If you wear a uniform at work, and have to wash, repair or replace it yourself, you may be able to reclaim £100s of tax for up to five years of expenses.
This applies whether it’s just a branded T-shirt or you’re a fully-uniformed pilot, police officer or nurse. Don’t pay a claims firm, you can do it simply yourself for FREE.
Please click on the link below
The guest post today is from someone I don’t personally know, but with her permission I would like to share it with you, and to stress how important it is to keep patients informed when the Doctor or Nurse is running late. Quite often patients are not annoyed at the delay in their appointments, it the “not knowing and lack of communication” that can quite often bring on frustration and anger.
By informing the patients that there is a delay you are taking away a possible frustrated patient coming to the desk demanding to know what is happening when their appoitment times has come and gone – it then too late the damage is already done – the patient is angry and you as the Receptionist is more than likely to get the brunt of it.
Guest post:
“I had a Hospital apt today at Aintree Hospital here in Liverpool mum came with me, the clinic was running late. Billy the senior HCA was rushing around everywhere making sure everyone was ok and informed us all of the delay “no wonder he’s so thin he never stands still” mum commented. We went through from 1 waiting room to another and was again informed of the delay that there were 3 doctors on and were doing their best. Around 10 minutes later mum started nattering to the lady sat next to her, the lady said “there is a delay my apt was at 10:30am” mum “it is what it is, where would we be without our NHS”. No amount of waiting time is a problem for me or my mum if it means we keep our NHS, I am NHS staff myself and I love our care system its the best in the world and we should all fight to keep it. The poor doctor I saw had a packet of biscuits on his desk to keep him going, clearly working through his lunch”
I have previously written a post on keeping patients informed:
When The Doctor/Nurse is running late. http://t.co/Tlnpi4OD
My blog is mainly about my experiences working within the NHS in the UK as a Receptionist and then as a Manager highlighting the important of Patient Care and how important it is to reward valuable hard working staff with the appropriate training. I am delighted that I have followers from over 160 countries that read my blogs on a regular basis, and I have often wondered what the Patient Care is like in their own countries. I would like to thank a friend for answering these thoughts in two different posts; she is an expat firstly moving to South Africa in 2011. For me it just highlights how important good Customer Care is, and often the answers can be found with the Receptionists or the Practice Manager. As you will read, sometimes it just takes a bit of time, effort and compassion to turn a difficult time for the Patient into a less stressful one. My Guest Posts are proving to be very popular and I would like to thank my friend for sharing her experiences with us. **************************** Guest Post #1 
My experience with Dr’s Receptionists in South Africa. One of the biggest issues we had to deal with when we started our lives as expats in South Africa in January 2011 was the medical aid. This is something we weren’t used to doing, having moved from the UK. Trying to explain to the medical aid company that while their vitality points and credit card was a very good idea, we weren’t switching from one scheme to another, so therefore the ‘extras’ at that stage were of no interest. 8 days after arriving in South Africa the oldest child who moved with us was rushed into hospital after being hit in the neck with a cricket ball, our medical aid hadn’t been registered on the system and so began a very long and complicated matter to recover the money we’d been made to hand over on our American Express card on arrival at the hospital before we were allowed to see our son. It took around 6 months to sort and during that time I received phone calls from all the various departments demanding payment and I’m afraid to say the day the receptionist at the hospital called me to tell me I’d under paid by around £10, having handed over several thousand for scans, x-rays, ambulance, paramedics, doctors, medication, you name it, it is charged individually. I flipped my lid and screamed at her ‘some bloody help would be nice instead of just all these demands’ And that was the end of visiting the Dr’s and dentists for a while as I just couldn’t cope with what to do and how to do it, until the youngest child broke his arm and needed surgery. I was much more assertive. I refused to pay any money until I knew my son was being seen and once he’s been given pain relief, then, I firmly told the receptionist that ‘I will open a file, in the meantime here is my medical aid card and no, I haven’t had time to get any authorised as I don’t know what the doctor wants to do, do you?’ This was a fast learning curve, but I still had no idea how to use the medical aid and the Dr’s and the dentists for none emergencies. I visited a dentist, asked if they accepted the medical aid, but didn’t know I had to ask if they worked within our medical aid fees and was left paying nearly half the bill. I suffer with migraines, the stress was making them worse, along with the heat, so I decided I should visit the local doctors and try to work out what I needed to do in order to make sure that I wasn’t out of pocket financially and that when I had to pay for hospital visits, how to get reimbursed. So pitching up at the surgery I asked the receptionist if she could explain to me step by step what I needed to do and how. She could see I was still confused and called for the practice manager who took me to her office, informed me they worked with my medical aid, they worked within the payment scheme, there were no fees or excess to pay and checked our current balance online for me. She then informed me we were actually in what is known as the payment gap and I did I have the receipts from the dentists? If so I could log them online and I’d be out the payment gap and then our bills would be paid as normal. She then informed me that had we chosen to keep our son, with the cricket ball incident, in hospital over night rather than bringing him home, because we thought it would cost us more money, that all costs would have come out of the inpatient fund which is unlimited and not our out-patient funds that were for doctors and dentists. She also explained the allowances for medication, dental and opticians and told me to come back to her if I had any further problems. Sending me back to the receptionist who made me a cup of coffee and squeezed me in there and then with the doctor as she herself thought I may need to speak to someone about my stress levels. I could not thank the receptionist and the practice manager enough and whenever I visited in the future the receptionist would chat with me, ask after my husband and the children and tell me to help myself to the pot of coffee whilst waiting for the doctor. ***************************** Follow my friend’s experiences when she relocated to Dubai #2 to follow
I would like to thank my guest post for sharing her experience when registering with a new Surgery. Whist I am sure that not all surgeries are like this, it just highlights the importance of first impressions. Did you know that people make a decision about the people they meet within seconds of meeting them?
You never get a second change to make a good first impression.
Guest Post:
First Impressions:
We have just moved to a new area and one of the things on my to-do list was register the family with a local doctor.
I went round one afternoon and told the receptionist I was new to the area and asked if I could register my family with the practice. The Receptionist behind the desk asked me for my address (I’m assuming to see if I was in the vicinity of the practice) and once I explained where we were living she handed me a bunch of forms to be filled out, so and off I went.
A few days later, armed with my filled out forms I went back to the surgery. I had a few queries for some of the questions because we have just moved back to the Country after being away for nearly 8 years so I left them blank so I could ask the receptionist.
When I arrived the surgery it was really busy – not only in the waiting room but there was a large queue forming behind me waiting for the front desk.
There appeared to be only one receptionist on and it seemed she was busy and appeared ‘flustered’ at dealing with everything and everyone.
When it was my turn I approached the desk and explained I had my registration forms and I had a few queries if she didn’t mind helping me with.
I can’t say the receptionist was very warm towards helping me, she asked me what the problem was and was very abrupt with her answers – I got the feeling she didn’t quite understand what I was asking so all of a sudden she just picked up the phone, dialed a number and handed me the phone saying “Speak to them and explain, they might come down.
Firstly speak to who? I was not given a name of the person I was about to speak to or the department they were in. Secondly, could I not have been taken to a quieter area around to the side of the reception desk which was away from the main queue of people (it’s quite a large semi-circle desk) I could have then spoken to the person on the other end in privacy.
When I was speaking to the Receptionist I had my back to the queue of people behind me and therefore had a certain amount of privacy, but now while I was on the phone I found myself going through my private affairs in front of a queue of people and a waiting room full of others.
Whilst I was waiting on someone answering the phone the receptionist started dealing with a lady who was stood right next to me discussing her blood test & what she needed it for? Did that lady realise I could hear her business?
A lady answered the phone with a simple “Yes”. I was taken aback a bit at first as The Receptionist on the front desk didn’t tell me who she was putting me through to and the person answering the telephone didn’t give their name when she answered the phone.
The lady on the end of the phone was every it as abrupt as the receptionist to be honest – answered in short sharp answers and I was made to feel like I was bothering her.
I finally found out the answers I needed so I could go ahead and fill in the gaps on my forms.
A few days later I telephoned the surgery to make a routine appointment for an injection I have every few months and this time I was relieved to have a polite, friendly receptionist on the other end of the phone – she explained she would need a doctor to call with regards to my appointment and booked me in for a telephone consultation five days later between 10 & 10.30am.
I’m afraid it came to no surprise when five days later the call didn’t happen when it should have. I had almost given up hope of getting one at all, when the doctor called at around 12.30.
So I have to admit my first impressions so far haven’t been very good. I have since been speaking to a few local people and they all say what a good surgery it is, so I hope from here on in I find the same.
First impressions to me are important – they are the moments that are most likely to stick in your mind … whether they’re good or bad.
