Job responsibilities
The purpose of the role is to:
The post holder will work as part of the multi-disciplinary team at Dr Murray and Partners GP practice. You will be responsible for a wide range of administrative duties and report directly to the Administration Supervisor with support from the wider Practice Management Team.
Be the first point of contact for patients and visitors arriving at Dr Murray and Partners
Offer general administration 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 manner
Processing confidential patient information
Undertake a variety of administrative duties to assist in the smooth running of the practice including the provision of clerical support to clinical staff and other members of the practice team
Facilitate effective communication between patients, members or the practice team and 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 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 Management Team dependent on current and evolving practice workload and staffing levels:
- Opening and locking up of practice premises and maintaining security in accordance with Practice protocols
- Morning staff to ensure that all computers are switched on which are needed and start automatic check in system
- Report initial IT problems to EMIS/ITR/Wiggly Amps if necessary
- Unlocking of rooms as needed
- Opening and arranging of doctors boxes, visit book, prescriptions boxes etc as needed for the day
- Running of taps in clinical rooms in line with protocols if any clinicians are away
- Processing confidential telephone requests for appointments, visits and telephone consultations and ensuring callers are directed to the appropriate healthcare professional including dealing with emergency calls and contacting the duty doctor if not on site
- Ensuring appointments for minor operations are appropriately booked and prescriptions issued
- Giving results to patients
- Arranging patient transport and ambulances and assisting with patient queries regarding secondary care appointments and passing of queries to referrals team
- Registration of new patients including checks to confirm identity as per practice protocols
- Ensuring requests for appointments for temporary residents are correctly processed including completion of appropriate paperwork including checking that patients are entitled to treatment or advised of private status
- Processing and distributing incoming (and outgoing) mail including paper copy test results
- Taking messages and passing on information
- Filing and retrieving paperwork
- Processing repeat prescriptions in accordance with practice guidelines
- Processing prescription nomination requests from patients and requests for access to on-line services
- Processing requests for continuation fit notes
- Maintaining a thorough knowledge of EMIS Web, Docman or any other clinical system operated by the practice, Microsoft Word and Outlook, Microsoft Excel (if necessary), and other computer programmes as are required for the normal operation of the practice, and engaging in training sessions as arranged.
- 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
- Ensuring patient complaints are appropriately dealt with or escalated
- Act as Chaperone if required and trained to do so
- Ensuring Out of Hours systems are in place and removed at the end and start of the day
- Providing clerical assistance to practice staff as required, including word/data processing, filing, photocopying, scanning, shredding
- Processing payments for private work
- Ordering, re-ordering and monitoring of stationery and other supplies
- Printing of patient leaflets and appointment cards
- Stocking of printers, copiers and faxes with supplies
- Provision of refreshments for staff and visitors if requested and keeping the kitchen area clean and tidy
- Keeping the reception area, notice-boards and leaflet displays tidy and free from obstructions and clutter
- Ensure ongoing awareness of rotas and practice events
- Maintain a high level of confidentiality and compliance with Data Protection Act. Awareness of the nature of information within the Practice and work in a way which ensure confidentiality and security
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
- The post holder must maintain the confidentiality of information about patients, staff and organisation business in accordance with the Caldicott principles and with legal obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018 (the 2018 Act) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
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
- Attendance at Protected Learning Time (PLT) sessions each month or as required
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