General Practice Assistant

NHS; Leeds; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A local GP Practice in Leeds is seeking a General Practice Assistant to provide high-quality, patient-focused reception and administrative services. This role involves guiding patients through their healthcare journey, managing appointments, and supporting clinicians to enhance patient care. Ideal candidates possess strong communication skills, a compassionate approach, and a willingness to develop through comprehensive training. The position offers a competitive salary with potential for career growth within a supportive team environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Training and development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Must have customer/patient care skills and have worked in a customer/patient facing environment.
• Experience of working in a public sector/healthcare environment is advantageous.
• Good standard of education with good literacy and numeracy skills.

Responsibilities

• Welcome patients to the practice compassionately.
• Process appointment requests and manage visit requests.
• Assist in managing prescription requests and liaise with clinicians.

Skills

Good communication skills

Ability to work on own initiative

Customer/patient care skills

Problem solving and analytical skills

Attention to detail

Education

Level 4 qualification at GCSE Level in both Maths and English

NVQ level 2 or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office packages

Clinical systems (e.g., EMIS/Systm1)

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a dynamic, forward-thinking General Practice Assistant 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 a traditional reception role. This enhanced role forms a key part of the practices modern access model and aims to ensure patients receive timely, appropriate and coordinated support. You will help redefine how patients access care, combining exceptional communication skills with smart use of digital tools and streamlined processes.

You will guide patients compassionately and efficiently through their healthcare journey, signposting to a range of services, coordinating appointments and ensuring patients feel heard, respected, and supported.

You’ll work closely with clinicians playing a vital role in improving patient experience not just in face‑to‑face delivery but also by understanding and managing wait times, analysis of appointment use, monitoring practice systems and supporting our administration functions.

We need excellent communication skills, a professional and compassionate approach, and the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team. You will be expected to use initiative, follow practice policies, and support continuous improvement in patient 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 important role in Primary Care, helping to ensure patient health and care is timely, efficient, and patient‑centred. Has a focus on delivering excellence in service to practice patients by supporting General Practitioners and the wider team in their day‑to‑day management. Specifically aims to reduce the administrative burden on clinicians, make best use of consultations and support those particularly vulnerable 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‑regarded local GP Practice working in the heart of Harehills and managing a multi‑cultural patient group in an area of high deprivation.

The practice operates from modern, purpose‑built premises with free parking available and a Pharmacy on site. The environment is a pleasant 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 have very low staff turnover which reflects well on the individuals, team and practice 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 and treated fairly, and the terms and conditions of employment and salaries offered are intended to be competitive and at the higher end of the range for this type of role.

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

Details

Date Posted: 08 December 2025

Pay Scheme: £25,000 to £32,000 a year

Contract: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full‑time

Reference Number: A3928‑25‑0001

Job Locations: Bellbrooke Surgery, Bellbrooke Avenue, Leeds, LS9 6AU

Job Description

Job Title: General Practice Assistant (Non‑clinical)

Hours: 37hrs per week

Contract: Permanent

Pay Scale: £25,000 - £32,000

Line Manager: TBC

Job Ambition: Plays an important role in Primary Care, helping to ensure patient health and care is timely, efficient, and patient‑centred. Has a focus on delivering excellence in service to practice patients by supporting General Practitioners and the wider team in their day‑to‑day management. Specifically aims to reduce the administrative burden on clinicians, make best use of consultations and support those particularly vulnerable or disadvantaged due to health inequalities or deprivation.

Duties

Welcome patients to the practice in a helpful and compassionate way, take time to listen to their needs and signpost to the most appropriate solution in line with practice policy. Provide the same level of access and support to patients telephoning the practice or making requests for assistance online.

Where signposting suggests a GP or Nurse appointment is required, process appointment requests and book appointments for today and in advance in line with practice policies. Sympathetically manage and advise those patients for whom the most relevant appointment is not immediately available due to lack of capacity or increased demand.

Manage visit requests in line with practice policies.

Support the Care Homes Team as needed and be aware of the policies and protocols they use so our team can cover questions from registered care homes and patients or families in their absence.

Take responsibility to manage IT – Printers etc. sufficiently to be able to undertake your role and fulfil your responsibilities. Be aware of all external agencies who can be used for support and utilise their services promptly when needed.

Manage prescription requests and issue, processing in accordance with practice guidelines and manage and respond to prescription queries liaising with appropriate clinicians to do so.

Manage patient related tasks in a timely manner and when communicating with clinicians ensure sufficient information is provided to allow a response first time.

Manage the registration of new patients and removal of patients when needed (for example when moving out of area).

Manage change of address and other administrative changes in a timely manner.

Photocopying and filing as required but in a timely manner to ensure the integrity of our records is never compromised.

Ensure familiarity with procedures for safe entry‑exit of the building, operation of the alarms and CCTV etc.

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

Signposting some post to others such as clinical pharmacist etc.

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

Arranging appointments, referrals, tests and follow up appointments of patients arising from correspondence received coordinating care.

Completing basic (non‑opinion) forms and core elements of some forms for the GP to approve and sign such as insurance forms, mortgage, benefits agency forms etc.

Helping the GP liaise with outside agencies e.g., getting an on‑call doctor on the phone to ask advice or arrange admission while the GP continues with their consultation.

Confidentiality

While 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 and maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.
• Reporting potential risks identified.

Equality and 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.

Personal / Professional Development

Either hold or be willing to undertake a GP Assistant Skills Certificate qualification.

Participate in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development.

Participate in regular supervision provided by a named clinician regarding clinical elements of the role or issues arising in the practice.

Take responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrate skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Attend all relevant annual updates.

Inform the lead GP of any concerns regarding the GPA role and of any professional development needed.

Be aware of own role 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 and procedures.
• Assess own performance and take responsibility for own actions and be accountable for their own practice.

Work under direct or indirect supervision, as appropriate to the task being carried out.

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 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 Toward Implementation of Service

The Postholder Will:

• Have a thorough knowledge of all written protocols and practice procedures and apply these consistently.
• Apply Practice policies, standards and guidance.
• Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work and feedback development and improvement opportunities.
• Participate in audits where appropriate.

Person Specification

Essential

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.

Desirable

• 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.

Desirable Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent qualification.
• 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 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.

Employer Details

Employer name: Bellbrooke Surgery

Address: Bellbrooke Surgery, Bellbrooke Avenue, Leeds, LS9 6AU

Employer's website: https://www.bellbrookesurgery.co.uk/