Who am I?
I am Sam, and this is what I do as part of the Patient Services Team:
My misconception before working at the surgery was how much work the admin team actually have to do. It’s not just a case of answering calls and drinking tea as most people think. From induction on the first day, all new members of staff go through a comprehensive training and learning curve, shadowing and then being shadowed to learn all the different aspects of this demanding job.
Patient Services Team: What we do
From the beginning to the end of a shift you are constantly busy dealing with a large range of tasks and duties.
The shift begins by processing a constant stream of online or hand delivered script requests until the telephone lines open. Daily triage calls are then taken and where necessary a return call is made to pass on GP instructions or to arrange a face to face appointments with an appropriate health care professional.
This I find to be the most challenging aspect of my job as I feel sometimes patients question why medical information has to be given to us. To explain, we have to ask certain questions and record the information to allow the Triage GP to prioritise each patient and manage daily appointment capacity.
All admin staff work under data protection & confidentiality policies contractually and will always treat information received professionally and with the respect and privacy we would expect as patients ourselves.
Patient Services Team: Our duties
An array of admin tasks set by GP’s, nurses, depression counsellor and patients is completed throughout the rest of the day. Tasks can include chasing referrals, emailing information such as management plans, leaflets & information links to patients and answering queries received through the reception email. We liaise throughout the day with several chemists to ensure prescription collections are ready on time.
SMS annual review invites are sent to patients and are followed up with a telephone1 call if an appointment is not arranged. Many letters and documents are received, scanned, actioned and filed each day with follow up contacts made to book appointments or to issues prescriptions as per clinician instruction.
Each member of our patient services team also has their own allocated duty each day, for example covering GP secretary duties or managing child health appointments/paperwork, processing paperwork for newly registering patients, patient services registrations or dealing with insurance/ solicitor/ private letters requests for patients to mention but a few.
Who am I? - I am Kelly
I have been working at Meadowbridge Surgery for 16 years. During my time at the practice, I have covered a variety of different clerical duties.
In my current role I work at front reception each morning meeting and greeting patients. I check patients in for their appointments and help with any queries and requests they have.
I manage the practice waiting list, booking patients in for minor surgery, steroid injections, contraceptive implants and annual medical care plan reviews which supports long term disease management of patients with cancer, MS, Parkinson, stroke diagnosis and multiple diseases.
All the admin team complete basic life support training along with clinical staff and this has been helpful in remaining calm and knowing what to do in the event of a collapse or other incident when the patient is within the reception area.
My favourite part of the job hands down is the interactions I have with patients while working at the front reception. I thoroughly enjoy and find it rewarding in helping patients and hope they always find me a positive factor in their experience at the Practice.
I always listen for constructive feedback as well as compliments and share these with the Office Manager and Practice Manager. These are then shared on to the team with some points anonymised and raised for discussion and learning at our weekly admin meeting.
Communication is one of our core values at the Practice in keeping our service innovative and a positive experience for all.
Lastly, the team always appreciate the little tokens of cards and gifts received from many of our patients throughout the year. These always put a smile on our faces, especially on a very busy day.