Practice Administration Team

Marjorie Stewart MIHM- Business Development and Practice Manager

The Business Manager is involved in managing all of the business aspects of the Practice such as making sure that the right systems and people are in place, at the right time, in order to provide high quality patient care. She is also responsible for human resources, finance, patient safety, premises, and equipment and information technology. The Business Manager supports the GPs and other medical professionals in the delivery of patient services and also helps to develop extended services to enhance patient care.

Karen Morrison – Deputy Practice Manager

Deputy practice manager who supports the practice manager in all the above aspects. She is also the primary surgery contact for any complaints that have escalated beyond the administration team’s ability to resolve.

Medical Administrators

Claire Healy – Office & Workflow Manager

Karay Gibson – Office Supervisor

Our staff attend to patients on the phone and in person. They co-ordinate and organise appointments and documentation to facilitate the smooth running of the Practice and support delivery of quality patient care. The staff have a very demanding role. They are here to assist you. We would ask you to be patient during peak times when the staff can handle a large volume of calls and enquiries. They will ask you a small amount of personal information about your medical condition – this information is used to ensure your call is dealt with by the correct clinician and assist fellow healthcare professionals who work within the Practice in managing your health care and well-being.

The medical administrator plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the surgery’s precious clinical resources are correctly allocated.  They are instrumental in ensuring that patients are seen by the right clinician in the right timescale.  The surgery currently employs a Doctor First model of appointing which requires staff to take a brief medical history and add to the triage list for today.  If the surgery has moved to “emergencies only” because all the routine slots have been filled then staff are required to obtain the on call GP’s assessment prior to adding any further bookings to the triage list. 

Staff are the first point of contact that patients and visitors have with the surgery.  It is helpful for the staff member to appear neat and tidy, wearing uniform and a name badge, demonstrating good temper and compassion, be well spoken and kindly towards patients.  Being confident when speaking will reassure patients however staff should be wary of over-promising.  If a medical administrator doesn’t know the answer to a patient’s query it is entirely acceptable to say so but it is then very important to find the answer and respond to the patient appropriately. 

Staff are provided with resource packs at their desks for quick reference to outside agencies and allied health services as well as each having their own protocol ‘bible’ to access for guidance.  Most protocols are designed as a guide however the Emergency 999 Protocol must be followed at all times, without deviation. 

This post is a demanding, intense and high pressured job with many and frequent changes to processes.  It is important that staff keep themselves up to date with developments or new protocols.  This role requires high levels of concentration and accuracy and can be physically, emotionally and mentally very demanding. 

There is no margin for error in healthcare – staff are empowered to be responsible and accountable for their actions, using their judgment to escalate or fully resolve as appropriate.

Everyone must comply with data protection laws, must follow breach reporting guidance and participate fully in any follow up significant event analysis (SEA) after any incident.  All staff adhere to the Practice’s Confidentiality Policy and Data Protection Act 2018.

Here are some of the things that our medical administrators do:

• Script Requests in paper format or occasionally over the phone
• Processing script requests via the surgery generic email inbox
  • Either run repeat/repeating acute or add to GP acute request column. 
  • If appropriate also add to XL spreadsheet to be moved from acute to repeat.
• Chase GPs for signed scripts – prep for collection by 11 different pharmacies
• Vision Online Services Registrations enabling patients to order prescriptions online.
• Scan and email x-ray requests to different hospitals  
• Electronic Document Transfers filing of pre-stamped comms
• Making bookings on the triage list including as much info as necessary
• Signposting or resolving queries on Phones
• Treatment Room referrals (injections only) – scan and email
• Changes of Address in patient records mobile nos. & email addresses
• Changes of address on Vision Online Services and re-authorise for online visibility
• Scripts, Bottles, Letters and Forms Cleanse
• Handling patient observations/concerns/complaints – resolve where possible or escalate if necessary
• Processing photos in email inbox to aid clinical consultations
• Processing incoming forms from website which include consultation requests, medication reconciliations, script reviews, results queries.
• Encrypting documents for email transfer to patients ie. sick notes, death certificates etc.
• Handle incoming Care Home requests, discharges, pharmacy script queries
• Scan & Email urgent scripts to long-distance pharmacies for TRs
• Urgent GP Queries inc social work referrals, organising ambulances, police welfare checks
• Reporting breaches of protocol by secondary care to management by email, for audits & Primary And Scondary Care Interphase Group
• Any ad hoc GP support task as required inc emergency hospital and psych liaison etc.
• Reception duties at the front desk include dealing with patients’ enquiries, checking patients in when necessary, checking patient IDs, giving out prescriptions/sick notes/letters. 
• Urine sample handling – put in basket and ensure relevant clinician is aware by e-message
• Attend to pharmacy collections and drop offs for prescription orders
• Blood Sample Collection Drivers – ensure all samples are present prior to release
• Handle deliveries of Medical Equipment, Medical Consumables and Vaccine – ensure relevant clinicians aware and put all vaccines into fridge asap
• Stationery & Equipment deliveries – advise manager and assist with stowing as directed
• Review each individual GP’s Acute Script Requests for their instructions for non-actioned items
• Admin to action list – liaise with GPs over patient queries
• New patient registration, including creating docman accounts and submit to health board
• Hospital calls – handle incoming queries from secondary care consultants, psychiatry, midwives, district nurses, health visitors, social work, police
• Cleansing inactive mobile numbers, Room Replenish
• Mailmanager & Docman tasks
• iGPR managing online portal of reports and Subject Access Requests/Copy Records
• IT hardware and software support to GPs (liaise with IT helpdesk)
• Order Comms on behalf of GPs – ordering test requests via online portal transmitted directly to the treatment rooms, as per the GP’s instruction in Vision journal.
• Monthly cleanse of processed correspondence under GP trays, move to confidential waste
• Open, Collate and Scan paper mailUpload of reports to iGPR or allocate to GP, this includes SARs/DWP/PIP/ESA113s/SW/Ins reports
• Organising and communicating with patients over Carers , Child Health Surveillance (Baby Clinics), Child Health Immunisations,
• Quarterly Archiving for Vision, Partners (electronic deductions and imports including GP2GP and corrupted data)
• Lawyers and Insurance Company requests for medical reports or copy records, completion of forms for life insurance, mortgages, legal cases, court appearances etc.
• Electronic invoicing, Secretarial duties including transcription work & clarifying referral pathways for GPs, Computer toners/drums stock control and ordering
• IT hardware and software support to colleagues and GPs (liaise with IT helpdesk)
• Internet Telephony support – the phone system is now hosted via an online portal
• Spreadsheets and business support for clinical audits as directed by the manager
• Aid combined chronic disease management with recall system
• Website messaging updates
• Waiting Room TV Messaging and electronic patient comms updates
• Temporary residents quarterly archive
• Remain up to date on any new software/hardware, new processes etc