About this role
Job summary
The General Practice Assistant (GPA) provides a unique opportunity to work in the NHS primary care team and implement a fulfilling role providing care for the local population alongside a team of GPs and other clinical and non-clinical members.
The GPA will have a key role in working closely with the GP to support the smooth running of clinics by performing the more routine administration and clinical tasks on behalf of the GP freeing up their time to focus on the patient.
They will work collaboratively with the healthcare team to meet the needs of the patients, supporting the delivery of local policy and procedures.
Main duties of the job
The GP Assistant will:
Sort clinical post and prioritise for the GP in terms of actions. Signposting documents to others such as clinical pharmacist etc.
Extract all information from clinical letters that needs coding and adding to clinical notes.
Arranging appointments, referrals, tests and follow up appointments for patients
Preparing patients to see the GP, taking a brief clinical history and performing basic assessments in readiness for the GP appointment.
Testing urine, taking blood pressure, ECGs & phlebotomy.
Completing basic administration for the GP to approve and sign documents such as insurance forms, mortgage, benefits agency forms etc.
Explaining treatment procedures to patients.
Helping the GP liaise with outside agencies e.g. contacting the hospital getting hold of an on-call doctor on the phone to ask advice or arrange admission while the GP can continue with their consultation(s).
Support the GP with immunisations and wound care.
About us
CLICK (Chard, Ilminster and Langport) Primary Care Network (PCN) is located in South Somerset with 5 GP practices and a diverse population spread across town and rural locations. CLICK has a population size of around 50,000 patients.
Currently led under the Clinical Director leadership of Dr Christoph Kollmeier the PCN is made up of:
Langport Surgery
Ariel Healthcare (Chard)
Summervale (Ilminster)
The Meadows (Ilminster)
Churchview (Ilminster)
As a PCN we are forward thinking, innovate and driven to deliver the best patient care for our population. This includes health population management, and this role ties in with supporting that and tracking the improvements we can make to patients lives.
Job description Job responsibilities
Primary responsibilities
The GP Assistant will:
Sort clinical post and prioritise for the GP in terms of actions. Signposting documents to others such as clinical pharmacist etc.
Extract all information from clinical letters that needs coding and adding to clinical notes.
Arranging appointments, referrals, tests and follow up appointments for patients
Preparing patients to see the GP, taking a brief clinical history and performing basic assessments in readiness for the GP appointment.
Testing urine, taking blood pressure, ECGs & phlebotomy.
Completing basic administration for the GP to approve and sign documents such as insurance forms, mortgage, benefits agency forms etc.
Explaining treatment procedures to patients.
Helping the GP liaise with outside agencies e.g. contacting the hospital getting hold of an on-call doctor on the phone to ask advice or arrange admission while the GP can continue with their consultation(s).
Support the GP with immunisations/wound care.
Organisational Position
On a daily basis the GPA will report to the Practice Manager and the GP Lead at their practice.
Individual Responsibilities
Adhere to DHC and GP Practices policies and procedures and any other relevant legislation.
Participate in regular supervision sessions and appraisals with your line manager. Attend training and development activities as identified and participate in meetings as required.
Maintain administration systems and workspace used in a clean and tidy condition.
Maintain a good working knowledge of Health and Safety procedures and fire precautions and operate the correct procedures and participate in policy development and data collection where appropriate.
Work flexibly to meet the needs of clients.
Ensure mandatory training is up-to-date at all times.
Contribute to ongoing/new projects as required.
To undertake any other duties appropriate to the grade and purpose of the job as may be agreed by the post holder.
Work Setting And Review
The post holder will work autonomously to an agreed set of targets and objectives.
They will manage their own time and case load, providing regular updates/progress reports to their line manager and to the GP practices they are based in.
Participate in DHCs appraisal and review system.
Confidentiality
In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.
In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the Practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.
Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the Practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Health & Safety
The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:
Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Practice guidelines.
Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills.
Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.
Reporting potential risks identified.
Equality & Diversity
Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Practice procedures and policies, and current legislation.
Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Practice procedures and policies, and current legislation.
Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal & Professional Development
Post holder must hold a GP Assistant Certificate qualification or have the intention to work towards it.
Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and, or professional development.
Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
Attend all relevant annual updates.
Inform the lead GP of any concerns regarding GPA role and any professional development needed.
Be aware of own professional boundaries and what to do when you have reached them.
Quality
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:
Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
Work to practice protocols.
Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision.
Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.
Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.
Effectively manage own time, workload, and resources.
Communication
The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
Communicate effectively with other team members.
Be familiar in all mediums of communications such as email, tasks, telephone etc.
Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
Communicate effectively to outside agencies.
Communicate clearly with their lead GP.
Contribution to the Implementation of Services
The post-holder will:
Apply Practice policies, standards and guidance.
Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work.
Participate in audit where appropriate.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Good standard of education with excellent literacy and numeracy skills.
Desirable
GP Assistant Certificate qualification.
Other requirements Essential
Flexibility to work outside core office hours. Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check. Maintains confidentiality at all times.
Skills Essential
Excellent communication skills (written and oral) including the ability to listen. Strong and confident IT skills including MS Office and databases. Excellent administrative skills working under own initiative at times. Effective time management skills, often in a fast paced environment. Proven problem solving and analytical skills. Ability to adapt to changing situations and changing needs of the service. Excellent customer care skills. Motivated to achieve good outcomes for patients. Able to follow policies and procedures effectively. Able to maintain confidentiality at all times.
Desirable
Knowledge of GP clinical systems e.g EMIS .
Personal qualities Essential
Polite & confident with good customer care skills remaining calm under pressure. Caring, sensitive and empathetic sensitive to patients' life stages, concerns and problems. Self-motivated, reliable and dedicated. Excellent interpersonal skills. Motivated and proactive. Ability to use initiative and judgement. Confident, assertive, and resilient.
Experience Essential
Experience working in a health care setting. Experience working in the NHS/Primary Care General Practice setting. Understanding of community services and personalised care. Experience of managing a complex administrative role.
Desirable
Experience working with the general public in a similar role. Experience of producing agendas and minutes for meetings.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name CLICK PCN
Address Church View Medical Centre
Broadway Road
Horton
Ilminster
Somerset
TA19 9RX
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://langportsurgery.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)