.

Qualifications and relevant experience, the amount of support given by the partners and your own ability to manage. Each practice will seek its own solution but you should always be ready to re-consider the structure you have in place when the time comes to replace a member of staff. Re-allocating responsibility for various tasks among existing staff can allow for radical change in the management structure should it be required. Question 15: Medical secretaries We have three doctors in the partnership, and three of our five receptionists also each act as secretary to one of the GPs. This means that there is a problem when a 'secretary' is absent and the particular doctor wants to dictate referral letters. Disenchanted. Other responsibilities could perhaps be allocated to them to 'enrich' their jobs and perhaps the individual receptionists could still take messages for a specific partner to retain some of the 'special relationship'. Question 16: Receptionists When I joined the practice we had five full-time receptionists. If one were to fall sick when another was away on holiday it would be difficult for the rest of the team to cope. What is the best way of reducing our dependency on these full-timers