How can non-registered staff improve communication?

Communications skills are generally seen as being at the very foundation of good optometric practice. Building the patient-practice relationship is vital and it is usually down to non-registered staff to begin the process.

Receptionists are the first port of call for the majority of patients, while optical assistants can clock up a great deal of face-to-face time with patients by carrying out pre-screening assessments and assisting with the selection of frames and lenses.  

‘Being a non-registered member of a practice team, especially a receptionist or an optical assistant, means you are often the front line of the practice and first and last point of contact for a patient,’ says Bhavin Shah, director at Central Vision Opticians. ‘The role is crucial for both the practice and a successful patient journey.’