Job responsibilities
Job Summary:
Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way.
Provide general assistance to the practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone
Job Responsibilities:
- Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice.
- Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments.
- Using your own judgment and communication skills ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non-disruptive manner.
- Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover and ensure procedures are completed.
- Receive and make telephone calls as required. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery.
- Enter requests for home visits into the visit book, ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor.
- Action repeat prescription requests and ensure that they are ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours, either on the computer or manually.
- Prepare lists and notes for all surgeries and clinics held, ensuring completion of all associated paperwork.
- Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for same.
- Enter patient information on to the computer as required.
- Patient notes and correspondence:
o Retrieve and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to
o Ensure correspondence, reports, results etc are filed promptly and in the correct records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are seen.
o Ensure records are kept in good repair with all necessary information on the outside cover clearly visible.
- Make and serve refreshments, ensure the kitchen is kept clean and tidy and air and tidy the waiting room in turn with other staff.
- Premises:
o Open up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and make all necessary preparations to receive patients.
o When last to leave at the end of the day, ensure that the building is totally secured, internal lights are off, and the alarm activated.
- Ensure that all new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and accurately.
- Undertake any other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners or the Practice Manager.
Confidentiality:
- In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.
- In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.
- Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Health & Safety:
All employees are subject to the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The post-holder is required to ensure, as an employee, that his/her work methods do not endanger other people or themselves.
The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health and Safety Policy, to include:
- Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines
- Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
- Making effective use of training e.g. Manual Handling, Fire Safety to update knowledge and skills
- Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
- Reporting potential risks identified
Equality and Diversity:
The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:
- Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation.
- Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
- Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal/Professional Development:
The post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:
- Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.
- Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
Quality:
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:
- Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
- Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
- Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.
- Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
- Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.
Communication:
The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
- Communicate effectively with other team members.
- Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
- Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
Contribution to the Implementation of Services:
The post-holder will:
- Apply practice policies, standards and guidance.
- Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work.
- Participate in audit where appropriate.
This Job Description may be reviewed in the light of changed service needs and developments. Any changes will be full discussed with the post-holder. The post-holder may be required to carry out other duties appropriate with the grade of the post.