Job responsibilities
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
Receive, assist and direct patients in accessing
the appropriate service or healthcare professional in a courteous, efficient
and effective way
Undertake a variety of Reception and 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 when instructed
Facilitate effective communication between patients,
members of 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/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 senior
receptionist/practice manager, dependent on current and evolving practice
workload and staffing levels:
- Opening up/locking up of practice premises
and maintaining security in accordance with practice protocols
- Maintaining and monitoring the practice
appointments system
- Processing personal and telephone requests
for appointments, visits and telephone consultations, and ensuring callers
are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional
- Processing and distributing incoming (and
outgoing) mail
- Taking messages and passing on information
- Filing and retrieving paperwork
- Processing repeat prescriptions in accordance
with practice guidelines
- Computer data entry/data allocation and collation;
processing and recording information in accordance with practice
procedures
- Initiating contact with and responding to
requests from patients, other team member and associated healthcare
agencies and providers
- Providing clerical assistance to practice
staff as required from time to time, including word/data processing,
filing, photocopying and scanning
- Dealing with clinical waste
- Provision of refreshments for staff and
visitors as required; keeping the kitchen area clean and tidy
- Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and
leaflet dispensers tidy and free from obstructions and clutter
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, free from hazards
- Actively reporting
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
- Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and
promoting the welfare of children.
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 that 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, with 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 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
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
