Evolution of the general practice receptionist role and online services: a qualitative study

General practice receptionists are perceived as the 'gatekeepers' to primary care services and are central to managing patient demand and facilitating patient care. This role is evolving and becoming increasingly complex in a digital world.

To consider the growing role of patient-facing online services and the impact these services have on the role of the general practice receptionist.

A focused ethnographic case study was undertaken in eight general practices across England and 19 stakeholder interviews took place.

Focused ethnographic case study and stakeholder interviews were conducted between September 2021 and July 2022.

The receptionist role looks different across practices, but is now more varied and less repetitive than it has been historically. The volume of patients and number of channels by which patients contact the practice means that receptionists are dealing with increasingly complex demand management and navigation to appropriate services. This now includes online services, which has created a new element to the receptionist role - digital facilitation. The role is also largely navigated by the receptionists without any formal training and staff are mostly expected to learn on the job from other receptionists, leading to inconsistent practices.

The digitalisation of healthcare services impacts the workflow and consistency in task completion of general practice receptionist staff and has potential implications regarding job satisfaction and retention. In addition, the knowledge and skills required to fulfil this role are evolving and therefore may have recruitment and training implications.