Job responsibilities
In accordance with the practice schedule, as agreed, the
post-holder will make themselves available to undertake a variety of duties,
including surgery consultations, telephone consultations and queries, visiting
patients at home, checking, and signing repeat prescriptions and dealing with
queries, paperwork, and correspondence in a timely manner.
Making professional, autonomous decisions in relation to
presenting problems, whether self-referred or referred from other health care
workers within the organisation.
Assessing the health care needs of patients with
undifferentiated and undiagnosed problems
Screening patients for disease risk factors and early
signs of illness
Developing care plans for health in consultation with
patients and in line with current practice disease management protocols
Providing counselling and health education
Admitting or discharging patients to and from the
caseload and referring to other care providers as appropriate
Recording clear and contemporaneous consultation notes to
agreed standards.
Collecting data for audit purposes
Compiling and issuing computer-generated acute and repeat
prescriptions (avoiding hand-written prescriptions whenever possible)
Prescribing in accordance with the practice prescribing
formulary (or generically) whenever this is clinically appropriate.
In general, the post-holder will be expected to undertake
all the normal duties and responsibilities associated with a GP working within
primary care.
Awareness of and compliance with all relevant practice
policies/guidelines, e.g. prescribing, confidentiality, data protection, health
and safety
A commitment to life-long learning and audit to ensure
evidence-based best practice.
Contributing to evaluation/audit and clinical standard
setting within the organisation
Contributing to the development of computer-based patient
records
Contributing to the summarising of patient records and
read-coding patient data.
Attending training and events organised by the practice
or other agencies, where appropriate.
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.
The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range
of promotion and management of their own and others health and safety and
infection control as defined in the practice health & safety policy, the
practice health & safety manual, and the practice infection control policy
and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):
Using personal security systems within the workplace
according to practice guidelines
Awareness of national standards of infection control and
cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good
practice guidelines
Providing advice on the correct and safe management of
the specimen's process, including collection, labelling, handling, use of
correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements
Correct personal use of Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) and ensuring correct use of PPE by others, advising on appropriate
circumstances for use by clinicians, staff and patients.
Management of the full range of infection control
procedures in both routine and extraordinary circumstances (e.g. pandemic or
individual infectious circumstances)
Hand hygiene standards for self and others
Managing directly all incidents of accidental exposure
Management and advice relating to infection control and
clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols
across the practice
Active observation of current working practices across
the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related
activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and weaknesses/training needs
are identified, escalating issues as appropriate to the responsible person
Identifying the risks involved in work activities and
undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical
and patient process
Making effective use of training to update knowledge and
skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of
infection control and patient processes
Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation
to infection control, ensuring that proper use is made of hand-cleansing
facilities, wipes etc., and that these are sufficient to ensure a good clinical
working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate to the
responsible manager
Safe management of sharps use storage and disposal
Maintenance of own clean working environment
Using appropriate infection control procedures,
maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile and safe way, free from
hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation
to responsible management
Actively identifying, reporting, and correcting health
and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas
generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards/risks in relation to
other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the
maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in
consultation (where appropriate) with responsible managers
Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum
twice annually)
Correct waste and instrument management, including
handling, segregation, and container use
Maintenance of sterile environments
Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children.
The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and
rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:
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-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings
priorities and rights.
In addition to maintaining continued education through
attendance at any courses and/or study days necessary to ensure that
professional development requirements for PREP are met, the post-holder will
participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of
this employment, with such training to include
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.
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within
the practice, and will:
Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
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 teams performance
Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to
meet patients needs
Effectively manage own time, workload and resources
The post-holder should recognise the importance of
effective communication within the team and will strive to:
Communicate effectively with other team members
Communicate effectively with patients and carers
Recognise people's needs for alternative methods of
communication and respond accordingly.
Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
Discuss with other members of the team how the policies,
standards and guidelines will affect own work
Participate in audit where appropriate.