Job responsibilities
Job Summary:
The purpose of the role is to:
· Meet and greet patients and manage the throughput of patients on behalf of the Practice; to manage as appropriate the appointment for all clinical staff either face to face or by telephone.
· Offer general assistance to the practice team and project a positive and friendly image to patients and other visitors via the telephone and in person
· Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient and effective way
· Facilitate effective communication between patients, members the primary health care team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the reception team include any or all of the items in the following list. Duties may be varied from time to time under the direction of the reception team leader, dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:
- Opening up / locking up of the Practice premises in accordance with Practice protocols.
- Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointments system by managing patient calls appropriately
- Signposting patients to other more suitable services as appropriate
- Processing personal and telephone requests for appointments, visits and telephone consultations and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional
- Contact patients and external agencies as requested by members of the Primary Health Care Team.
- To provide cover for members of the reception team during periods of sickness and annual leave changing shifts where necessary
- Taking messages and passing on information
- Initiating contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team member and associated healthcare agencies and providers
Ad-hoc Duties
Whilst primarily the role of the individual is to answer incoming phone calls form patients. From time-to-time the duties and responsibilities may extend to:
- Monitor the flow of patients into consulting rooms and treatment rooms
- Processing and distributing incoming (and outgoing) mail
- Periodically checking incoming e-mails
- Filing and retrieving paperwork
- Computer data entry/data allocation and collation; processing and recording information in accordance with practice procedures
- Charging patient’s the appropriate amount for private work, providing a receipt to the patient and recording the charge in the petty cash book
- Providing clerical assistance to practice staff as required from time to time, including word/data processing, filing, photocopying and scanning
- Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter
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:
The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & 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 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 people’s 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 team’s 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 people’s 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.
