Job responsibilities
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
Limits Of
Authority
- Personnel, does not have the
authority over other members of staff.
- Financial, does not have any
authority to commit the practice to spend, without the permission of a
manager or a partner.
- Security has the authority to
ascertain the reason for the presence of any unauthorized persons in areas
where the practice assets may be at risk.
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.
- Receive repeat prescription requests
and ensure that they are passed to the prescription clerk in order to be
ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours.
- Handing completed repeat
prescriptions to patients ensuring that their name, address and a
signature is collected.
- Clear rooms after surgeries
- In the event of an IT system failure,
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:
Retrieve and
re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to
- 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:
Switch on all
reception computers at the start of the day when first to arrive and make all
necessary preparations to receive patients.
When last to
leave at the end of the day, ensure that the reception area is tidy and ready
for the next day
Undertake any
other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners,
Business Manager or Operations Manager.
General
Responsibilities:
- Promote a good image of the practice
at all times.
- Read practice procedures and
protocols issued and displayed in the staff handbook.
- To ensure that the practice uniform
is worn at all times, when on duty.
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 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.