Job Description

The Elms Medical Practice

Receptionist / Prescribing Clerk job description & person specification

Job Title

Receptionist / Prescribing Clerk

Line Manager

Medicines Manager

Accountable to

GP Partners

Hours per week

25 hours part time

Job Summary

To be responsible for undertaking a wide range of reception duties and the provision of general support to the multidisciplinary team. Duties can include but are not limited to, greeting and directing patients, effective use of the appointment system, booking appointments, prescription requests, processing of information and assisting patients as required. To act as the central point of contact for patients, the distribution of information, messages and enquiries for the clinical team, liaising with multidisciplinary team member and external agencies such as secondary care and community service providers.

Mission Statement

At The Elms Medical Practice our Mission Statement is:

To provide the best Primary Care Services possible by working in partnership with our patients, staff local initiatives, national guidelines, regulations, and governance.

Our Vision:

"To be the leading practice for patient experience and clinical outcomes"

Our values are:

Quality Care Integrity Compassion

Generic Responsibilities

All staff at The Elms Medical Practice have a duty to conform to the following:

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

A good attitude and positive action towards ED&I creates and environment where all individuals are able to achieve their full potential. Creating such an environment is important for three reasons: it improves operational effectiveness, it is morally the right thing to do, and it is required by law.

Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care. They can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Patients have a responsibility to treat other

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patients and our staff with dignity and respect.

Staff have the right to be treated fairly in recruitment and career progression. Staff can expect to work in an environment where diversity is valued and equality of opportunity is promoted. Staff will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Staff have a responsibility to ensure that you treat our patients and their colleagues with dignity and respect.

Safety, Health, Environment and Fire (SHEF)

This practice is committed to supporting and promoting opportunities to for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety. You have a duty to take reasonable care of health and safety at work for you, your team and others, and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. All personnel are to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Environmental Protection Act 1990,Environment Act 1995, Fire Precautions (workplace) Regulations 1999 and other statutory legislation.

Confidentiality

This practice is committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service. Patients entrust and permit us to collect and retain sensitive information relating to their health and other matters, pertaining to their care. They do so in confidence and have a right to expect all staff will respect their privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times. It is essential that if, the legal requirements are to be met and the trust of our patients is to be retained that all staff protect patient information and provide a confidential service.

Quality & Continuous Improvement (CI)

To preserve and improve the quality of our output, all personnel are required to think not only of what they do, but how they achieve it. By continually re-examining our processes, we will be able to develop and improve the overall effectiveness of the way we work. The responsibility for this rests with everyone working within the practice to look for opportunities to improve quality and share good practice.

This practice continually strives to improve work processes which deliver health care with improved results across all areas of our service provision. We promote a culture of continuous improvement, where everyone counts and staff are permitted to make suggestions and contributions to improve our service delivery and enhance patient care.

Induction Training

On arrival at the practice all personnel are to complete a practice induction programme; this is managed by the Practice Manager.

Learning and Development

The effective use of training and development is fundamental in ensuring that all staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, attitude and competences to perform their role. All staff will be required to partake and complete mandatory training as directed by the training coordinator, as well as participating in the practice training programme.

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Staff will also be permitted (subject to approval) to undertake external training courses which will enhance their knowledge and skills, progress their career and ultimately, enable them to improve processes and service delivery.

Collaborative Working

All staff are to recognise the significance of collaborative working. Teamwork is essential in multidisciplinary environments. Effective communication is essential and all staff must ensure they communicate in a manner which enables the sharing of information in an appropriate manner.

Service Delivery

Staff at The Elms Medical Practice must adhere to the information contained with practice policies and regional directives, ensuring protocols are adhered to at all times. Staff will be given detailed information during the induction process regarding policy and procedure.

Security

The security of the practice is the responsibility of all personnel. Staff must ensure they remain vigilant at all times and report any suspicious activity immediately to their line manager. Under no circumstances are staff to share the codes for the door locks to anyone and are to ensure that restricted areas remain effectively secured.

Professional Conduct

At The Elms Medical Practice, staff are required to dress appropriately for their role.(Nursing staff will be provided with a uniform whilst clinical staff must dress in accordance with their role).

