Receptionist / Administrator
Job Description
Job summary
The role involves ensuring high standards across all administrative and frontofhouse duties within the reception and wider administrative team. It includes providing comprehensive administrative support to the dental team, managing diaries and appointments effectively, and delivering highquality facetoface customer service to patients and visitors. The post holder oversees the daytoday coordination of reception services within the Dental Directorate and contributes to wider service continuity by offering crosscover support to other administrative staff across Dental Services.
Main duties of the job
The role is responsible for ensuring the smooth and efficient running of administrative and reception services within the Dental Directorate. It combines a range of duties that support clinical teams, maintain effective patient flow, and uphold high standards of customer service. A key part of the role is providing administrative support to the Dental Team, which includes producing documents using appropriate software. The post holder may complete delegated tasks from senior staff and is also required to attend borough meetings, take accurate minutes, and distribute them to relevant members to support clear communication across the service.
A major element of the role is the daytoday coordination of reception services. This involves managing clinical diaries in collaboration with clinical staff to ensure clinics run efficiently and appointment slots are used effectively. The post holder oversees the appointment booking system, ensuring patient details are entered accurately and appointments are managed in a timely manner.
About us
Flexible working will be considered for all roles.
Unfortunately, we do not hold a sponsor licence for working Visas.
At Bridgewater, our PEOPLE values shape how we deliver our NHS services in your local community.
They help us deliver our mission to improve local health and promote wellbeing in the communities we serve.
After all, values are about people and they were created in partnership with our staff to reflect what they felt was important to them
Here at Bridgewater our shared values flow through the organisation.
P - Person-centred-We are passionate about individual needs and promote independence in the healthcare we provide..
E - Empowered- We empower our people and encourage new ideas to deliver and create improvements in community care.
O - Open and Honest -We behave in a way that develops relationships based on trust, openness, honesty and respect.
P - Professional-We support our people, so everyone has the right skills and training to deliver outstanding patient care.
L - Locally Lead -We are always learning about our communities and show great pride in being a local provider of health and care.
E - Efficient -We use our resources wisely to provide sustainable and value for money healthcare for our patients.
Job responsibilities
To provide and co-ordinate an efficient customer focused reception and administration service to include a full range of secretarial, clerical and administrative duties to support the dental clinical team, and patients and their carers who access the community dental service.
Responsible for all administration duties connected with patients appointments, the efficient running of electronic appointment and patient records system (SOEL), including telephone and face- to-face communications, collection and banking of patients charges and other duties to ensure the day to day smooth running of the dental service.
Key Responsibilities/Duties
Provide the first point of contact function for all enquiries regarding the Service and deal with general enquiries and resolving issues from patients, carers and other health professionals, and other external organisations, both in person and by phone, signposting where necessary
To communicate appropriately and sensitively with patients/carers/relatives who may be fearful, anxious, vulnerable, have sensitive concerns, have special needs, and/or show challenging behaviour, i.e. physical and learning disabilities, have visual or hearing impairment, dementia, or where English is not their first language. This list is not exhaustive
Maintain patient and staff confidentiality at all times, adhering to Trust information governance and data protection policies and procedures
To manage, organise, maintain and co-ordinate electronic clinical appointment and patient record systems ensuring appointments are booked efficiently and comprehensively, maximising the clinical time available, e.g. SOEL electronic patient record system and Chronos electronic appointment systems.
To receive, process and accurately enter patient sensitive/confidential information accurately onto the electronic clinical appointment and patient record systems, ensuring all user fields are completed and updated each visit.
Document direct and indirect contact with patients in the electronic patients records in line with local policy and procedures.
Monitoring, processing and logging referrals, organising appointments directly with patients/carers via telephone and letter.
File, retrieve and archive patients referrals/records/notes.
To be responsible for the archiving of patients records in accordance with Trust policies and procedures
To provide word-processing, photocopying, scanning and faxing of documents. Collating and circulating documents. Drafting and typing of letters and documents for signature and proof reading when required.
Receive and divert telephone calls and record comprehensive and complicated messages from patients, staff and other healthcare professionals, for the dental team and other staff members. Analyse the information received and determine the appropriate action and priority for the attention of clinicians.
On a daily basis identify patients eligible to pay charges/fees revenue for their dental treatment in line with current NHS regulations. Responsibility for collecting/receiving payments from patients or their carers including cash, cheques and credit card payments and issue of receipts.
To ensure all cash floats and patients charges/fees are accurately balanced and financial records are kept updated on a daily basis
Responsibility for banking of patients charge/fees revenue following the Dental patients charge revenue and petty cash standard operating procedure.
Manage and process all incoming and out-going mail, including referrals.
To co-ordinate the sale of dental resources, monitor and maintain stock levels (where applicable).
Monitor and maintain stationery stock and request procurement of resources when required.
Liaise with dental laboratories with regard to dental appliances for patients, which may include collection of and deliveries of appliances and general enquiries.
Organise and book interpreting services for patients and their carers
Demonstrate an awareness of the complaints procedure including defusing and resolving potential conflict/complaint situations to avoid escalation, when required.
To liaise effectively with patients, colleagues, patient representatives and partner agencies at all levels both within the Trust and across the NHS and in other organisations.
To organise and administrate meetings and events when required including:
- Booking venues
- Minute taking/Co-ordinating agenda items
- Progressing any follow up actions
- Making accommodation and catering arrangements
To be able to work without direct supervision, prioritising own work load
To ensure the waiting and reception areas are welcoming, clean and tidy.
To ensure patients are safe within the reception area and take appropriate action when necessary
Recognise and assist as part of the team with the management of medical emergencies should they arise.
Work as part of a team; provide assistance and support to colleagues, allocating duties to others if appropriate, providing guidance and advice to new staff and colleagues.
Work with other staff members to identify working environment risks and to report any risks immediately to ensure the environment is safe for everyone
To work within National and Trust Policies and Procedures.
To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and their carers and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.
To liaise with other agencies with regard to orders and invoices
To attend regular meetings and take minutes when required e.g. dental team/staff dental development meetings
To participate in in-service training as appropriate
To assist in the induction and training of new staff
To refer any problem areas to senior members of dental management team
To be flexible, maybe on occasions required to work in other locations within the Dental Network
To exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent and reliable attendance
To comply with annual PDR and appraisal system
To participate in ...
