Important Job Application Information
Thank you for your interest in NHS Tayside vacancies
Please download the full job pack from Staffnet:
Vacancy Advertisement
Application Form/Equal Opportunity Form
Job Description
General Conditions of Service
Agenda for Change – A new Terms and Conditions Agreement for NHS Staff
Your Application Form must be completed in full. Please note copies of Curriculum Vitae, Qualifications and
Course Certificates will not be accepted at this stage.
Please return your completed Application Form to the address given on the General
Conditions of Service for the Vacancy.
All completed applications are held in Employment Services until the closing date. After the closing date a
panel will meet to prepare an interview shortlist. Once this decision has been made, letters will be sent to all
shortlisted applicants inviting them to attend for interview. These letters will give as much notice as possible
of the interview arrangements.
This process takes approximately 6 weeks. Therefore, if you have not been contacted regarding interview
within 6 weeks of the closing date, your application has been unsuccessful and you will receive no further
correspondence from Employment Services.
NHS TAYSIDE – AGENDA FOR CHANGE
JOB DESCRIPTION
1. JOB IDENTIFICATION
Job Title
Receptionist
Department(s)/Location
Orthopaedics, Ninewells
Number of job holders
3
2. JOB PURPOSE
To provide a full reception, records and admission service within the department in order to ensure that
patients are dealt with efficiently, effectively and appropriately.
3. ORGANISATIONAL POSITION
Group Admin Asst.
Senior Charge Nurse
Waiting Times Co-ordinator
Receptionist
4. SCOPE AND RANGE
The postholder is part of the Orthopaedic Department providing a reception service for Dundee, Fife,
Angus and Perth patients attending Orthopaedic and Fracture Out-Patient Clinics.
There are approximately 35 orthopaedic and fracture clinics per week in Ninewells with a throughput
of approximately 850 patients. Telephone calls are of a high volume due to GPs / other hospitals
requiring emergency clinic appointments, patients rescheduling or canceling appointments and
internal staff making return appointments for patients being discharged from the wards. and/or
locating case notes.
Order and maintain stationery stock levels for the reception area.
5. MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Induction Standards & Code of Conduct
Your performance must comply with the national “Mandatory Induction Standards for Healthcare Support
Workers in Scotland” 2009; and with the Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers.
1. Register patient details accurately and ensure that necessary appointments / arrangements are
made using the appropriate database adhering to local protocols/guidelines.
2. Create a new referral on the TOPAS database for new emergency patients and update these
details on COMPAS
3. Raise a new medical records folder for new emergency patients if appropriate.
4. To be the point of contact for all patients and/or multidisciplinary staff presenting at the out-patient
clinics and dealing with all enquiries relating to these clinics, or any other general matters,
timeously using tact, diplomacy and empathy.
5. Ensure accurate and timely distribution of appointment letters and associated paperwork.
6. Locate, collect and transfer of patient notes and x-rays on a daily basis to the appropriate areas.
7. Collection of results from other departments/areas in the hospital as and when required.
8. On instruction from the line manager, or written instruction from the consultant and/or his team
extend, reduce or cancel clinics as necessary ensuring appropriate timescale is adhered to.
9. Arrange or reschedule out-patients appointments within NHS Tayside and arrange ambulance
transport as necessary.
10. Arrange and/or escort patients to other areas / departments within the hospital as necessary.
11. Contact ambulance control by telephone when necessary to ensure patient is taken home.
12. Timeous filing of medical records and/or associated correspondence appropriately within the
department.
13. Maintain manual filing system for the storage of medical records required for future orthopaedic and
fracture out-patient clinics.
14. Ensure enquiries, telephone or face to face, from patients and/or their relatives/carers, GPs are
dealt with in an appropriate tactful and diplomatic matter observing patient confidentiality and
departmental protocols.
15. Ensure effective communication with, GPs to ensure that information is handled appropriately and
sensitively.
16. To collate, record and distribute appropriate ad hoc statistical information as and when instructed
the consultant and/or his team, or nursing staff.
17. Prioritise workload throughout the day to maximise efficiency.
18. To participate in the collection of data for audit purposes where necessary.
19. Assist in the induction of new members of staff to the department (including medical staff during
rota changeovers every, three, four and six months, depending on grade or clinical
attachments/students which can be more frequent) and provide appropriate support as necessary,
e.g., demonstrating procedures and tasks.
