While I totally concur with the importance of so called ‘receptionists’, Litchfield et al ’s article made some unwarranted generalisations and assumptions.
First, it is stated that these roles are undervalued. On the contrary, successful practices are those that value their teams highly and express this in regular training days and social events; value that is reflected in loyal, effective, and highly skilled staff. We stopped calling them ‘receptionists’ years ago, replacing it with the term ‘administration team’.
Second, I was surprised to see the allegation that repeat prescribing occurs with ‘no specific training’ as our many administration team members are specifically trained for that task in their practices, with updates and clear protocols.
Third, I was surprised that there was no mention of the work of the Association of Medical Secretaries, Practice Managers, Administrators and Receptionists (AMSPAR) or the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM), who both offer ‘specific’ training to support the administrative tasks of practice.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2018
REFERENCE
- 1.