Practice Support Officer

Location: North Trafford Group Practice

Hours: 30 to 32 hours per week

Salary: £26,325 - £30,225 per annum (full-time equivalent, pro rata depending on hours worked)

Reporting to: Business Manager

Job Summary

The Practice Support Officer provides comprehensive administrative and operational support to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the GP practice. The role involves supporting clinicians, reception teams, management, and patients through effective coordination, communication, and organisational skills. The post holder will contribute to delivering high-quality patient services while maintaining confidentiality, professionalism, and compliance with NHS and practice policies.

Main duties of the job

• Provides day-to-day support to the practice management team, including maintaining staff rotas, coordinating leave requests, supporting appointment management, and assisting with referral processing to ensure accuracy and timely completion.
• Acts as a point of contact for GPs, clinicians, reception, and administrative staff, escalating issues where appropriate and supporting the smooth running of daily operations.
• Responsible for maintaining safeguarding registers as the designated non-clinical safeguarding support officer, ensuring records are accurate, confidential, and compliant with practice policies.
• Supports document management, scanning, workflow processes, data entry, and updating patient information on EMIS and other clinical systems.
• Provides reception cover when required, including answering calls, booking appointments, greeting patients, and responding to enquiries.
• Maintains professional communication with GPs, nurses, PCN staff etc., ensuring compliance with GDPR, NHS policies, safeguarding, confidentiality, and information governance standards.
• Skilled in organisation, workload prioritisation, communication, IT systems, and team working, with a professional, reliable, patient-focused, and proactive approach.

About us

We are a large forward-thinking practice providing quality healthcare and outcomes for our patients in the North Trafford area. We operate from two sites, Chester Road and Seymour Grove. Our practice has been rated as Good by the CQC and we take pride in delivering quality care to our patients and have a strong training and personal development ethos. We are part of North Trafford Primary Care Network.

Job responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day administrative support to the practice management team.
• Assist management with preparing and maintaining staff rotas and coordinating leave requests.
• Act as a point of contact for queries from GPs and clinicians, ensuring issues are addressed or escalated appropriately.
• Act as a point of contact for reception and administrative staff queries, providing guidance and escalating issues where necessary.
• Support the coordination and management of patient appointments, including resolving scheduling issues and liaising with reception staff.
• Assist with the processing and tracking of referrals, ensuring referrals are completed accurately and within required timescales.
• Maintain and monitor safeguarding registers as the designated non-clinical safeguarding support officer, ensuring records are updated accurately and information is handled confidentially and in line with practice policies.
• Maintain accurate electronic and paper records in line with practice policies.
• Support document management, scanning, and workflow processes.
• Assist with data entry and updating information on clinical systems such as EMIS.
• Provide reception desk cover when required, including answering telephone calls, greeting patients, booking appointments, and responding to general enquiries.
• Support the smooth running of daily administrative and operational activities within the practice.

Communication

• Liaise professionally with GPs, nurses, PCN staff etc.
• Maintain effective communication across the practice team.
• Support internal communications and dissemination of information.

Information Governance & Confidentiality

• Maintain strict confidentiality regarding patient and staff information.
• Comply with GDPR, NHS policies, safeguarding requirements, and information governance standards.
• Ensure accurate and secure handling of sensitive data.

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• Previous experience working in a GP practice, NHS, or healthcare setting.
• Knowledge of EMIS or other clinical systems.
• Experience managing referrals and appointment systems.
• GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and Mathematics.
• Previous experience in an administrative or reception role.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office and email systems.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to prioritise workload in a busy environment.
• Professional, reliable, and patient-focused approach.
• Understanding of confidentiality and data protection requirements.

Desirable Qualifications & Experience

• Awareness of safeguarding procedures within primary care.
• Experience supporting staff rota coordination or operational administration.

Personal Qualities

• Professional and approachable manner.
• Calm under pressure and adaptable to change.
• Positive and proactive attitude.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times.

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.