Leave

All personnel are entitled to take leave. Line managers are to ensure all of their staff are afforded the opportunity to take a minimum days leave each year, and should be encouraged to take all of their leave entitlement. The Elms Medical Practice will provide you with an annual leave form which has your holiday entitlement allocated in hours

Primary Responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the receptionist. There may be on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels: a. Maintaining and monitoring the practice appointment system b. Process personal, telephone and any other requests for appointments c. Answer incoming phone calls, transferring calls or dealing with the callers request appropriately d. Signpost patients to the correct service Patient Navigation e. Dealing with telephone requests for repeat prescriptions from patients and other health professionals in a safe and timely manner f. Ensure online ordering requests are reviewed and forwarded correctly to clinicians g. Check incoming email requests on the practice email and submit as appropriate h. Ensuring that the requests are sent to the appropriate in box such as "query"

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"routine repeat" and that the "high priority" box is checked should it be an urgent request needed within 48 hours i. File any private printed prescriptions in alphabetical order in prescription collection box, post any prescriptions for companies not currently on EPS system in envelope provided j. Alerting the clinicians regarding compliance issues or repeat mediation which has not been requested regularly by free typing in request box and sending via "query" k. Triage all early requests and alert clinicians at time of request via free typing in request box and sending via "query" l. All ACUTE/PAST prescription requests must be bought to the attention of the clinician along with the date of last issue by free typing in the request box and sent via "query" m. Liaising with other healthcare providers on behalf of patients regarding medication queries if needed n. Instigating blood test request forms and booking relevant appointments following repeat prescribing protocols and QOF requirements o. To advise patients when they are due for a review as per prescribing policy or clinician request and book the relevant appointments. Advise the clinician of this at time of request via free typing in request box and sending via "query" p. Ensure any outstanding tasks are communicated to your colleagues at time of handover q. Initiating contact with and responding to, requests from patients, team members and external agencies r. Data entry of new and temporary registrations and relevant patient information as required s. Input data into the patient's healthcare records as necessary t. Direct requests for information i.e. SAR, insurance / solicitors letters and DVLA forms to the Reception Manager. u. Manage all queries as necessary in an efficient manner v. To assist the Practice Manager with CQC compliance w. Support all clinical staff with general tasks as requested

Secondary Responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the post holder may be requested to: a. Partake in audit as directed by the audit lead b. Support administrative staff, providing cover during staff absences as per reception rota c. Scanning of patient related documentation and attaching scanned documents to patient's healthcare records d. Complete opening and closing procedures in accordance with the duty rota e. As required support all reception and administration, in the management of repeat prescriptions, ensuring they are processed accurately and efficiently

The person specification for this role is detailed overleaf.

Person Specification - Receptionist / Prescription Clerk

Qualifications Essential Desirable

Educated to GCSE level or equivalent ?

GCSE Mathematics & English (C or above) ?

AMSPAR Receptionists Qualification ?

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NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care ?

Experience Essential Desirable

Experience of working with the general public ?

Experience of administrative duties ?

Experience of working in a health care setting ?

Skills Essential Desirable

Excellent communication skills (written and oral) ?

Strong IT skills ?

Clear, polite telephone manner

Competent in the use of Office and Outlook ?

EMIS / Systmone / Vision user skills ?

Effective time management (Planning & Organising) ?

Ability to work as a team member and autonomously ?

Good interpersonal skills ?

Problem solving & analytical skills ?

Ability to follow policy and procedure ?

Personal Qualities Essential Desirable

Polite and confident ?

Flexible and cooperative ?

Motivated ?

Forward thinker ?

High levels of integrity and loyalty ?

Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations ?

Ability to work under pressure ?

Other requirements Essential Desirable

Flexibility to work outside of core office hours ?

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check ?

This document may be amended following consultation with the post holder, to facilitate the development of the role, the practice and the individual. All personnel should be prepared to accept additional, or surrender existing duties, to enable the efficient running of the practice.

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Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Pay: 10.00-12.21 per hour

Experience:

Medical Receptionist: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person