Job responsibilities
Clinical Responsibilities
In accordance with the practice timetable, as agreed, the post-holder will make themself 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 fashion.
You will also be tasked with:
- Making professional, autonomous decisions in relation to presenting problems, whether self-referred or referred from other healthcare workers within the organisation.
- Assessing the healthcare 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.
- Taking a lead role on behalf of the practice in particular areas of clinical function, e.g. prescribing.
In general, the post-holder will be expected to undertake all the normal duties and responsibilities associated with a GP working within primary care.
Other Responsibilities
- If mutually agreed at interview, there would be an expectation that you will work extended hours on a rotational basis. Prior to any subsequent introduction of hours worked outside core hour activity, a period of three months' notice will be provided.
- Maintain an awareness of, and compliance with, all relevant practice policies/guidelines, e.g. prescribing, confidentiality, data protection, and health and safety.
- Exhibit a commitment to life-long learning and audit to ensure evidence-based best practice.
- Contribute to evaluation/audit and clinical standard setting within the organisation.
- Contribute to the development of computer-based patient records.
- Contribute to the summarising of patient records and read-coding of patient data.
- Attend training and events organised by the practice, or other agencies, where appropriate.
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, and 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 and 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, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.
- Reporting potential risks identified.
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 people's 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
In addition to maintaining continued education through attendance at any courses and/or study days necessary to ensure that professional development requires for PREP are met, the post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such as training to include:
- Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of their own personal and/or professional development.
- Taking responsibility for their 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 their own performance and take accountability for their own actions, either directly or under supervision.
- Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on their own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the team's performance.
- Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients' needs.
- Effectively manage their 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 people's 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 their own work.
- Participate in audit, where appropriate.
- Participate fully in providing local and national enhanced services.
- Participate fully in attaining QOF points and providing all services in the GMS Contract.
- Participate fully in all commissioned services, including public health services.
