Health jobs in United Kingdom

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 05 January 2026

The NHS Outpatient Receptionist within the Oral and Maxillofacial (OMF) Department plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth and efficient running of outpatient services. This front-facing position involves a combination of administrative duties, patient interaction, and support for clinical staff. The role is key in providing excellent customer service and ensuring patients have a positive experience when attending their appointments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Patient Reception and Registration: Greet and check‑in patients arriving for their outpatient appointments, ensuring all necessary information is collected and updated in the system.
• Appointment Management: Schedule, reschedule, and confirm patient appointments; manage patient lists and ensure clinics run to time.
• Telephone and Email Support: Answer incoming calls, respond to queries, and provide appointment information. Handle patient concerns professionally and efficiently.
• Clerical and Administrative Support: Maintain accurate patient records, process referrals and update patient details. Ensure smooth communication between departments and assist in the coordination of follow‑up appointments.
• Information Management: Ensure patients have the correct documentation, such as forms or pre‑appointment instructions, and provide them with relevant information regarding their treatment or care.
• Team Collaboration: Work closely with the OMF clinical team, including consultants, nurses, and support staff, to ensure all administrative tasks are completed accurately and on time.
• Patient Care and Support: Provide a welcoming and empathetic environment for patients, answering queries and directing them to the appropriate department or clinician as needed.
• Compliance and Confidentiality: Maintain patient confidentiality in line with data protection regulations (GDPR) and NHS policies.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics‑led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology.

Our Values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience – we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.

The post holder will work within the OMFS & Orthodontic department and be responsible for providing a welcoming and efficient service as the patients first point of contact with the hospital. This will include greeting and signposting patients and relatives, processing patients using the Patient Administration System and liaising with clinicians and colleagues to facilitate a smooth and timely flow of patients through the department.

The role is responsible for setting high standards of patient care by enacting the Trusts values at all times.

To liaise with wards, clinical staff, GPs and trust support staff in person, via telephone and email as and when necessary.

To show a caring and professional approach towards patients and visitors when carrying out reception and appointment duties, and when liaising on the telephone.

Escalate patient queries, capacity problems and general issues to the roles line manager or relevant clinical staff as appropriate.

To show a caring and professional approach towards patients, relatives and carers. This may require acting with resilience to deal with sometimes distressed patients and relatives in an empathetic manner.

To carry out associated clerical duties, for example maintaining accurate filing systems, receiving post, diary management and scanning patient notes if required.

To keep waiting areas tidy and patient information materials up to date.

To undertake the roles duties in the case of a major incident in your department (E.g. the ED Major Incident Process).

Attend appropriate meetings, as required by the roles line manager.

To check and update patient details on arrival and book them into clinic, retrieving data from a number of internal and external Patient Administration Systems.

To book patient appointments in line with the Patient Access Policy, print letters and arrange any appointment related services as and when required (e.g. transport and interpreting services).

To input outcomes of appointments, including those of patients that did not attend, on the Patient Administration System and other relevant computer systems in a timely and accurate manner according to the relevant Trust standards.

To check incoming email inbox(s) on a daily basis to keep up to date with departmental and Trust wide news and information.

To support the receipt of referrals into the service, as required by the line manager.

Act in a flexible manner to utilise skills in other functions if and when appropriate, which might include prioritising and supporting urgent tasks.

To be aware of Service and Trust policies and guidelines and ensure all these are adhered to.

Any other duties relevant to the area of work.

• GCSE English C or above.
• Customer Service Qualification

• Previous reception post, minimum of 2 years proven experience.
• Knowledge and experience of record keeping and filing.
• Previous NHS experience including use of IPM.

• Demonstrates an understanding of confidentiality issues and Data Protection.
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to prioritise a workload.
• Ability to remain calm at all times.

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.