Job responsibilities
Job
Title Practice
Operations Team Member
Reports to Practice Manager
Accountable to Practice Manager / Partners
Hours As individually determined Additional hours required, e.g.
for sickness absence and annual leave cover
Job Summary
The post-holder will:
Act
as first point of contact for all patients and/or visitors to the practice,
ensuring a courteous and professional reception service is provided to patients
and any other visitors to the Practice.
Support
colleagues in providing an effective and efficient practice administration
function, with particular regard to coding, GP links, incoming and out-going
post, prescription administration, records management, scanning, coding, and
other relevant administrative tasks.
Support
the clinical team in the management of key administrative tasks, e.g. patient summaries.
Main responsibilities
1. Patient
Experience
The post-holder will:
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.
Use his/her 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 registration arrangements to new patients
and those seeking temporary cover and ensure the correct procedures are
completed.
Enter requests for home visits on to the system.
Action any repeat prescription requests and ensure
that they are ready for collection by the patient within the 2 working day time
limit, either on the computer or manually.
Advise patients of relevant charges for private
(non General Medical Services) services as per practices fees schedule, and
accept payment and issue receipts for same.
Monitor the patient check in facility, encouraging
and supporting patients to use it.
2.
Telephony
The post-holder will:
Receive
and make telephone calls as required. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring
accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery.
Process
calls made to the prescription telephone line.
Have
working knowledge of telephone system, during surgery opening times, extended
hours and answer phone arrangements.
3. Administration
The post-holder will:
Have a thorough knowledge of, and work in
accordance with, all practice procedures and protocols.
Update patient information, e.g. change of address
in accordance with the practice area.
File incoming medical records and retrieve
outgoing ones.
Disposal of all out of date letters in accordance
with practice policy.
File relevant patient information in paper
records.
Process documentation as requested e.g. reports,
duplicate hospital letters, summary print outs, general administration forms
and leaflets e.g. health questionnaires, practice leaflets.
Open and process incoming post.
4.
Data
Processing
The post-holder will:
Ensure that all new patients are registered onto
the computer system promptly and accurately.
Enter patient information on to the computer as
required.
Process patient notes and correspondence: retrieving and
re-filing records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered
to.
Ensure all necessary correspondence is
scanned according to due process, and then forward to the appropriate clinician
if necessary.
Ensure records are kept in good repair
with all necessary information on the outside cover clearly visible and
accurate.
Code correspondence in accordance with
practice protocols.
Process electronic prescription
requests and tasks as necessary.
4.
Premises
The post-holder will:
Open
up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and
make all necessary preparations to receive patients.
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
building security throughout opening hours, having a thorough knowledge of
doors / windows / alarms / keys / emergency contacts.
5. Other
duties
To
assist in all general reception and administrative duties, as required due to
busy periods in the surgerys day, break cover, absence or annual leave.
Clauses common
to all Job Descriptions
6. 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.
7. 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 equipment in the workplace.
Identifying
the potential risks involved in work and deciding on the appropriate course of
action to report/manage such 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.
8. 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 recognises the importance of peoples rights and abilities.
Respecting
the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
Behaving
in a manner which is welcoming to individuals, is non-judgmental and respects
their circumstances and feelings.
9. 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 individual performance reviews when required and identify individual
training requirements.
Partaking
in staff training of other members of the PHCT.
Statutory
training e.g. CPR, safeguarding, information governance, health and safety,
fire safety awareness, and other courses as deemed appropriate.
10.
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.
11.
Communication
The post-holder should recognise the
importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
Communicate effectively with other team members.
Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods
of communication and respond accordingly.
12.
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.
Contribute to PHCT meetings.
13.
Other
This job description is neither exhaustive
nor exclusive and will be reviewed periodically in conjunction with the post
holder. The post holder is required to carry out any reasonable duties that may
be requested by the Partners and/or the Practice Manager. The post holder will be
required to adhere to any practice requirements, or stipulations arising within
a legislative context from a recognised and legitimate third party.