For a general practice to function effectively, a large number of non-clinical staff are needed. Administrative and clerical staff provide business support to clinical and non-clinical staff. They are usually the first point of contact between the patient and the General Practice.
Role titles change from practice to practice, and whilst the list is not exhaustive, they include:
Receptionists
These are usually on the front desk of the practice and the first face a patient will see when attending for an appointment. Receptionists need to have good interpersonal skills, be clear communicators, able to handle conflict and deal with pressure.
Call Handlers
Larger practices may have staff who only deal with telephone calls coming into the practice. They need to have a good telephone manner and verbal communication skills, have good skills in customer service, be efficient and IT literate.
Medical Secretaries
Medical secretaries deal with correspondence going out from, and into, the practice. These will often be referrals to and from other clinicians. They require good keyboard skills, a good telephone manner, IT skills and a knowledge of medical terminology.
IT Specialist
IT specialists deal with IT-related issues with the practice clinical system, ensuring good information security.
Further Development
Within both PCNs and larger practices there are often opportunities to develop into a more specialised role, such as Finance, Management or HR support as well as Care Co-ordinators.
There is a range of training available locally, some of which is provided through the Devon Training Hub as well as online training providers such as:
- AMSPAR Education & Health Academy – https://www.amspar.org
- Bluestream Academy – https://www.bluestreamacademy.com
- E Learning for Healthcare – https://www.e-lfh.org.uk
