Patient Services Team

**Job summary**:
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**:
Administration
- To have a thorough knowledge of all practice procedures
- To work in accordance of written protocols
- Pulling/filing notes for surgeries and updating as necessary
- Filing post in medical records

Reception
- Receiving patients, consulting with members of practice team
- Handing completed repeat prescriptions to patient and checking names and address.
- Be able to cover all reception position as necessary

Appointments
- Process appointment requests for today/future appointments from patients by telephone and in person.
- Deal with visits/requests

Computer
- Registrations of new patients - computer data entry and medical records
- Process patients’ changes of address - computer data and medical records (have knowledge of practice area)
- Process repeat prescription requests in accordance with practice guidelines

Telephone
- Have working knowledge of telephone/bleep system, during and after hours
- Cover for telephonist when necessary

Other Tasks
- Clear rooms after surgeries
- Ensure building security - have thorough knowledge of doors/windows/alarm
- Any other tasks allocated by managers

**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 holder’s 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 people’s 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 reflectin