20. Sort and distribute mail as appropriate within the department.
21. Order and maintain stationery stock levels for the reception area.
22. Any matters relating to the maintenance of the clinic area i.e., broken toilets, replacement lightbulbs
etc. are reported to the Estates Department timeously.
23. Responsible for liaising with colleague receptionists with regard to periods of planned leave.
24. To work within NHS Tayside policies and procedures with regard to the use of supplies and
equipment, particularly in relation to Health and Safety
6. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
1. Communicates effectively on a daily basis with group management, medical, nursing, General
Practitioners, secretarial / clerical staff, other multi-disciplinary staff and external agencies using the
telephone, face to face or written correspondence, to ensure all appropriate patient information is
available for the patient’s appointment.
2. Incidental contacts with precognition officers, Reliance security company either face to face or by
telephone on an as and when necessary basis, looking for staff members or confirming attendance.
3. Use of e-mail, fax machine to communicate quickly and efficiently.
4. Uses tact , diplomacy and empathy with patients and/or relatives whose first language is not
English, or have an impairment, and also patients and/or their relatives/friends who are distressed,
angry or under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol when presenting at the reception in person or
by telephone.
5. There is a need to be able to communicate sensitive information with the staff/public/patients who
may have needs which require a greater level of understanding.
6. Must ensure patient confidentiality at all times.
7. KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO DO THE JOB
Qualifications
General basic education evident by formal education (standard grades) or gained through equivalent
work experience.
Skills
Numeracy, literacy keyboard and organisational skills
Experience
Previous work experience, ie. Customer orientated.
On the Job Training
3-6 months to learn databases, get familiar with medical, nursing and clerical staff , know how to pull
medical records and x-rays , get familiar with the geography of the hospital and attend mandatory
training.
ESSENTIAL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
8. SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT
There is shared responsibility for the use of the following equipment:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
PC and various packages, i.e., E-Mail, Word
TOPAS - (Tayside Outpatient Appointments Systems ) for making out-patient appointments
CHI 24 - to obtain the most current personal details and pull forward into TOPAS
Photocopier
Fax
Manual Filing System
Telephone and pager system
Maintenance for the above is reported directly to the relevant department or through the supervisor.
8. PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
Physical Skills
1. Keyboard skills
Physical Effort
2. Daily retrieval and filing of medical records in the department using a manual filing system which
requires physical strength to move the shelving.
3. Daily stacking of trolleys with medical records following out-patient clinics and pushing them up to
the Orthopaedic Department for the medical secretaries to type. (There can be up to 30 patients on
the orthopaedics clinics with many patients having more than one volume of notes
4. Climbing up and down ladders within the Medical Records Department 2-3 times per week to
retrieve notes and/or file patient correspondence.
5. Occasional pushing or pulling of wheelchairs when patients require to be transferred to another
department.
.
Emotional Effort
6. Deal daily with patient enquiries which can be at times sensitive in nature and require tact,
empathy and diplomacy.
7. Dealing with aggressive patients face to face or on the telephone 2-3 times per week , e.g., under
the influence of drugs and/or alcohol or cancelled clinics at short notice and patient attends
8. Ability to work in a pressurised environment e.g., clinics running late and patients unhappy about
length of waiting time.
Mental Effort
9. Constant interruptions from nursing, medical and clerical staff requiring patient correspondence or
miscellaneous items, ie., Dictaphones, batteries etc. and also telephone enquiries from patients to
check or reschedule appointments and GPs requesting emergency appointments or require advice
from the on-call medic.
10. Unpredictability of covering colleague’s workloads at short notice.
11. Unpredictability of the numbers of patients attending Fracture Clinic due to the nature of this injury.
Working Conditions
12. Continuous use of VDUs for the majority of the postholder’s working day.
13. Occasional exposure to dust and dust mites from archived medical records.
14. Small shared enclosed reception area which can lead to noisy difficult working conditions and can
cause distraction on a daily basis.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR RECORDS MANAGEMENT
All records created in the course of the business of NHS Tayside are corporate records and are public
records under the terms of the Public Records (Scotland) Act 1937. This includes email messages and
other electronic records. It is your responsibility to ensure that you keep appropriate records of your work in
NHS Tayside and manage those records in keeping with the NHS Tayside Records Management Policy
and with any guidance produced by NHS Tayside specific to your employment.
9. DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
Works with minimal guidance and supervision.
