The practice team

A typical GP practice employs receptionists. They are responsible for initial patient contact, making appointments, taking requests for repeat prescriptions, taking messages from patients and other health care providers, and for fillingand scanning documents into patient records. The practice managerhas responsibility for finance and sometimes for IT, supervises reception staff, hires locums, and helps prepare the practice development plan. Practice nurses run asthma, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease clinics.

In addition to practice staff, GPs work with a number of health professionals

● District nursesvisit temporarily housebound patients, such as recently discharged hospital patients, to change dressings.

● Health visitors visit families to carry out check-ups on young children — particularly under-fives — to make sure they are healthy. Special attention is paid to families in need, such as those living in poverty. They also do baby immunizations.

● Midwives run clinics for antenatal patients.

● Physiotherapistsprovide hands-on treatment but also teach patients exercises the can do to improve their condition after an accident or operation.

Exercises:

1. Complete the sentences. Look at A to help you.

1. Children, over-60s, and people with some chronic diseases do not have to pay.........................................................in the UK.

2. Patients with mobility problems may be unable to go out.

They are..............................................

3. The average GP..................................is ten minutes long.

4. A ............................is someone who takes the place of a staff member who is on leave.

2. Make word combinations using a word or phrase from each box. One

word can be used twice. Look at A and B to help you.

3.Which member of a practice team would be responsible for each of the

following? Look at B to help you.

1. Running a clinic for pregnant women

2. Teaching a patient how to strengthen his broken leg

3. Letting the GP know that a patient can't come to her appointment

4. Running a clinic for people who want to lose weight

5. Visiting a patient who has just returned home after operation

6. Carrying out check-ups on children in a poor neighbourhood

7. Organizing cover for an absent doctor