The Belgrave Clinic has the following policy on phone calls:
- The receptionist is dealing with two incoming phone lines continually.
- If she is dealing with another call when you ring you may be put on hold.
- The phone may be busy in the period between 9.00 and 10.00 am. If it is engaged, please ring shortly afterwards as we aim not to have lines blocked for long periods.
- Callers are asked not ring for general information during the first hour in the morning
- Callers are asked to keep their queries direct and to the point to facilitate other patients.
- Receptionists are experienced in dealing with distressed and elderly patients and will respect difficulties they may have with information.
- The reception is staffed during all working hours though an answering machine may be used for brief periods.
- Receptionist will pass urgent calls to the doctor on duty.
- Receptionists are instructed not to deal with confrontational issues with patients on the phone. Such issues will be passed on to the practice manager to address.
- An answering machine should pick up all calls outside working hours
- The doctors of the Clinic try to have an open policy with regard to phone calls.
- Doctors will regularly ask patients to ring and give feedback in relation to ongoing problems.
- A caller requesting a doctor will be asked by the receptionist for their name and a general reason for their call.
- If it is apparent that the receptionist or practice manager can deal with the issue e.g. an appointment or a query about a charge etc, help will be offered accordingly.
- If the caller would prefer to talk to a designated doctor, they will be invited call at a specific time or await the doctor to call when available or next on duty at the Clinic
- If the call should be dealt with by the doctor on duty, the receptionist will connect the patient and doctor if he/she is available.
- If the doctor is not immediately available, the caller will be asked for their number and will be phoned at a later time.
- A matter of urgency should be highlighted to the receptionist
- Efforts will be made to return a call as promptly as possible
- If it is apparent to the doctor that a return call is not urgent, it may delayed till a lees busy time in the doctors schedule
- The Clinic holds the right to charge private patients for medial advice over the phone, advice that is not related to a previous consultation.
- It is Clinic policy not to interrupt patient consultations with unnecessary phone calls.
- In most situations, the receptionist will not interrupt a consultation with messages for the doctor but give them at a later date or in between patients
- However, receptionists have been given the authority to ring a doctor during a consultation and see if a phone call of some medical importance can be taken.
- Only one such phone call interruption will be sent through during any one consultation
- Such phone calls are usually from anxious patients or other health care professionals who have been told that the doctor is in surgery and who feel the doctor should take a short phone call
- With the patient’s consent, the doctor will deal briefly with the issue, often just reassuring the caller that it will be dealt with later
- We are grateful to patients who consent to this brief unplanned interruption
- The practice nurse may initiate calls to patients in relation to follow up for vaccinations and at the request of the doctors in the Clinic.
- Doctors phone calls may take place after surgeries lasting 3 hours or more. Hence patients expecting return calls should not have expectations of immediate return of their calls.
- On making phone calls to patients, Clinic staff will make every effort to maintain confidentiality before talking to patients by not making overt reference to the fact that we are calling from a medical clinic or giving unnecessary details.