Exercise common sense and using initiative when necessary, e.g., if a patient requires attention
immediately then the receptionist would seek immediate advice from nursing/medical staff rather
than direct the patient to the waiting area or if a patient is being detained at her majesty’s pleasure
and is handcuffed the postholder would ensure the patient is transferred to vacant treatment room
immediately to avoid upset to the patients/children in the waiting room.
The postholder has the ability to prioritise their workload to ensure departmental needs are met.
10. MOST CHALLENGING/DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE JOB
Multi-tasking and making appropriate decisions under pressure.
General Conditions of Service
POST REF NO:
D/JM/47/13
JOB TITLE/GRADE:
RECEPTIONIST, BAND 2
LOCATION:
FRACTURE/ORTHOPAEDIC CLINIC, NW
Conditions of Service
Remuneration
Hours of Duty
The terms and conditions of service for this post are those
determined by the NHS Staff Council.
The current salary scale for the post is £14,653 to £17,425 per
annum (pro rata for part-time staff). Placing on the scale on
appointment is normally at the minimum but may be higher
subject to verification of previous relevant service.
Salary is paid monthly by Bank Credit Transfer.
The hours of the post are 24 hours> per week.
This is a fixed term post for 1 year to provide cover for maternity
leave,. The end date is subject to amendment should the
substantive post-holder give notice to change their return.
Internal applicants: Written approval must be sought from your
line manager prior to applying for this secondment. You will be
required to bring this if shortlisted for interview.
Superannuation
Start and finish times will be determined by the needs of the
service.
Membership of the NHS Superannuation Scheme is not
compulsory but is open to all staff between the ages of 16 and
70 (65 in some instances).
The contributions paid are a percentage of superannuable pay,
which is essentially basic pay excluding, for example, overtime
or travelling expenses.
Contribution rates with effect from 01.04.12 are as follows:
Annual Pensionable Pay
(Full-time equivalent)
Up to £15,000
£15,001 to £21,175
£21,176 to £26,557
£26,558 to £48,982
£48,983 to £69,931
£69,932 to £110,273
£110,274 to any higher amount
Contribution
5%
5%
6.5%
8.0%
8.9%
9.9%
10.9%
Contributions are subject to tax relief and reduced National
Insurance contributions. NHS Tayside also makes a substantial
contribution towards scheme benefits – currently around 14% of
basic pay.
Annual Leave
On appointment = 27 days (pro rata for part-time Staff) or 5.4
weeks per year.
After 5 years aggregated service = 29 days (pro rata for part-time
staff) or 5.8 weeks per year
After 10 years aggregated service = 33 days (pro rata for parttime staff) or 6.6 weeks per year
References
Occupational Health
Clearance
Rehabilitation of
Offenders Act 1974
(Exclusions and
Exceptions) (Scotland)
Order 2003
Disclosure Scotland
Immigration, Asylum and
Nationality Act 2006
Public Holidays = 8 days (pro rata for part-time staff) or 1.6
weeks per year
All offers of appointment are subject to receipt of two
satisfactory references
All offers of appointment to new entrants to the National
Health Service are subject to a medical examination.
Medical examinations are arranged and undertaken by the
Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Service (OHSAS).
All current or spent criminal convictions, cautions, warnings or
any case pending must be disclosed prior to commencing in
employment as detailed on the application form.
Please note that having a conviction will not automatically debar
you from obtaining employment with NHS Tayside. Careful
consideration will be given to the relevance of the offence to the
particular post in question. However, if you are appointed, and it
is found that you did not reveal a previous conviction your
employment may be terminated.
This post is subject to a Standard check by Disclosure Scotland
as it involves access to children and/or vulnerable adults. This
will contain details of any convictions on record whether spent or
unspent.
It is a criminal offence for an employer to employ anyone who
does not have permission to live or work in the UK.
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to produce specific original
documentation at interview e.g. Passport, or full birth certificate
together with an official document giving the applicants
permanent National Insurance Number and name issued by a
Government Agency or a previous employer, as well as
photocopies of these documents.
Professional Registration/ New entrants to NHS Tayside will be required to achieve the
Induction Standards & Codemandatory Induction Standards for Healthcare Support Workers
of Conduct
(HCSWs) in Scotland and comply with the Code of Conduct for
HCSWs throughout your employment.
Smoking Policy
Applications
Internal candidates will be required to comply with the Code of
Conduct for HCSWs
Smoking is prohibited within NHS premises and grounds.
Completed forms should be returned to:
recruitment.tayside@nhs.net quoting the job reference in the
subject line
or Workforce Services, Level 9, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD1
9SY
By closing date of Friday 5 July 2013