Frontline Facilitators: How the Admin teams provide crucial support to patients

When you visit a hospital, it’s likely that the first person you speak to is not a clinical member of staff. More often than not, the first person who aids your hospital visit is a member of the Admin team. Whether you called ahead to the switchboard to confirm details of your visit or stopped by the reception to ask for directions to a ward, the admin team’s role is to help and welcome you to the hospital.

It’s easy to assume that the role requires little skill and that perhaps in comparison to other roles within the hospital, it is not as valued. Yet every individual within the hospital regardless of role has a unique contribution to patient care and the Admin team at Gateshead Health is no exception. This team sets the tone for your hospital visit, your perception of the hospital and your experience is hugely impacted by the first people you meet when you walk through those hospital doors.

A helpful and cheery disposition, accompanied by a welcoming smile may seem like a simple task, but after dealing with complaints, distressing phone calls, anxious and occasionally upset patients throughout the day, it can be incredibly hard to reset your emotions and not let the events of the day impact you. It takes empathetic and understanding people with impeccable communication skills to navigate this challenging role.

As well as the need for communication skills, the Admin team must also have great organisational skills. They need to be able to extract information from patients and visitors in order to assist with queries from members of the public and hospital staff. This might include giving directions, directing calls to other departments and handling crisis calls. As you can imagine this is a difficult task as there are over 60 wards and departments that the team need to know about on a nearly instant basis.

The team understands that for many visiting a hospital can be a daunting experience. In addition to having to come to the hospital, which in itself can be upsetting, the environment is often alien and confusing to get around. This at times can be very overwhelming for visitors.

Mark, a switchboard operator, explains, “The main reason we are as cheery as we are when we answer calls is that whilst the majority of calls we take the people we deal with are really lovely, sometimes calls can be quite challenging. We have to be as calm as we possibly can because we know the anxieties and frustrations that a lot of the callers have. However the calmer we are, our visitors and patients will remain calm as well and understand that sometimes this is quite difficult for us too.”

At times, the admin staff do require a thick skin to deal with understandably upset patients and visitors who can direct their frustrations at members of staff. The team always put themselves into the visitor’s shoes and try to reflect on how they would feel in the individual’s situation. This allows them to better understand the patient’s frustrations as well as showing some much-needed compassion to our hospital visitors.

Tracy, a receptionist on the facilities desk said, “The reason it’s important to be kind to patients and visitors is you don’t know what type of day they are having. They could be having the worst day of their lives and the first point of contact is ourselves. We aim to make people leave with a smile after engaging with us as it’s a huge thing to know we have been able to assist in their experience and for them to leave the hospital with a positive feeling.”

The admin team at Gateshead Health play an important, albeit sometimes underappreciated role in patient care. Their jobs extend far beyond simple administrative tasks, they are the frontline facilitators who set the tone for patient and visitor experience. They provide support and comfort to those visiting the hospital with a blend of compassion, organisation and exceptional communication skills. The dedication and professionalism of colleagues like Mark and Tracey really sum up how vital the role is in maintaining a calm, supportive and welcoming atmosphere for all who visit.