Assignment Task 1:
As the new Practice Manager at Health Smiles Medical Practice, you're facing a daunting environment. To date, the Practice has been seen as only interested in 'policing the rules' and there is little trust or confidence among the staff in raising any ideas or concerns to the management as not much has been done in the past.
One of the first things you need to do is develop effective working relationships and networks with various stakeholders across the Health Smiles Medical Practice. To develop a collaborative environment, you have to first create an open communication culture where you can:
- Analyse collect and communicate ideas and information in a manner which is appropriate to all stakeholders
- Lead consultation process
- Seek and value contributions from relevant stakeholders
- Restore trust and confidence as a leader among your team.
To achieve this aim develop a strategy by answering the following.
Q1. Identify and name all the job titles that may be included in your team and briefly describe the expectations of each team member in relation to your role as a Practice Manager that can assist the team to improve their work performance.
Q2. List the type of information you will need to gather on the team's current individual work performance.
Q3. List the relevant legislations and regulatory requirements that your medical practices staff should abide to as per the requirement of their job.
Q4. Briefly explain what consultative processes you could use to:
I. Strengthen the two-way communication and
II. To ensure issues are raised in an appropriate manner by stakeholders.
Q5. List a range of channels and methods of communicating information and ideas across the team members and to seek their inputs in developing and refining new ideas and approaches. Consider formal and informal channels and methods.
Q6. To develop positive work relationships you need to build confidence and trust.
Outline six actions (behaviours) you could take to build a positive working relationship with stakeholders across your medical practice.
Q7. Provide 2 examples of situations within a healthcare practice where you would adjust your interpersonal style and methods when dealing with people to build effective relationships.
Q8. With your medical practice how will you use the Practice's social, ethical and business standards to develop and maintain effective relationships?
Q9. Consider the type of internal and external networks you would seek to develop for your medical practice:
- Identify at least 3 internal and 3 external networks. Also consider formal and informal networks
- What are the benefits for the practice in being involved in these networks?
- State what contributions from internal and external sources will help in developing and refining new ideas and approaches
Assignment Task 2:
Q1. Prepare an email to all staff in Health Smiles Medical Practice outlining:
- Your role as a Practice Manager, clearly stating the information and support that you can provide in order to build effective workplace relationships within the practice
- The process to follow to guide and support colleagues to resolve work difficulties
- The processes in place to resolve issues raised promptly or refer these to relevant personnel as required and within the requirements of the organisation and relevant legislation
- The process to manage conflict in the practice.
Q2. Consider a situation where you have received a complaint from Patient A that one of your receptionists has shared information related to Patient A's medical history with Patient B of your practice.
Patient A is feeling disgusting and feels that it is a breach of privacy information from the Practice's end. You have done your investigation and found out about the reception team member who did this.
- Explain how you will resolve this conflict constructively between the patient and the practice
- Whom you should involve in management of this conflict issue
- Explain the process of counselling for managing the receptionist behaviour and describe how will manage the receptionist poor performance within the organisation's processes.
- Make sure you are encouraging the team members to follow examples set according to organisation's policies and procedures