Practice Assistant

Parliament Hill Medical Centre is a small, hardworking, innovative and friendly practice. An opportunity has arisen to join as a Practice Assistant which is a key role within the organisation, being the first point of contact face to face or by phone. Working alongside our Clinicians, Pharmacists and Practice Assistants, the role mainly involves assisting our patients with appointments, queries and managing various administrative tasks.

You will need to have excellent organisational and communication skills and be comfortable working under pressure. Good customer service skills are important. A cheerful demeanour and the willingness to be flexible are an advantage. Previous Reception and administration experience would be advantageous but not essential. You need to like interacting with people, be able to think and act very fast and be confident with computers. You must have a professional approach to your work, be confident, assertive and have excellent communication skills. Training will be provided to equip the job holder with the necessary skills.

Main duties of the job

• Opening and closing the surgery on your shift
• 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.
• Actioning requests for repeat prescriptions, checking emails.
• Sorting the mail and post (incoming outgoing).
• Scanning clinical letters and workflow management.
• File online consultations and triage to the appropriate clinician.
• Patient registrations.
• Photocopying and scanning insurance medicals and reports, and maintaining record books and files.
• Arranging transportation for patients.
• Coding patients notes.

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).
• 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.

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

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.

Person Specification

• Ability to work well as part of a team.
• Ability to communicate with people at all levels.
• Ability to work under pressure and use own initiative.
• Good verbal/written communication skills and good numeracy.
• Ability to maintain absolute patient confidentiality.
• Must be flexible and able to adapt to change.
• Good spoken English.
• Previous health service/General Practice experience.
• Previous reception and administration experience.
• Experience of EMIS and Docman.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.