GP Practice Receptionist/Practice Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB TITLE: GP Practice Receptionist/Practice Assistant

REPORTS TO: Practice Managers and Operations Manager

HOURS: 35

Job summary:

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.
• 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.

Duties and responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the practice reception and administration team Practice Assistants 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/ Operations Managers, dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels.

Job responsibilities:

This is not an exhaustive list of duties

General

• reception duties as needed such as staffing the practice front desk, Switchboard telephony, registering new patients and prescription handling as rostered.
• Dealing with all aspects of administrative tasks and assisting other members of the team in managing administration workload as required to meet turnaround targets.
• Dealing with daily administration lists and mail inboxes, admin lists and docman tasks both your own and your teams inboxes (telephoning hospitals to chase up patient referrals or patient results or booking transport for patients attending hospital etc).
• Chaperoning clinical examinations
• Using the Software as per practice protocol to make appointments, receive and send internal and external email, use of scanning software and any other third-party software needed to conduct your role.
• Summarising of medical records & GP2GP
• Scanning and work flowing optimising incoming post.
• Completing Recalls to achieve Practices local and National targets
• SNOMED Coding of patients records
• Attending staff meetings when required
• Maintaining training and skills to facilitate the role.
• Maintaining the security and confidentiality of patient records. The post involves handling confidential and sensitive data. A high degree of understanding of confidential issues is required for this post but training will be given.

Customer Service

Individuals who display an exceptional aptitude for customer service may be trained -

• To answer incoming telephone calls from patients/pharmacists/hospitals/ community services. To book appointments and deal with general enquiries, and to run the front of house to assist patients face to face by checking them in for their appointment, dealing with enquiries or booking, cancelling, or amending their appointment, as well as a wide array of other general enquires.

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 careers, 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 role, such training may include but is not limited to:

• Information governance
• Health & Safety
• Equality and Diversity
• Fire safety
• Infection control
• Basic Life Support
• Child protection awareness

The successful candidate should take responsibility for their 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
• Report critical incidents when they arise
• Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
• Contribute by reflecting on their own and their 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
• Be professional, helpful, and organised at all times.

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
• Participate in supervision sessions with their line manager and appraisals

All members of the practice are expected to observe safe working practices, with respect to health and safety procedures, confidentiality, and computer security. Protocols will be updated from time to time, and members of the team are expected to familiarise themselves with changes in policy. The practice also relies on team members to record critical incidents and assist with improving policies and protocols when necessary.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• General Secondary Education or equivalent
• Organisational / problem solving skills
• Verbal communication skills ability to deal with people in person and on the telephone
• Verbal reasoning skills
• COMPLEXITY AND CREATIVITY:
• Ability to solve problems within area of work/knowledge
• Able to work with a wide variety of tasks
• Ability to apply set procedures
• Accurate and thorough approach
• Flexible approach to undertaking a wide variety of tasks
• Comfortable working to agreed objectives
• Ability to make decisions within defined procedures/legislation
• PEOPLE SKILLS:
• Strong appreciation of customer service skills
• Awareness of diversity issues; works in a positive, non-discriminatory way
• SOCIAL SKILLS:
• Team player
• Highly motivated

Desirable

• Higher Education or other relevant work-based experience
• Customer service or Health care related qualification such as NVQ or equivalent
• 1 YEAR period working directly with members of the public in a busy office environment or similar
• 1 YEAR period working directly with members of the public in a busy NHS environment
• Experience of working as part of a team
• Clinical software skills Such as EMIS Web
• IT skills: Intermediate
• Microsoft Office:
• Word
• Excel
• Flexible with regard to working hours, e.g. anti-social hours, shifts,
• full or part-time working, holiday cover
• Able to undertake training outside of normal working hours if
• necessary
• Interested in/aptitude for learning new skills/taking on new challenges?
• Ability to work without supervision

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Caversham Group Practice

Address

4 Peckwater St, Kentish Town

London

NW5 2UP

Employer's website

https://www.cavershamgrouppractice.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)