NHS WESTERN ISLES
AGENDA FOR CHANGE
JOB DESCRIPTION - RECEPTIONIST
1.
JOB IDENTIFICATION
Job Title: Receptionist / Telephonist
Department: Support Services
Job Holder Reference:
No of Job Holders: 6
2.
PURPOSE
• To provide general main receptionist duties to all staff and departments at the Western Isles
Hospital
• To provide telecoms and paging services to staff and departments at the Western Isles
Hospital, Health Board Offices and the Uist and Barra Hospital.
3. ORGANISATIONAL CHART
Patient services
Manager
Typist/Admin
Assistant
Medical
Secretaries
Health Records
Clinical Coding &
CHI
Reception supervisor
Receptionists
(THIS POST)
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4. SCOPE AND RANGE
• The post holder will be based at the Western Isles Hospital and provide telephonist duties that will link the Western Isles Hospital (250 extensions ), Health Board Offices (75 extensions ), and the Uist and Barra Hospital (50 extensions),
• The post holder will act as a central location for paging services to the staff of the Western Isles
Health Board (50 internal pagers).
• The post holder will provide general receptionist duties to the staff of the Western Isles Hospital.
These include:
1. Issuing of Keys
2. Issuing of Internal Pagers
3. Completing documentation with regards to on-call staff
4. Providing staff, patients and visitors with general directions and guidance.
5. MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Telecoms
• To ensure effective operation of the telephone I switchboards. Calls require to be answered politely, speedily and forwarded accurately.
• To act as a first point of contact for the Health Board and provide appropriate guidance and advice to the calling party. This involves putting people on hold, dealing with complaints, dealing with aggressive callers etc.
• To ensure a qualitative customer care response to callers and clients.
• To provide individuals and departments with customised services (diversions, call forwarding etc).
• To connect Health Board staff with appropriate external agencies as per agreed guidelines.
Connecting to mainland hospitals, Air Ambulance, Ambulance Control etc
• To ensure that incoming calls are prioritised as per agreed guidelines e.g. Cardiac Arrest and
Emergency Service calls are given the highest priority.
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Paging
• To activate internal pagers as requested by Health Board staff or outside agencies. This is done using the Blick keyboard system,
• To follow up unsuccessful external paging calls to consultants with mobile phone or home calls.
• To issue pagers and pager consumables to staff.
• To issue mobiles to on call staff.
Majax I Emergency / Cardiac
 To activate Major Incident Procedures as per documented policy. Staff must be aware of the major incident procedures and the critical role the receptionist has in these procedures. In such situations the post holder will be functioning in stressful situations.
• To respond to Emergency Planning and Ambulance radio as per agreed procedures.
• To activate Cardiac Arrest response as per agreed procedures. Staff must be aware of the cardiac response procedures and the critical role the receptionist has in these procedures. In such situations the post holder will be functioning in stressful situations. Cardiac Arrests within the hospital average approximately one per week.
• To activate Cardiac Arrest test call on a daily basis as per agreed procedure.
Security
• To provide occasional monitoring of security screen and to respond in the event of an incident.
• To change the security video tapes on a daily basis.
• To secure main doors during the evening and operate the ‘out of hours access to the hospital’ as per agreed procedures.
Receptionist Duties
• To act as first point of contact in the Hospital for staff, patients, relatives and visitors, and provide them with directions and advice. This can include angry or upset patients, relatives and visitors.
• To provide contact details to members of the public regarding the complaints procedure. This can often mean dealing with individuals who are aggressive, angry etc.
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• To monitor all alarm systems located at reception and report accordingly. Includes medical gases, fire, fire exits, blood bank, boilers, fridges etc and must be reported to the correct member of staff.
• To report telecom faults to BT and report to line manager as per agreed procedures.
• To act as a central location for the delivery and collection of items (e.g. lab specimens, stores, community equipment, dental boxes, addressed envelopes medical supplies, registered mail, locum packages, catering packages, accommodation details and keys, car keys, RGN folder and pager). Lab items and equipment may be contaminated and cleaning procedures must be followed after contact.
• To update hospital on-call sheet, locum consultant details, doctors monitoring forms, and mobile phone log sheet on a daily basis.
• To update diary for use of main reception area.
• To activate helicopter landing pad lights as instructed.
• To provide assistance to staff with faxing and photocopying.
• To operate the shredding machine.
• To act as a central location for lost property.
• To frank mail as requested by staff and re-address Nurses Home and Doctors mail.
• To issue and receive keys toIfrom all departments and ensure that log book is completed.
• To update internal telephone directory information.
• To organise taxis for use by staff, departments, patients, locums, and visiting consultants.
• To contact Reception staff by telephone to cover sick leave.
• To contact directory enquiries on behalf of wards and departments.
• To locate Reception wheelchairs for use by patients from the main entrance. This can be physically locating wheelchairs within wards and departments or by enquiring by telephone.
• To issue spill kits to wards and departments as and when required.
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6.
SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT
Main Reception Telephone System (PC and flat based consul). IT skills are required to operate PC system.
Alarm Systems (medical gascs mortuary, kitchen, boiler, door alarm, lone worker, fire)
Paging System (including Cardiac Arrest)
Shredder
Fax Machine
Photocopier
Franking Machine
Security Video Recorders
Main Door Intercom
Taxi Log Sheet (for departmental use)
Cardiac Arrest Log Sheet (for use by Resus training officer)
Locum Details Sheet (for departmental use)
Doctors on-call Log (for departmental use)
Key Distribution Log (for departmental use)
Majax call-out Sheet (for departmental use)
7. DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
The post holder normally works unsupervised but within clearly defined procedures. The post holder will be expected to ‘deal with the unexpected’ in the form of potential bomb warnings, malicious calls, abusive calls and also the ability to deal with insistent callers who expect the receptionist, as the contact point for the organisation, to sort out their individual problems.
• Occasional supervisionIsupport is provided by the Senior Receptionist and the Patient Services
Manager.
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8. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
The post holder, as the central point of contact within the organisation, will communicate with the majority of staff in Lewis, Harris and the Southern Isles. This contact can be face to face or by telephone.
The post holder, as the initial point of contact at the Western Isles Hospital, will communicate with patients and members of the public. This contact can be face to face or by telephone and can involve receiving complaints, giving directions, and receiving and issuing equipment. As the post holder is the initial point of contact at the hospital communication may be with bereaved relatives, relatives of critically ill patients, relatives of patients in Casualty, and in some cases the patient themselves. The post holder, as the initial point of contact at the Western Isles Hospital, will communicate with outside agencies on a regular basis, This communication can be face to face or by telephone and can involve the Police, Ambulance staff and Air Ambulance, Undertakers,
NHS 24, Coastguard, Fire Brigade, ministers, Post Office, Faire, Emergency Planning, Transplant
Team and the Crash Team.
The post holder will assist in the training of new staff. The training of staff would normally last for
1 week and the post holder would train the staff on each system
( telephone system, paging system, CCTV etc). The post holder would then monitor the new member of staff until competency is achieved.
9. PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
The post holder will be required to remain at the telephone consul for long periods of time. This can be for periods of up to 3 hours at any one time. The post holder will be required to undertake repetitive movements. This involves answering hundreds of telephone calls on every shift.
The post holder, in using the flat consul or the PC based telephone system, will be required to answer all calls speedily and ensure that they are forwarded accurately, In addition, the post holder will be required, in the event of an equipment failure, to answer and divert calls using a standard telephone handset.
The post holder will be required to work on his / her own for long periods of time.
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10 STANDARD ELEMENTS
Confidentiality
This involves taking the necessary precautions when transmitting information only disclosing it to those who have the right and the need to know it.
All personal health information is held under strict legal and ethical obligations of confidentiality.
NHS Staff must follow guidance (NHS Code of Practice on Protecting Patient Confidentiality) before disclosing any patient information. All staff must respect confidentiality of all matters that they may learn relating to their employment, other members of staff, patients and their families.
Health and Safety:
Assist in maintaining own and others’ health, safety and security.
This involves: a) Complying with Board health and safety policies, procedures and participating in mandatory training. b) Maintaining a safe working environment and reporting any issues of concern as appropriate.
NHS Western Isles attaches the greatest importance to the health and safety of its employees. It is the Board policy to do all that is reasonable to prevent personal injury and hazard to health by protecting staff and others including the public from foreseeable hazards compatible with the provision of proper services to patients. The Board expects its entire staff to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work. More detailed information is given in departmental safety policies where appropriate.
Ensure own actions support equality, diversity and rights.
This involves:
(a) Acting in ways consistent with the Board’s policies and procedures.
(b) Treating those you come into contact with equitably and with respect.
(c) Recognising the need for aids or adaptations.
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JOB DESCRIPTION AGREEMENT
I, (Print Name)…………………………………………………….. confirm that the job description(s) /person specification(s) attached have been discussed with me and are an accurate and up-to-date account of the duties and responsibilities and skills/qualifications required to undertake the post.
Date: Job Holder’s Signature:
Head of Department Signature: Date:
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NHS WESTERN ISLES - PERSON SPECIFICATION
Job Title:
Department:
Location:
ESSENTIAL FACTOR
EXPERIENCE
QUALIFICATIONS
& TRAINING
Experience of working with the public
Good General Education
KNOWLEDGE AND
SKILLS
Good telephone manner.
Ability to work without direct supervision.
Good communication skills
DESIRABLE
Previous experience working in the
NHS
ECDL
SVQ3 in
Administration
Knowledge of telephone, CCTV and Paging
Systems
Computer Literacy
HOW ASSESSED
Application
Application
Application &
Interview
Knowledge and understanding of confidentiality
Interview
DISPOSITION
OTHER
Team Worker
Ability to work under pressure
Friendly & approachable
Flexible and able to work different shifts.
Application &
Interview
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