Assistant Manager @ Dr Laliwala and Partners

Job summary

Dr Laliwala and Partners are looking for a motivated, organised and enthusiastic Assistant Practice Manager to join our friendly and busy GP practice team. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced primary care administrator or supervisor looking to develop their management career.

Working closely with the Practice Manager, you will play a key role in supporting the smooth day-to-day running of our practices and ensuring high standards of patient care, operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will support the Practice Manager with a range of operational and administrative responsibilities, including:

• Supervising and supporting reception and administrative teams.
• Coordinating recruitment, staff onboarding and HR administration.
• Managing patient complaints and monitoring patient feedback.
• Monitoring mandatory staff training and compliance.
• Overseeing administrative workflows, outstanding tasks and Subject Access Requests.
• Supporting CQC compliance, governance and quality improvement.
• Preparing regular performance reports and monitoring operational risks.
• Supporting practice communications, website updates and social media and more.

About us

Dr Laliwala and Partners arecommitted to delivering safe, effective and patient-centred care to our local communities. Our dedicated multidisciplinary team works together to continuously improve patient experience and the quality of our services.

We offer a supportive working environment where teamwork, professionalism and continuous improvement are valued.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys taking responsibility, supporting colleagues and making a positive difference within primary care.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Role purpose

To support the Practice Manager in the safe, effective and efficient running of the practices, taking delegated responsibility for administrative operations, staff supervision, complaints coordination, recruitment, training compliance, patient experience and governance reporting. The postholder will identify and escalate risks, maintain reliable management information and help deliver sustained service improvements.

• 1. Staff supervision and people management

Provide day-to-day supervision, guidance and support to reception and administrative teams across sites.

Conduct and document return-to-work interviews following sickness absence, in accordance with the practice sickness policy; identify concerns and escalate where appropriate.

Support induction, probation reviews, regular one-to-ones, appraisals and routine performance conversations as delegated.

Monitor attendance, rota cover, annual leave requests and staffing pressures; coordinate cover and escalate gaps affecting safe service delivery.

Address routine conduct or performance concerns informally within delegated authority; refer formal disciplinary, grievance and complex HR matters to the Practice Manager.

• 2. Recruitment, onboarding and leavers

Coordinate job adverts, shortlisting administration, interview arrangements, references and recruitment records.

Track DBS, right-to-work, occupational health and other required pre-employment checks; flag incomplete checks before commencement.

Coordinate NHSmail, SystmOne, smartcards, Windows accounts, TeamNet and other systems access via authorised teams and approval processes.

Maintain induction checklists, personnel records, probation reminders and onboarding progress reports.

Coordinate leaver checklists, return of equipment and timely removal of access.

• 3. Complaints and patient experience

Coordinate complaint acknowledgements, investigation requests, response drafting, action logs and deadline tracking under the practice complaints procedure.

Maintain a complaints register; report open, overdue and closed cases and identify recurring themes and learning.

Escalate serious or complex complaints, patient safety concerns and proposed final responses to the Practice Manager and appropriate clinical lead.

Coordinate the Friends and Family Test (FFT), including collection, reporting, trend analysis and improvement actions.

Support patient engagement, Patient Participation Group activity and approved responses to public feedback.

• 4. Mandatory training and workforce compliance

Maintain the staff mandatory training matrix using Bluestream and other relevant systems.

Monitor completion and expiry dates; send reminders, chase overdue training and escalate persistent non-compliance.

Provide weekly compliance reports by staff member, team and overall percentage.

Coordinate induction and refresher training and maintain evidence for governance and CQC review.

• 5. Workflow, clinical correspondence, tasks and SARs

Produce a weekly site-by-site dashboard of outstanding SystmOne tasks, workflow, clinical letters and referrals, including volume, oldest item, overdue items and movement since the prior week.

Liaise with relevant teams to identify administrative ownership and follow up outstanding actions.

Maintain a Subject Access Request (SAR) register, track statutory deadlines, coordinate administrative processing and flag requests at risk of delay.

Escalate clinical correspondence, referral delays and potential patient safety risks immediately to the responsible clinician and Practice Manager; do not make clinical prioritisation decisions.

