General Practice Assistant - Liberty PCN

Havering Liberty Primary Care Network (PCN) is pleased to announce an opportunity for the appointment of a General Practice Assistant or GPA Trainee. Havering Liberty PCN is based at St Georges Health and Wellbeing Hub, RM12 6RR. The post holder will be trained to support the streamlining of clinics by performing routine administration and clinical tasks to provide the GP and PCN members with greater capacity to focus on the patient.

The role of the General Practice Assistant (GPA) within Havering Liberty PCN will be developed with the support of a GP Mentor and the local Training Hub Provider to complete an accredited training programme. If the post holder is already an accredited GPA this will be discussed and clarified as part of the application and interview process.

Main duties of the job

• The GPA position provides substantial opportunities for both educational advancement and professional growth.
• This role will be tailored according to the specific needs of the PCN, with all training conducted during employment.
• The GPA will be assigned a GP mentor within the PCN.
• If not yet accredited, the post holder will complete a 6‑9 month self‑directed learning programme.
• The role includes protected learning time, comprising half a day for independent study and half a day for mentor supervision.

Key Responsibilities

• Sort and prioritise clinical post, directing some to other healthcare professionals.
• Extract information from clinical letters for coding and medical records.
• Handle routine clinical post directly (e.g. DNA letters, 2WW).
• Arrange appointments, referrals and follow‑ups.
• Prepare patients for attendance at the GP appointment, taking brief histories and basic readings.
• Perform urine tests, take blood pressure, ECGs and phlebotomy.
• Complete basic forms for the GP's approval and signature.
• Explain treatment procedures and arrange follow‑ups.
• Assist the GP in liaising with outside agencies.
• Support the GP with immunisations and wound care.
• Carry out tasks set by the PCN Leadership Team and the wider PCN multi‑disciplinary team to meet the Network Contract DES requirements.
• Support the PCN with wider stakeholder engagement by representation at local resident events.

Collaborative working relationships

• Works within the primary care team, contributing to leadership of service evaluation and research to promote quality improvement activity.
• Collaborates with multi‑disciplinary PCN team.
• Uses healthcare technologies to optimise service delivery, patient access and continuity of care.

Education, learning and development

• It is the responsibility of the employee to comply with all organisational and statutory requirements (e.g. health and safety, infection control, equality and diversity, confidentiality, safeguarding adults and children, information governance).
• Engages in annual appraisal, developing objectives to inform a Personal Development Plan, which may include 360‑degree appraisal and use of patient feedback.
• Participates in teaching and training of medical, nursing and all other practice staff.
• Completes all mandatory and statutory training required by the role.
• Takes responsibility for personal development, learning and performance and maintains education through attendance on any courses and/or study days necessary to ensure that professional development requirements are met.

Quality

• Under supervision and support of GPs in the practice, the post‑holder will strive to maintain quality within the practices.
• Participate in clinical governance activity and contribute to the improvement in quality of health outcomes through audit, risk management and quality improvement.
• Alert other team members to concerns about risk, quality and safety.
• Collect data for audit purposes and use clinical audit to monitor quality in the service.

Confidentiality

• In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post‑holder will have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers.
• Maintains confidentiality of any information concerning patients in accordance with current policy on information governance.

Equality and Diversity

• Supports the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues.

Flexibility

• This job description is not intended to be exhaustive. The post‑holder will be expected to adopt a flexible attitude towards the duties outlined which may be subject to amendment at any time in consultation with the post‑holder and inline with the needs of the organisation.

Security

• It is the responsibility of all employees to work within the security policies and procedures of the practices they work at to protect the patients, staff and visitors.

Working Conditions

• The individual in this role will primarily be located at Mayland Healthcare, but may also be required to work at other practices affiliated with the PCN and at the main office of the PCN, situated within St Georges Health and Wellbeing Hub.

Person Specification

• Evidence of good verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills including planning, prioritising, time management, report writing and record keeping.
• Understanding of the requirements for handling information in health and social care settings.
• A professional and compassionate attitude towards patient care, providing support while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Willingness to take a pro‑active and flexible approach to the role as it develops over time.

Qualifications

• Grade A–C GCSE English and Maths or equivalent qualifications.
• Strong written communication and administrative skills.
• Excellent computer skills including email, Word and Excel.
• Has enrolled in, undertaking or willing to enrol on the 6‑9 month self‑directed learning programme.
• To have a DBS enhanced level checked carried out by the employer.

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.

£29,000 to £30,000 a year, dependent on experience.