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Thank you for sharing your story, and I hope that this perhaps might have been a one-off and you go on to have a better experience.
I have written a post that you might find helpful on the importance of informing New Patients of your Surgery protocols:
Registering A New Patient http://wp.me/p1zPRQ-9K
I would like to recommend a brilliant site called GP Doctor ( http://www.thegpdoc.com )who have kindly allowed me to share with you one of their posts. As a Receptionist you will all be very familiar with many of the questions below, and maybe even some that you have not come across or had the answer before.
I hope you enjoy it.
Guest Post
GP Doctor Consultations – Question and Answer Session
BY GP DOCTOR · MARCH 7, 2015
GP Doctor Consultation Q&A
Patients often have many questions about the GP Doctor consultation process and all of the questions asked below are genuine questions posed by patients. Hopefully it addresses some misconceptions about the GP consultation.
How long does my GP Doctor have to see me? It seems very rushed.
10 minutes. Realistically 7 minutes as the 10 minutes includes calling the patient to the consultation room, referring if required, prescribing and writing our notes (which is very important for your records so there is an accurate picture of your medical history which helps in future consultations).
Why not offer longer appointments?
There is already a recruitment crisis in GP and currently there are not enough GPs in the UK. If we offered longer appointment times, fewer patients would be seen in the day, contributing to longer waiting times for appointments.
Why have I been waiting to be seen? My appointment was 15 minutes ago.
The patient before you may have been very unwell with multiple complicated conditions requiring more time. Furthermore your GP may be running a little late if they had to discuss a patient with hospital specialists or had to deal with other emergency situations or telephone calls. It could also be simply that the patients seen before you presented with multiple issues that they wished resolved.
Is your time more important than mine that I have been waiting so long?
No GP feels their time is more valuable than the patient’s time. We do try to keep to time. However situations out with our control contribute to sometimes running late as also mentioned above.
I am only 5 minutes late. Surely this is not an issue?
Bear in mind that you may only feel it is 5 minutes. However if lots of patients attend late for their appointment your GP is then automatically running late for patients later in the day.
What if I have a list of things?
You may have a list. But if you tell me this at the start of the consultation, I may be better able to help you. Mentioning this at the last minute makes it more difficult as we may have spent a large proportion of time on only 1 issue.
I don’t come to the GP often. Surely I am entitled to have longer or discuss all my issues?
We try to discuss and manage as much as we can in 1 consultation. However bear in mind that there are other people waiting so it doesn’t mean I can solve all your problems in 1 appointment especially if they are more routine matters and you have, for example, 5 things you want addressed.
Years ago my GP had time to have some social chit chat. Why not now?
It’s not that your GP is not interested but is pushed for time and the next patient will already be waiting to be seen. We feel it is important to actively engage with patients and firmly believe that part of this is building a good doctor-patient relationship. Unfortunately due to time constraints we may not be able to talk to you for as long as we would like.
The waiting room only has a few patients in it. Surely the GP must not be very busy?
This shows an effective appointment system that is working well and not large queues still waiting to be seen.
Why can’t my GP see patients constantly in the whole day?
See the other related post “GP Myths – Appointments” which answers this question.
Why do you not know all my medical history when I come to see you?
It may be the first time you have met the doctor and he/she will not have had time before seeing you to go through all of your notes in any great detail. In addition it is better for us to ask you to get accurate information rather than just rely on the notes.
Have you read my notes before seeing me?
With anywhere between 5,000 – 15,000 patients we can’t know everything about your medical history off by heart. We probably haven’t had a chance to look at your notes in great detail before seeing you. However if we need to know more we can ask you or look at your medical notes during the consultation.
The GP called me back today. Why is he/she asking me what I wish to discuss?
We cannot assume why you are here. You may be attending to discuss something else and that’s why even if we have asked you to come back we ask at the beginning the reason for your attendance.
My GP is looking at the computer during the consultation. I’m sure he/she is using Google to diagnose me?
No we are not diagnosing you using our computer. We need to look at the computer for your medical notes. We also may use the computer to check doses and local guidelines regarding drug prescriptions.
Why is my GP asking me what is wrong? Doesn’t he/she know? I just want a diagnosis.
