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
Facilitate
effective communication between patients, members of the primary health care
team, secondary care and other associated healthcare agencies dealing with
complex queries
Duties and
Responsibilities:
The
duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by members of the Practice
reception 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
requests of our Footfall system
- Processing
personal and telephone requests for appointments, visits and telephone
consultations and ensuring calls are dealt with in the appropriate manner
- Actioning
emails from doctors and nurses or other members of the team and tasks on
the clinical system
- Taking
messages and passing on information to the relevant person in a timely
manner
- Filing
and retrieving paperwork
- Dealing
with prescription requests and queries 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 members
and associated healthcare agencies and providers
- Processing
new registrations
- Deal
with samples in the appropriate way
- Taking
payment for and recording of non NHS work
- Provision
of refreshments for staff and visitors as required; keeping the kitchen
area clean and tidy and doing the washing up
- Keeping
the reception area, visitors toilet, kitchen and leaflet dispensers
stocked 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, 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 employment, such training to include:
- All mandatory/statutory training
as required
- 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
audits where appropriate