Receptionist / Admin Assistant
The closing date is 29 January 2026
Co Durham and Darlington Sexual Health Service is a dynamic forward‑thinking service which requires three efficient, courteous and professional part‑time receptionists. The roles of various hours per week support the administrative running of Genito‑Urinary Medicine clinics in Bishop Auckland and Durham Hospitals and contraception clinics across a variety of settings in County Durham. This is subject to change and requires the post holder to travel independently between clinics.
The role supports the provision of an efficient, professional and confidential booking service for patients making telephone and face‑to‑face appointments in sexual health clinics across the county. This requires excellent IT and organisational skills and verbal and non‑verbal communication skills. The receptionist/administrator would work within an integrated team providing a service to the sexual health clinical teams, ensuring that timely, accurate work is produced and demonstrating a flexible approach in ensuring the needs of the service.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be expected to deal with telephone and face‑to‑face enquiries, using own initiative and provide a timely response to all communications and correspondence. They will be expected to book appointments across the different venues of the service via a central appointment booking line.
The post holder will be expected to greet all patients and visitors to departments in a warm and friendly manner using excellent communication skills.
The post holder will be required to act as an integrated member of the administrative team, demonstrating a flexible approach, ensuring the needs of the service are met, by performing any duties deemed appropriate by clinic managers/nurse in charge.
About us
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.
For the most up‑to‑date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
Job responsibilities
1. Responsible for the reception of patients and visitors into the Department and all reception duties concerned e.g. sorting post/filing/stock monitoring/delivery checks etc and the competent and accurate use of the services bespoke patient information system Inform. Also ensuring all confidentiality and data protection policies and procedures are adhered to at all times and are embedded within the culture of the team.
2. Process enquiries from internal and external organisations/departments and from patients and the general public regarding making appointments, obtaining results and any other enquiries relevant to the department. Ensure all enquiries are dealt with in a prompt responsive and courteous manner at all times, including potentially distressed, abusive or complaining customers in order that they are satisfied with the service provided by the administration team to ensure the Trust is portrayed in a positive manner.
3. Responsible for the timely and accurate clinic management of appointments and clinic lists on the Inform system and have a basic knowledge of the services terminology whilst ensuring that all appointments which require cancelling or amending are re‑allocated.
4. Responsible for the registering new patients on the Inform system ensuring data is retrieved and recorded accurately.
5. To generate and send out letters where requested to patients inviting them to contact the department to make an appointment, taking account of clinic procedures.
6. Inform patients of negative test results to by their preferred method of contact from their Inform patient record whilst maintaining strict patient confidentiality policy.
7. Identify patients with normal/abnormal results and refer to appropriate clinician for action.
8. Operate triage system for patients to determine the urgency/nature of their requirements and direct appointments to the appropriate clinician as per local procedures.
9. To support the provision of administrative services within the sexual health team providing typed correspondence, reports and other documents when requested to a consistently high standard and of a sensitive and confidential nature.
10. Assist/contribute to the formulation of local procedures and protocols as required.
11. Demonstrate a professional image at all times, ensuring confidentiality, tact and diplomacy and a non‑judgemental approach.
12. To liaise effectively with patients, practitioners, hospital staff and other professional bodies to ensure the smooth running of the department.
13. Support the delivery of all areas of the sexual health specification as demand dictates.
14. To maintain personal and professional standards to ensure professional credibility.
15. Provide cover for other sexual health administration teams in other locations and/or at community clinics as required and occasionally out of hours in line with the 6‑week duty roster.
16. To support the administrative services within the sexual health service.
17. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties within the commensurate with the grade and experience.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Good standard of general education – 5 GCSEs or equivalent including Mathematics and English.
* NVQ Level II in Business Administration or Customer Care or equivalent experience.
Special Requirements
* Ability to work in a flexible way, within core business hours, to meet the needs of the service. In addition this may include evening and weekend work with prior approval from line manager.
* Ability to travel independently to fulfil the requirements of the post.
Special Skills & Knowledge
* Good oral and written communication skills.
* Competent use of IT.
* Professional telephone manner.
* Able to work flexibly under pressure, rapid pace, and with an unpredictable work pattern.
* Self‑starter, able to work independently, on own initiative and to deadlines.
* Ability to prioritise, plan and organise own workload to ensure safe service provision.
* Team player.
* General sexual health, contraception knowledge.
* Knowledge of policies and procedures surrounding care of young people under 16.
* Awareness of the principles of confidentiality and relevant policies.
Experience
* Experience in an office environment and with a wide range of office functions.
* Experience working unsupervised.
* Experience of working within a sexual health or contraception setting.
* Experience working in an NHS setting.
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
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