As a busy practice manager, how many times a day do members of the admin team ask you questions that start with: ‘Have you got a minute to…’, or ‘Can you just…’, or ‘How do we do…’?

If this sounds all too familiar, then the Practice Index policy team may just be able to reduce the frequency of those interruptions. They’ve been working hard to find a solution, and now we’re pleased to introduce the result – our new Reception Manager’s Handbook. Available to download immediately, it’s a valuable addition to our handbook series, created to assist practice staff, with the overburdened PM particularly in mind.

The Reception Manager’s Handbook provides comprehensive guidance on the busy, complex workings of the general practice reception area in one, easy-to-use guide. At 265 pages, it incorporates many links to both credible references and those important and supporting training courses that can be found on the Practice Index HUB. Whilst the handbook focuses on the reception manager’s role, it will undoubtedly be useful across the whole reception/admin team.

Every practice has its own way of doing things, having different attitudes, policies and systems in place. However, any practice will be able to adopt this handbook and use it as a reference point for policies, procedures and protocols that affect administrative practices. Using it will also ensure that you meet the extensive regulatory and legislative requirements within primary care.

This Reception Manager’s Handbook covers the following:

• Clinical and non-clinical contractual requirements
• Reception processes
• Financial matters including banking and petty cash reporting
• Workplace health and safety requirements
• Information governance and information technology (software and systems)
• Patient services management
• Information about the work of Primary Care Support England (PCSE), including:
  • Patient registration and deduction
  • Adoption processes
  • Cremation arrangements
  • Fit notes
  • Gender reassignment
  • GP to GP transfers
• Essential day-to-day operational requirements
• Skills management and expected requirements for the reception team
• Dispensing
• Quality and clinical governance
• Other staff roles in primary care
• Appendices including:
  • Frequently used acronyms in healthcare
  • Telephone triage flowchart
  • Guidance on care navigation
  • Appointment cancellation
  • Repeat prescriptions
  • Home visit requests
  • Late arrival management and DNAs
  • Patients requesting test results
  • Chaperoning processes
  • Private vaccination booking processes

This really is a unique document that combines comprehensive guidance with a focus on new directions in primary care and reception management. With its clear, accessible layout and no-nonsense style, it’s a must-have for every practice.

To download the Reception Manager’s Handbook 2022 click here.
(Please note, you’ll need to be logged into the forum and be a Practice Index PLUS member)

To find out more about becoming a Practice Index PLUS member, please click here.

You can find our other handbooks here:

The Governance Handbook [PLUS]

The Employee Handbook [PLUS]

The CQC Handbook 2021 [PLUS]

The Practice Manager’s Handbook [PLUS]