HR Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

General HR Administration

• Act as the first point of contact for HR queries, escalating complex issues as needed.
• Provide comprehensive administrative support across all areas of Human Resources, including but not limited to recruitment, employee induction, training and development, performance management and employee relations. Assist with documentation, maintain HR records and ensure smooth communication within the HR Team and across departments.
• Manage the HR email inbox, ensuring all queries are addressed or escalated promptly.
• Maintain and update HR systems including employee records, contracts, and policy changes.
• Prepare HR correspondence, including contracts, offer letters, and probation review outcomes.
• Attend meetings and take minutes where required.
• Support the HR Managers in implementing policies and procedures.
• Support the HR Managers and Line Managers in organising training for staff including for protected learning time (PLT) afternoons, keeping records as required.
• Provide administrative support in recording completed staff training, including uploading certificates onto relevant software.
• Assist with carrying out the operation of the GP Registrar Scheme liaising with the Practices GP Trainer(s), NHS England Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS) Deanery and others.

Recruitment & Induction

• Work with the HR Managers and Line Managers to provide comprehensive recruitment assistance.
• Assist in drafting job adverts.
• Post job adverts.
• Coordinate interviews, including issuing of offer letters and processing pre-employment checks (including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), right to work in the UK, and references).
• Issue Welcome Packs, coordinate induction plans and paperwork for new starters.
• Carry out building familiarization tours, introductions and inductions.

Absence & Performance Management

• Monitor and record staff absences, ensuring accurate reporting.
• Support the HR Team and Line Managers in using the Bradford Factor and other absence management tools.
• Set reminders for 1, 3 and 6 month reviews and annual appraisals for all staff, ensuring completion. Ensure paperwork is filed appropriately.
• Support the HR Team and Line Managers in handling sickness absence cases, including arranging return-to-work meetings.

Employee Relations & Policy Compliance

• Assist in grievance and disciplinary cases, including carrying out investigations, writing reports, note-taking and providing administrative support.
• Guide the Line Managers in following HR policies and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with employment law and GDPR requirements.
• Proactively work to develop and promote a culture of healthy employee relations.

Cover for HR Managers

• Provide cover for the HR Managers when required, ensuring HR processes continue smoothly.
• Handle escalated HR queries within scope of knowledge and experience.
• Support with strategic HR initiatives, including employee engagement and policy development.

Confidentiality:

• In the course of 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
• Ensure patient and Practice information is kept confidential and secure at all times, in accordance with the Information Security and Confidentiality protocols and in line with General Data Protection Regulations 2018.

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, the practice health & safety manual, and the practice infection prevention and control policy and published procedures. This will 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 prevention and control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way, free from hazards
• Actively reporting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised
• Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, assisting in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of the job holders role
• Undertaking periodic infection prevention and control training (minimum annually)
• Reporting potential risks identified
• Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Safeguarding:

It is the responsibility of all staff at Faversham Medical Practice to;

• Safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
• Ensure their safeguarding adults and safeguarding children training is up to date at the level appropriate to their role.
• Ensure the safeguarding policies and procedures in place within the Practice are adhered to during employment.

Equality and diversity:

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 that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/professional development:

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

Quality:

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

Communication:

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 peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Contribution to the implementation of services:

The post-holder will:

• 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

Note

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, and it is expected that the successful applicant will participate in a wide range of activities.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience in HR administration, ideally within a fast-paced environment
• Knowledge of HR policies, procedures and employment law
• Experience in handling recruitment, induction, training and absence management
• Confident using HR systems for record-keeping and reporting
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, able to liaise confidently with staff and managers
• Ability to work independently and take initiative
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• High attention to detail and accuracy in record-keeping
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality
• Strong IT skills, including HR systems and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)

Desirable

• Experience in dealing with grievances and disciplinaries
• Understanding of the Bradford Factor and absence management tools

Personal

Essential

• Professional and approachable
• Proactive and solution-focused, able to support managers effectively
• Adaptable and able to cover for the HR Managers when required
• Willingness to develop and stay updated with HR best practices and employment law

Qualifications

Essential

• CIPD Level 3 Qualification

Desirable

• CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent HR experience

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

Faversham Medical Practice

Address

Faversham Health Centre

Bank Street

Faversham

Kent

ME13 8QR

Employer's website

https://www.favershammedicalpractice.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)