Primary Care Network General Practice Assistant

Job Summary

The post holder will be employed by Greenwich Health, a GP Federation in Greenwich. The post holder will work for Riverview Health PCN, a grouping of 5 practices. The post holder will support the GP(s) by providing administrative support, reducing the clinicians' administrative burden.

Main duties of the job

• Arrange for laboratory tests, bloods, specialist referrals, and/or diagnostic procedures as requested by clinicians.
• Signpost patients to relevant services according to their health needs.
• Support vulnerable patients communicating with healthcare providers.
• Liaise with ancillary departments and other care providers when needed for appointments, procedures, treatment plans, clinical letters, drug information, and results.
• Chase letters and results.
• Be the point of contact between the Practice and other healthcare providers and raise queries as requested by the clinician.
• Provide general administrative support to the clinical team.
• Coordinate schedules and treatment with other allied professionals, including treatment scheduling, record coordination with consultants, and treatment plans.
• Social outreach to assist with enquiries around homeless initiatives, food banks, domestic violence programmes, and AGE UK for vulnerable patients.
• Be involved in QOF and other quality initiatives.
• Training registrars (trainee doctors) on eRS system.
• Forward on referrals letters created by clinicians to the relevant departments.
• Chase hospital prescription queries.
• Produce encounter reports as required.

About us

Greenwich Health is the GP Federation for the Greenwich Borough and has a not-for-profit ethos. This means we reinvest all of our surplus into developing our staff, our organisation, and to support our GP Practices in being sustainable for the future. We are committed to providing quality of care to our patients while building resilience for General Practice and providing services and programmes of work to deliver care at scale to the Greenwich Population.

Why work for Greenwich Health?

We are a local organisation owned by our local GP Practices. We care about what happens in Greenwich and want to make a difference to our patients and our partners. We offer competitive remuneration as well as other benefits, including occupational sickness pay entitlement, counselling services, electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme, cycle to work scheme, and private healthcare membership - Benenden Healthcare. We have a track record for developing individuals in their careers. Through our partnerships in our local healthcare environment, we can develop shared posts, for example, with the hospital trust and our GP practices.

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

The post holder will be employed by Greenwich Health, a GP Federation in Greenwich. The post holder will work for Riverview Health PCN, a grouping of 6 practices. The post holder will support the GP(s) by providing administrative support, reducing the clinicians' administrative burden.

Main duties of the job

• Arrange for laboratory tests, bloods, specialist referrals, and/or diagnostic procedures as requested by clinicians.
• Signpost patients to relevant services according to their health needs.
• Support vulnerable patients communicating with healthcare providers.
• Liaise with ancillary departments and other care providers when needed for appointments, procedures, treatment plans, clinical letters, drug information, and results.
• Chase letters and results.
• Be the point of contact between the Practice and other healthcare providers and raise queries as requested by the clinician.
• Provide general administrative support to the clinical team.
• Coordinate schedules and treatment with other allied professionals, including treatment scheduling, record coordination with consultants, and treatment plans.
• Social outreach to assist with enquiries around homeless initiatives, food banks, domestic violence programmes, and AGE UK for vulnerable patients.
• Be involved in QOF and other quality initiatives.
• Training registrars (trainee doctors) on eRS system.
• Forward on referrals letters created by clinicians to the relevant departments.
• Chase hospital prescription queries.
• Produce encounter reports as required.

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 people's 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 that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental, and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities, and rights.

Acting in a way that recognises the importance of people's 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 that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental, and respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities, and rights.

Personal/Professional Development

The post holder must hold a GP Assistant Certificate qualification.

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 team's 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 people's 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 their work.
• Participate in audit where appropriate.