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
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.
- Action repeat
prescription requests and ensure that they are ready for collection by the
patient within 48 hours, either on the computer or manually.
- 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:
o
Retrieve
and re-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered
to
o
Ensure
correspondence, reports, results etc are filed promptly and in the correct
records, ensuring that all recent correspondence is available when patients are
seen.
o
Ensure
records are kept in good repair with all necessary information on the outside
cover clearly visible.
- 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:
o
Open
up premises at the start of the day when first to arrive, de-activate alarm and
make all necessary preparations to receive patients.
o
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 that all
new patients are registered onto the computer system promptly and
accurately
- Undertake any
other additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the
Partners or the practice manager.
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, the practice health & safety manual, and the practice infection control
policy and published procedures. This will 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
- Actively reporting of health and
safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
- 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
- Undertaking periodic infection
control training (minimum annually)
- 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