Receptionist

Go back County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Receptionist

The closing date is 07 August 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Reception Teambased at University Hospital North Durham.

Working 30 hours per week as part of our reception team, youwill be responsible for the provision of a high standard reception servicewithin the outpatient departments.

You will be educated to 5 GCSE Level or NVQ Level 2 inBusiness & Administration or Customer Service and have relevant experiencewithin a busy office environment. Previous NHS experience and knowledge ofPatient Administration Systems would be advantageous but is not essential.

The ability to work under pressure both individually and aspart of a team is important to ensure that deadlines are met. Goodorganisational and interpersonal skills are essential in order to be able toachieve this. Excellent customer service skills are essential for this role.

The successful candidate will be based at UniversityHospital North Durham and may be required to work at other sites within theTrust, if necessary.

Main duties of the job

You will be responsible for thereception of patients and visitors to the Outpatient Department. This includesarriving patients for their appointments, arranging any future appointmentstaking in to account clinic rules, urgent/routine ratios and working withclinical staff to achieve patient satisfaction.You will also liaise with GP's, hospital staff and other professionalbodies to ensure smooth running of the department.

To ensure that anyenquiries are dealt with in a prompt, responsive and courteous manner at alltimes to ensure patients are satisfied with the service provided by theReception Team and to ensure the Trust is portrayed in a positive manner

Youwill be required to work weekends and bank holidays on a rota system to coveradhoc clinics

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance onAI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances ofsuccess.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES ANDRESPONSIBILITIES

Responsible for thereception of patients and visitors to the Outpatients Department and allreception duties concerned e.g. sorting post / filing / stock monitoring /photocopying / delivery checks.

Responsible for the timelyand accurate clinic management of appointments & waiting list on thePatient Administration System, implement time surveys on the waiting times ofclinics as required and have a basic knowledge of medical terminology to allowfurther appointments to be arranged

Responsible for registeringnew patients on the computerised Patient Administration System ensuring data isretrieved and recorded accurately as the information is fed to other systemswithin the hospital.

Ensure patients, relatives;employers of and visitors to the Trust are greeted courteously and promptlyupon arrival at the Trusts reception desk.

Responsibility for checkingthe location of patients using the Trusts computerised Patient AdministrationSystem

Liaise with all departmentswithin the Trust to resolve queries from visitors or telephone calls

To generate and send outletters to patients inviting them to contact the department to make anoutpatient appointment (Partial Booking), taking account of clinic rules,urgent/routine ratios, cancelled clinics and specified return timescales forreview patients and if no response a letter is sent to the patients GP and thereferral is cancelled from the Patient Administrative System to allow bestutilization of outpatient clinic appointment slots and ensure no wastedcapacity if patients do not respond.

To receive telephone callsfrom patients in response to invitations sent by the department, bookingappointments in accordance with consultant directives/clinic rules, timescalesetc. and send Out Patient appointment letter to confirm these arrangements toallow patients to choose a date/time of appointment at their convenience (asper national guidance).

To ensure that allappointments which require cancelling or amending are reallocated for patients.

Booking of transport forpatients, where medically necessary, for future attendance.

Identifying potentialoverseas visitors on arrival for outpatient appointments or admissions andinform overseas patient interviewer to ensure appropriate action is taken.

Ability to work weekendsand bank holidays on a rota system to cover fracture clinics and additional adhoc clinics.

To ensure that patientscalling the Reception Departments are dealt with in a prompt, responsive andcourteous manner at all times in order that patients are satisfied with theservice provided by the Reception Team to ensure the Trust is portrayed in apositive manner.

To liaise effectively withpatients, general practitioners, hospital staff and other professional bodiesto ensure the smooth running of the department.

Collate and report weeklyany patients who cannot be booked within timescale per specialty.

To ensure patientsatisfaction and confidentiality is maintained throughout.

To deal with distressed,abusive and/or complaining customers face to face and via the telephone.

Ensure all patients areprovided with the family and friends questionnaire.

To provide a service topatients and secretaries regarding requests/queries.

To have a flexible approachto the department demands and to assist where appropriate in the provision ofcover for other colleagues during sickness and holidays.

To assist supervisor in thementorship, training and development of new members of staff.

Able to work under pressureboth supervised and unsupervised carrying out duties in accordance withdepartments Policies and Procedures ensuring quality standards are adhered to.

Ensure all clinicattendances are completed on the Trust PAS System ensuring accurate recordingor attendance outcome to facilitate tracking of 18 week RTT pathway.

Record any day caseactivity which takes place in an outpatient setting on the Trust PAS system tofacilitate tracking of 18 week RTT pathway.

Ensure all proceduresundertaken in outpatient clinic are accurately recorded to maximise income tothe Trust.

Ensure all demographicinformation is collected and updated.

Manage day case waitinglists.

Person Specification Special Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge of 18 week referral to treatment
• Organisational skills
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to prioritise
• Knowledge of NHS Patient Administration systems
• Knowledge of Overseas Visitor charging regulations

Special Requirements

• Good interpersonal skills
• Approachable and friendly
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality
• Willing to undertake any training
• required for the post
• Ability to travel across sites
• Self-reliance

Experience

• Working in a busy office environment
• NHS Reception Experience

Qualifications

• Must have 5 GCSEs grades A-C or NVQ Level 2 in Business & Administration or Customer Care or equivalent experience

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.

Employer name

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust