General Practice Assistant

Bellbrooke Surgery; Leeds; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused GP practice in Leeds is seeking a General Practice Assistant to provide effective patient-centered services. This dynamic role includes welcoming patients, managing appointments, and ensuring smooth communication between clinical staff and patients. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication skills, compassion, and the ability to work independently within a multidisciplinary team. This position offers a chance to be part of a supportive community environment with competitive terms of employment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Opportunities for training and development

Qualifications

• Experience working in a customer/patient facing environment.
• Competence in Microsoft Office packages.
• Experience in public sector/healthcare environment.

Responsibilities

• Welcome patients and signpost to appropriate solutions.
• Manage visit requests and appointment bookings.
• Handle prescription requests and manage patient-related tasks.

Skills

Good communication skills

Ability to work on own initiative

Attention to detail

Ability to prioritize

Education

Level 4 or higher qualification at GCSE Level in Maths and English

NVQ level 2 or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel)

Clinical systems (EMIS/Systm1)

Job description

We are seeking a dynamic, forward-thinking General PracticeAssistant to join our next-generation primary care team, helping provide high-quality, patient-focused reception and administrative services.

Although based in reception, this is not atraditional reception role. This enhanced role forms a key part of thepractices modern access model and aims to ensure patients receive timely,appropriate and coordinated support. You will help redefine how patients accesscare, combining exceptional communication skills with smart use of digital tools and streamlined processes.

You will guide patients compassionatelyand efficiently through their healthcare journey, signposting to a range ofservices, coordinating appointments and ensuringpatients feel heard, respected, and supported.

You'll work closely with clinicians playing a vital role inimproving patient experience not just in face-to-face delivery butalso by understanding and managing wait times, analysis of appointmentuse, monitoring practice systems and supporting ouradministration functions.

We need excellent communication skills, aprofessional and compassionate approach, and the ability to work effectivelywithin a multidisciplinary team. You will be expected to useinitiative, follow practice policies, and support continuous improvement inpatient access and experience. Training includes the GPA accredited training scheme plus on the job training/support including care navigation, reporting and use of digital systems.

Main duties of the job

Plays an importantrole in Primary Care, helping to ensure patient health and care is timely,efficient, and patient-centred. Has a focus on delivering excellence in serviceto practice patients by supporting General Practitioners and the wider team in theirday-to-day management. Specifically aims to reduce the administrative burden onclinicians, make best use of consultations and support those particularlyvulnerable or disadvantaged due to health inequalities or deprivation.

The role will involve working as part of the reception team, answering telephone calls, undertaking a variety of administration tasks, understanding and being able to submit secondary care referrals, analysis of telephone data, analysis of appointment figures and use, interrogation of the clinical system and production and analysis of reports supporting delivery of services such as recalling patients for regular long term condition appointments, review of reports prior to consideration by a GP/clinician, completion of some returns linked to our GP contracts.

Most importantly the role holder needs to be able to interact positively with our patients, our staff and the staff from the Primary Care Network who are often in the building

About us

Bellbrooke Surgery is a forward thinking and well-regardedlocal GP Practice working in the heart of Harehills and managing amulti-cultural patient group in an area of high deprivation

The practice operates from modern, purpose-built premiseswith free parking available and a Pharmacy on site. The environment is apleasant one in which to work

Our practice team is friendly and experienced with leadership coming from our Partners, our Business Manager and Business Admin Manager and Team Leaders. We havevery low staff turnover which reflects well on the individuals, team andpractice environment. Our non clinical team is supported (and supporting) a significant team of clinicians made up of GPs, Advanced Care Practitioners, Nurses, Nurse Associates and Health Care Assistants. We support training and development across all our people and value their growth and development highly.

Our culture ensures that everyone is treated well andtreated fair, and the terms and conditions of employment and salaries offeredare intended to be competitive and at the higher end of the range for this typeof role

The practice is active in the local Primary Care Networkwith many Network staff also on site to bolster our services. You will haveopportunity to engage with this staff team regularly and integration with colleagues in this way will certainly help boost your experience.

Job responsibilities

Job Title

General Practice Assistant(Non-clinical)

Hours

Contract

Permanent

Pay Scale

Line Manager

TBC

Job Ambition

Plays an important role in PrimaryCare, helping to ensure patient health and care is timely, efficient, andpatient-centred. Has a focus on delivering excellence in service to practicepatients by supporting General Practitioners and the wider team in theirday-to-day management. Specifically aims to reduce the administrative burdenon clinicians, make best use of consultations and support those particularlyvulnerable or disadvantaged due to health inequalities or deprivation.

Duties

Welcomepatients to the practice in a helpful and compassionate way, take time tolisten to their needs and signpost to the most appropriate solution in linewith practice policy. Provide the same level of access and support topatients telephoning the practice or making requests for assistance online.

Wheresignposting suggests a GP or Nurse appointment is required, process appointmentrequests and book appointments for today and in advance in line with practicepolicies. Sympathetically manage and advise those patients for whom the mostrelevant appointment is notimmediately available due to lack of capacity or increased demand.

Managevisit requests in line with practice policies

Supportthe Care Homes Team as needed and be aware of the policies and protocols theyuse so our team can cover questions from registered care homes and patients or families intheir absence.

