unwell and requiring prompt/immediate attention. To oversee patients awaiting transport, and liaise with the transport department in relation to patients still waiting. To hand over the care of patients awaiting transport at the end of the working day to the appropriate team ie, Discharge Lounge or Nurse in Charge. To take and action internal calls on the reception desk. To assist in quieter times with the packing and posting of letters to patients. To follow and adhere to Trust Quick Reference Guides (QRG) or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) guidelines. To follow procedure for patients that do not attend (DNA) their appointment and ensure the necessary actions have been carried out on the day.

Person Specification Education/training

• GCSE or equivalent qualifications, to include English Language and Mathematics
• IT literate eg, email, word processing, with experience of inputting data into a computer system
• Have an understanding of outpatient department and/or a fundamental understanding of the NHS

Work Experience

• Dealing with numerous queries at one time, face to face and over the telephone
• Experience of general office administrative and clerical duties and equipment
• Experience of customer services
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages eg, Word, Outlook etc
• Working knowledge of a hospital PAS system

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Able to deal with day to day duties and tasks in a calm and organised approach
• Able to multitask and work under pressure
• Able to put in place and follow processes and procedures
• Able to undertake, absorb and put into practice training
• Able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
• Able to work as independently as well as part of a wider team

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.