If your GP asks something similar to “What do you think may be causing your symptoms?”. It isn’t because he/she wants you to self-diagnose. You may have thoughts about what you feel may be causing your symptoms or condition. Everyone has thoughts about what may be wrong. If we know this we can answer questions you may have regarding this or to address misconceptions you may have. Furthermore it also helps us identify how much detail we need to give as you may already know a great deal about your symptoms/condition. If we don’t know what you think may be causing your symptoms you may leave the consultation feeling that your questions haven’t been answered or that you are adamant it is something else. We don’t want you to leave thinking “My GP told me I have X condition. I think I have Y condition”.
Why does my GP ask so many questions rather than just tell me what is wrong?
Most diagnosis by all doctors is reached from information gathered from the patient. Therefore it is important that we gather as much relevant information as necessary to do this. Investigations can be helpful to diagnose but remember most diagnosis is reached from talking to you. In addition we do not have access to immediate scans and blood results.
My GP looks at a book for drug doses. Why?
We can’t remember all drugs doses and sometimes have to look these up. It’s better to be accurate if we are unsure. In addition there are multiple doses for children depending on their age.
I have been asked to come back for a follow up. Should I?
Yes. If your GP feels you should attend again to review your condition it is important to do this. This will also prevent asking for an emergency appointment in case things haven’t improved. If your GP has asked that you come back in a few weeks he/she may also want to see how your condition is evolving or discuss blood results that you have yet to have done.
I came back a few weeks later and another GP said I had something else? Was I misdiagnosed?
Not necessarily. Symptoms evolve. We can only base our diagnosis based on what you present with at the time of seeing us. Symptoms and conditions evolve over time.
I came about my sore foot. Why am I having my BP taken or asked about smoking or if I am up to date with my smears?
We may try to opportunistically help with health promotion. You may not attend to see us often and it may be the only chance we get to discuss these areas which can help improve your health.
Guest Blog
by Practice Index in GP Practice Management forum
Did you know that we have a dedicated GP Practice Managers’ Forum right here, with over 500 Practice Managers from all over the country already signed up and actively chatting? Registration is free and takes moments, so get involved here – you’re minutes away from joining a community of like-minded individuals all over the UK for advice, tip-sharing and general discussion.
Topics already active are as broad as experiences of verbal abuse at the reception desk to problems with unauthorised cars in the car park, CQC inspection experiences to thoughts on text alerts. And, of course, a whole host of more light-hearted topics, you’ll have to see for yourself, plus a useful Marketplace board for those looking to buy, sell and swap things – work related or not. There’s also a board for putting equipment tenders out and an area for resource-sharing. Users are welcome to contribute to and initiate brand new discussions on the forum. This is your forum, so let us know if there’s something you’d like to see on there and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION ON OUR WEBSITE http://practiceindex.co.uk
FORUM SIGN UP PAGE: http://practiceindex.co.uk/gp/forum/index.php
As well as offering a private messaging function and personal inbox for all users, the forum exists to provide Practice Managers with a protected space within which to discuss the varied – and often controversial – issues surrounding their careers and the NHS as a whole. The forum is deliberately not Google indexed, so discussions cannot be accessed from a Google search and can only be seen by signed-up members of the forum. We think it’s really important for those working in your positions to have access to outlets like this – a safe place for chat and even, we daresay, a bit of a laugh. Sometimes this is just as important as anything else – we know that!
So why not pop in and introduce yourself? There’s a board set up especially for newcomers called Introductions, so this may be your first port of call once you join. Or just sign up and have a nose around – there’s plenty being debated on there right now, and we’d love for you to get involved.
I would like to thank Julie Bissett who is a freelance journalist and editor of Practice Management Magazine for her guest post
Make someone happy
Julie Bissett asks what better way to improve your patients’ day than with a smile and some good humour
‘Smile if you’ve had it lately’ – these were the words on a bumper sticker my father slapped onto the back of our Ford Escort during the 1970s. I believe it was promotional merchandise for a local garage advertising their servicing provisions. Not a man given to crude innuendo, I was mortified at dad – and the sticker’s – suggestive tone. Dad, meanwhile, thought this even funnier than the cheeky message it conveyed to car drivers behind us.
We may have missed a trick here – what a fabulous tagline for a GP practice! Or maybe not…
But the real point is that, firstly, we all love a laugh and, secondly, we all welcome a smile, especially when stressed. On a bad day, the meeting of patient and GP receptionist can seem like the paradox of immovable object versus an unstoppable force – and, surely, something’s got to give?
