Job responsibilities
The purpose of the
role is to:
Offer 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
Receive, assist and direct patients in
accessing the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous,
efficient and effective way.
Undertake a variety of administrative
duties to assist in the smooth running of the Practice including the provision
of secretarial and clerical support to clinical staff and other members of the
Practice team
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 practice administration
team may include any or all of the items in the following list. Duties may be
varied from time to time under the direction of the practice manager, dependent
on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:
- Deal with
general telephone enquiries from patients and general public
- Record requests
for home visits
- Processing
personal and telephone requests for appointments, visits and telephone
consultations and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate
healthcare professional
- Maintaining and
monitoring the practice appointment system
- Processing and
distributing incoming and outgoing mail
- Taking messages
and passing on information to relevant team members
- Filing and
retrieving paper work, including prescriptions
- Initiating
contact with and responding to requests from patients, other team member
and associated healthcare agencies and providers
- Providing
clerical assistance to practice and staff as required from time to time,
including word/data processing, filing, photocopying and scanning
- Provision of
refreshments for staff and visitors as required and keeping the kitchen
area clean and tidy.
- Keeping the
reception area, notice-boards and leaflet dispensers tidy and free from
obstructions and clutter
- Clearing and
restocking consulting rooms as required
CONFIDENTIALITY AND RECORD KEEPING
- Observe a strict
code of confidentiality at all times
- 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 staff with respect their
privacy and act appropriately
- In the
performance of the duties outline 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
COMMUNICATION
- Communicate
effectively with other team members
- Communicate
effectively with patients and carers
- Recognise
peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond
accordingly
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 patient needs
- Effectively
manage own time, workload and resources
- Ensure that
policies, protocols, guidance, procedures and training offered are
followed at all times
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The post holder will participate in any training
programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, and seek to
continually improve their skills and knowledge. Such training will include:
Participation in an annual individual performance review, including
taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal/or professional
development
Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and
demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work
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, 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-judgemental and respects their circumstances,
feelings priorities and rights
HEALTH,
SAFETY AND FIRE REGULATIONS
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, the practice health and safety booklet and
the practice infection control policy and procedures. This will include:
- Using personal
security systems within the workplace
- 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
- Report all
accidents and incidents in line with Practice protocol
- Keeping
own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, assisting in
the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the
scope of the job holders role
CONTRIBUTION
TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SERVICES
The post holder will:
- Apply
practice polices, standards and guidance
- Discuss
with other members of the team how policies, standards and guidelines will
affect own work
- Participate
in audits where appropriate
The job description is intended to outline
the main duties and responsibilities of the employee. This is not an exhaustive
list of duties and the post holder may be required to undertake any other
duties, as required, to meet the needs of the service. It is also likely that
changes will be required from time to time and is not intended to be fixed for
an indefinite period.