Takeresponsibility to manage IT - Printers etc. sufficiently to be able to undertakeyour role and fulfil your responsibilities. Be aware of all external agencieswho can be used for support and utilise their services promptly when needed.

Manageprescription requests and issue, processing in accordance with practiceguidelines and manage and respond to prescription queries liaising withappropriate clinicians to do so.

Managepatient related tasks in a timely manner and when communicating withclinicians ensure sufficientinformation is provided to allow a response first time.

Managethe registration of new patients and removal of patients when needed (forexample when moving out of area)

Managechange of address and other administrative changes in a timely manner

Photocopyingand filing as required but in a timely manner to ensure the integrity of ourrecords is never compromised

Ensurefamiliarity with procedures for safe entry-exit of the building, operation ofthe alarms and CCTV etc.

Sortingall clinical post and prioritising for the GP in terms of actions.

Signpostingsome post to others such as clinical pharmacist etc.

Extractingall information from clinical letters that needs coding and adding to notes.

Arrangingappointments, referrals, tests and follow up appointments of patients arisingfrom correspondence received co-ordinating care

Completingbasic (non-opinion) forms and core elements of some forms for the GP toapprove and sign such as insurance forms, mortgage, benefits agency formsetc.

Helpingthe GP liaise with outside agencies e.g., getting an on-call doctor on thephone to ask advice or arrange admission while the GP continues with theirconsultation.

Confidentiality

Whileseeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitiveinformation in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect thatstaff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.

Inthe performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, thepost-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patientsand their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may alsohave access to information relating to the Practice as a businessorganisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded asstrictly confidential.

Informationrelating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or thebusiness of the Practice may only be divulged to authorised persons inaccordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating toconfidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Health& Safety

Thepost-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and othershealth, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health & SafetyPolicy, to include:

o Using personal security systemswithin the workplace according to Practice guidelines

o Identifying the risks involved inwork activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages thoserisks.

o Making effective use of trainingto update knowledge and skills.

o Using appropriate infectioncontrol procedures and maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and freefrom hazards.

Equalityand Diversity

Actingin a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting themin a way that is consistent with Practice procedures and policies, andcurrent legislation.

Respectingthe privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.

Behavingin a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmentaland respects their circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights.

Actingin a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting themin a way that is consistent with Practice procedures and policies, andcurrent legislation.

Respectingthe privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.

Personal/ProfessionalDevelopment

Thepost holder should:

Eitherhold or be willing to undertake a GP Assistant Skills Certificatequalification.

Participatein an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibilityfor maintaining a record of own personal and/or professionaldevelopment.

Participatein regular supervision provided by a named clinician regarding clinical elements of the role or issues arising inthe practice

Takeresponsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrateskills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Attendall relevant annual updates.

Informthe lead GP of any concerns regarding the GPA role and of any professionaldevelopment needed.

Beaware of own role boundaries and what to do when you have reached them.

Quality

Thepost-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

Alertother team members to issues of quality and risk.

Workto practice protocols and procedures.

Assessown performance and take responsibility for own actions and be accountablefor their own practice.

Workunder direct or indirect supervision, as appropriate to the task beingcarried out

Contributeto the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities andmaking suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance.

Workeffectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs.

Effectivelymanage own time, workload, and resources.

Communication

Thepost-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication withinthe team and strive to:

Communicateeffectively with other team members.

Befamiliar in all mediums of communications such as email, tasks, telephoneetc.

Communicateeffectively with patients and carers.

Recognisepeoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respondaccordingly.

Communicateeffectively to outside agencies

Communicateclearly with their lead GP.

Contributiontoward implementation of service

Thepostholder will:

Havea thorough knowledge of all written protocols and practice procedures andapply these consistently

ApplyPractice policies, standards and guidance.

Discusswith other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelineswill affect own work and feedback development and improvement opportunities

Participatein audits where appropriate.

Person Specification

Skills and Abilities

• Good communication skills, written and oral
• Clear polite telephone manner
• Ability to remain calm when dealing with difficult or distressed people.
• Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
• Ability to prioritise, delegate and work to tight deadlines in a fast paced environment
• Ability to explain clearly and concisely to patients
• Able to think ahead and anticipate issues.
• Ability to be assertive, but polite and patient.
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to meet very high standards of performance.
• Problem solving and analytical skills employment and service provision

Experience

• Must have customer/patient care skills and have worked in a customer/patient facing environment.
• Competence in Microsoft Office packages (Outlook, Word, Excel).
• Experience of working in a public sector/healthcare environment would be extremely advantageous.
• Ability to compile and analyse statistical information.
• Experience of working with clinical systems, particularly EMIS/Systm1
• Secretarial experience within general practice or a healthcare environment

Qualifications

• Good standard of education with good literacy and numeracy skills evidenced by Level 4 or higher qualification at GCSE Level in both Maths and English
• NVQ level 2 or equivalent qualification or detailed patient services knowledge
• GP Assistant Certificate (however training will be provided to achieve this)

Personal Qualities

• Able to adopt a flexible working approach working outside normal hours if required
• Polite and confident
• Flexible and cooperative
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Motivated and proactive
• Ability to use initiative and judgement
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in challenging situations
• Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of a the patient
• Ability to work under pressure
• Resilient

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.