Sassy
It may be tough to do – but a smile really does conquer the toughest of customers’ attitudes. We all need something to positively trigger our thoughts, senses and actions when we’re feeling fraught, ill or worried – and nowhere is this more relevant than at the reception desk of a GP practice.
In the increasingly competitive world of healthcare, a practice now needs to promote itself in the same sassy style as an advertising campaign might, for it cannot afford to get left behind, remain staid and prescriptive, or, indeed, come under fire in an increasingly ‘TripAdvisor’-esque world of online healthcare feedback forums.
A front desk team is a GP practice’s shop window that needs to welcome its audience – the patients – with a massive desire for them to be on side in an environment hugely pressurised. It’s you, the receptionist, often taking the brunt of the day-to-day demands on a practice. Many people demand your time – from GPs and practice nurses to pharmacists, specialists and hospital consultant PAs.
There are equipment suppliers to consider, recruitment agencies on your tail and protocols to adhere to and to remind everyone else about, also. You handle referral letters, prescription requests, and doctors’ letters. Patients –whether on the phone, in an email or face to face – should live up to their name while you juggle all this and more, shouldn’t they?
KISS principle
The KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid) – the acronym used by designers and engineers – translates well into the medical arena. Without meaning to offend, we should all strive to reach the lowest common denominator when communicating; not because we consider our patients incapable of understanding the science behind the mechanics of their care but because we all lead busy lives and bullet-point information is the perfect way to ensure we convey – and they retain – knowledge we expect to be squeezed into brains already jam-packed with ‘stuff’.
Look at life around us and consider what works and what we now instantly recognise – and why:
• Golden arches means ‘fast food here’
• A flashing SLOW DOWN sign means that: slow down in a built-up area
• And a beautifully shot retro TV ad of a truck ploughing through the snow with Coca Cola on its side can only mean that the Christmas ‘Holidays are coming’.
A smile could be YOUR practice’s very own marketing icon – it’s very difficult to remain angry when anyone smiles at you. It’s a reminder that we’re all human – even tricky patients and much-maligned doctors’ receptionists. It’s simple idea; it may also prove great marketing – but, most importantly, it’s a healthy option for us all.
I would like to thank Practice Index for their guest post. Practice Index is a site where GP Practice Managers and surgery staff can go and read reviews of suppliers and add their own. Suppliers are then ranked according to feedback received making it easy to find reliable and trusted companies.
How To Diagnose a Difficult Patient
Blame Dr Google or the ‘era of entitlement’, but the difficult patient is on the rise and they’re costing your practice dearly – and not just financially. GPs with a high number of problem patients – or ‘heart-sinks’ as they’re best known in the profession – are less likely to report feelings of job satisfaction, and more likely to feel burned out. More often, it’s the doctor-patient relationship that needs to be assessed rather than merely the gripes of the patient, and we’re here to help.
Tell-tale symptoms
Studies suggest that most GPs will have around eight ‘heart-sinks’ on their patient list. A problem patient is one who – for whatever reason – impedes the GP’s ability to establish a therapeutic relationship. Someone who refuses to assume the typical patient role, and who may have ideas and beliefs contrary to those of the caregiver. Typical problem patients are men and women over forty, often with marital or other family problems. Sometimes they are isolated in their domestic situation, and may have co-existing depression. New GPs inheriting a patient list can often spot a problem patient a mile off: bulging medical file and appointment / referral / investigation list as long as their arm. A study in the 1950s separated problem patients into the four categories below, and it seems not much has changed…
Relationship surgery
Interestingly, doctors polled in the seventies painted a portrait of the ‘ideal patient’ as one who was trusting, non-complaining, compliant and undemanding. Patients who were perceived as not being seriously ill but complaining, emotional, and uncooperative were often discharged from care early or referred to psychiatric care. Could it be that some of these attitudes remain today, and that part of the problem lies in a GP’s perception of their patient?
Know your team
As a practice manager you will know better than anyone that GPs can often fall into a number of personality brackets – more of that in another post soon – and it’s your responsibility as overseer to manage personality clashes between doctor and patient. Is the problem actually being exacerbated (or created) by the insecurities of a new doctor, or one with too much on her plate at home? Is it a GP who won’t seek second opinions, or one whose tolerance levels need checking? Talk to your GPs about their patient gripes and see whether the problem can be alleviated by their own perceptions.
…And if all else fails, try encouraging them to book with a different GP next time. Perhaps one with a specialism in their area of need.
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Guest post by Practice Index.
Beyond the Reception Desk 