• 6. CQC, governance and quality improvement

Maintain CQC evidence folders, improvement action trackers, policy review schedules and audit registers.

Coordinate significant event administration, including records, action tracking and evidence that learning has been shared; clinical investigation remains with clinical leads.

Monitor routine premises, fire safety, equipment and health and safety compliance records, escalating overdue checks or risks.

Support meeting preparation, minutes, action follow-up and implementation of approved policies and procedures.

• 7. Communications and operational support

Coordinate approved website updates, practice social media, patient notices, waiting-room information and NHS health promotion campaigns.

Ensure public communications follow practice approval, confidentiality, accessibility and information governance requirements.

Support reception operations, resolve routine administrative problems, identify process improvements and coordinate service changes.

Deputise for the Practice Manager on agreed operational matters during absence, within documented authority and competence.

• 8. Reporting and accountability

Submit a concise weekly report covering tasks, workflow, letters, SARs, complaints, recruitment, mandatory training, staffing and key operational risks.

Produce monthly FFT and complaints trend summaries and track completion of agreed CQC actions.

Highlight deadlines, emerging risks, overdue actions and matters requiring partner, clinical or Practice Manager decisions.

Maintain accurate records and treat all patient and employee information confidentially.

Person specification

Essential: Experience in GP practice administration or operational supervision; strong organisation, communication and staff-support skills; ability to manage deadlines and confidential information; sound knowledge of primary care workflows and information governance; competence with Microsoft Office and digital practice systems.

Desirable: Previous senior administrator or assistant practice management experience; experience of SystmOne, TeamNet, Bluestream and Accurx; knowledge of CQC, NHS recruitment checks, complaints processes, FFT and SAR administration.

Authority and safeguards

The postholder works under the direction of the Practice Manager. Final approval of complaint responses, formal HR decisions, policy changes and financial commitments remains with authorised managers or partners. Clinical oversight, clinical triage and patient safety decisions remain with suitably qualified clinicians. Duties may evolve with service needs following appropriate discussion and training.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualifications
• Good standard of education, including English and Maths.
• Good IT skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience
• Previous experience working in a GP practice or primary care setting.
• Experience in general practice administration and day-to-day operational processes.
• Experience supporting or supervising administrative or reception teams.
• Experience managing competing priorities and working to deadlines.
• Knowledge and Skills
• Good understanding of primary care services, administrative workflows and practice procedures.
• Understanding of patient confidentiality, information governance and data protection requirements.
• Excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to support and motivate colleagues and work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to deal professionally and sensitively with patient concerns and complaints.
• Ability to maintain accurate records, monitor outstanding work and prepare reports.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to identify and escalate operational concerns.
• Ability to work independently, use initiative and recognise when matters require escalation.
• Personal Attributes
• Professional, approachable and supportive attitude.
• Reliable, adaptable and able to work under pressure.
• Commitment to delivering high-quality patient services.
• Willingness to learn, develop and contribute to continuous improvement.
• Ability to work flexibly across practice sites when required.

Desirable

• Qualifications
• NVQ Level 3 or above in Business Administration, Management or a related subject.
• Relevant leadership or management training.
• Experience
• Previous experience as a Senior Administrator, Reception Manager, Team Leader or Assistant Practice Manager within primary care.
• Experience supporting staff recruitment, induction, appraisals and absence management.
• Experience handling patient complaints and supporting service improvements.
• Experience preparing performance reports and monitoring administrative workloads.
• Experience supporting CQC inspections, audits and quality improvement activities.
• Knowledge and Skills
• Knowledge of CQC regulations and governance requirements within general practice.
• Experience using SystmOne, TeamNet, Bluestream and Accurx.
• Understanding of NHS recruitment procedures, including DBS and right-to-work checks.
• Knowledge of Subject Access Requests (SARs), the Friends and Family Test (FFT) and complaints procedures.
• Understanding of mandatory training requirements and staff compliance monitoring.
• Ability to identify opportunities to improve practice efficiency and patient experience.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Dr Laliwala and Partners

Address

Damson Drive

Peterborough

PE1 4FS

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.wellandmedicalpractice.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)