Job description

Job responsibilities

General Medical Practitioner working in a Primary Care Network

Employer: North Staffordshire GP Federation

Location: Newcastle South PCN

This role involves working across all five of our practice sites on a set rotational rota. The successful candidate will be required to travel between locations as part of their working week. Mileage expenses will be reimbursed in line with the organisation's mileage policy.

Hours of work: up to 37.5 hours

Salary: As per Network Contract DES (6 clinical sessions plus 0.66 CPD - £10500 per session)

Main tasks/overview of responsibilities:

• In accordance with the PCN rota, as agreed, the post-holder will make him/her-self available to undertake a variety of duties including surgery consultations, telephone consultations and queries, visiting patients at home, checking and signing/authorising repeat prescriptions and dealing with queries, paperwork and correspondence in a timely fashion.
• 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.
• In consultation with patients and in line with current practice disease management protocols, developing care plans for health.
• 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.
• Prescribing in accordance with the practice prescribing formulary (or generically) whenever this is clinically appropriate.
• The post holder will be required to visit patients during surgery time in an emergency if clinically indicated.
• The post holder will undertake a fair percentage of On Call sessions per week as allocated on the practice rota as required and participate in the PCN Enhanced Service hours (Monday to Friday 6:30pm to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm).
• The post holder will undertake fair share of home visiting sessions per week as allocated.

Training/Meetings

• Attending training and events organised by the practice or other agencies, where appropriate.
• Participate positively and actively in clinical and practice meetings.
• The PCN and Practices have a strong ethos around training and development of others, therefore the successful candidate will be willing and able to support medical students, and other training roles.
• Patient Management.
• Create opportunities to address patients care needs in the most expedient way, taking into account that continuity of care and access to services are often in direct conflict.
• Encourage patients to be aware of the service pressures within primary care and to manage their expectations of what we can realistically deliver in a manner that is fair and proportionate for all care priorities.
• Make improved use of the telephone and other technologies. Encourage patients to rely on face- to-face consultation only where there is a clinical need to do so.
• Communicate and reassure patients of the need to offer alternative care options where appropriate and safe to do so.
• To immediately highlight any concerns you may have in respect of safety or quality of patient care to the Clinical Director/Practice Partners/PCN Manager.

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.

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, 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

• 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-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
• Acting in a way that recognizes 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-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development

• Develops and maintains up to date personal development plan and professional portfolio for purposes of annual individual performance review, appraisal and revalidation.
• Is able to develop own knowledge and clinical practice to meet objectives and changes in service.
• Manage own time, workload and resources effectively.
• To provide education and training to other staff and Registrars as appropriate.
• Operate a high standard of probity.
• A commitment to life-long learning and audit to ensure evidence-based best practice.
• Awareness of and compliance with all relevant practice policies/guidelines, e.g. prescribing, confidentiality, data protection, health and safety.

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
• Work to practice protocols.
• 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.
• Be familiar in all mediums of communications such as email, tasks, telephone etc.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
• Communicate effectively to outside agencies.
• Communicate clearly with their lead GP.

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.

General

This job description reflects the current situation. It is subject to review and updating in the light of changing service needs. Details may be changed in consultation with the role holder and/or reviewed at their annual appraisal. Job descriptions are not designed to be all-inclusive although they will, as far as practicable, be a reasonably accurate and understandable specification of duties. The nature of our organisation demands a flexible approach in order to provide efficient and modern services to our patients. This job description may be amended by North Staffordshire GP Federation and you may be required to carry out additional or other duties as may be reasonably required.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Knowledge and understanding of triage.
• Appropriate level of primary care experience.
• Newly Qualified General Practitioner with under 2 years from qualification.
• Experience of ICB initiatives.
• Knowledge of clinical governance.
• Knowledge of Quality and Outcomes Framework.
• A good understanding of Patient Choice.
• Experience of medicines management.
• Potential to cope with stressful situations.

Desirable

• An understanding of GP commissioning.

Personal qualities and attributes

Essential

• Adaptable and open to new situations and changes. Understanding and relating to patients' feelings and concerns.
• Respectful and polite in interactions.
• Showing kindness and care towards patients. Confident in decision-making and actions.
• Effective at planning and structuring tasks.
• Able to perform well under pressure and meet deadline.
• Committed and reliable in teamwork.
• Taking initiative to identify and tackle tasks independently.
• Self-motivated to achieve personal and professional goals.
• Maintaining confidentiality with sensitive information.

Other Requirements

Essential

• Meets DBS reference standards and has a clear criminal record, in line with the law on spent convictions.
• Willingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demands.
• Champion of equality and valuing diversity.
• Always operates in line with Confidentiality and Data Protection Act.
• Working flexibly and prioritising competing demands on time to ensure agreed deadlines are met and organisational effectiveness within limited hours available.
• PCN as a whole within the constraints of limited resources and different ways of working.
• Eligible to work in the UK.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Ability to work autonomously.
• Ability to work as a be part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Problem solving and analytical skills.
• IT skills MS Office, Internet etc able to competently use all basic IT software.
• Flexible and a good timekeeper.
• Good telephone skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Detail-Oriented.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable

• Knowledge of General Practice Clinical Systems such as EMIS and SystemOne

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified General Practitioner.
• Full GMC Registration to practice as a GP.
• Inclusion on Performers List as a GP Performer.
• Eligibility for Medical Indemnity Membership.

Desirable

• Commitment to professional development.
• MRCGP

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

North Staffordshire GP Federation

Address

Newcastle South PCN

Newcastle-under-Lyme and surrounding areas

Newcastle-under-Lyme

ST5 2BQ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

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

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main tasks/overview of responsibilities:

• In accordance with the PCN rota, as agreed, the post-holder will make him/her-self available to undertake a variety of duties including surgery consultations, telephone consultations and queries, visiting patients at home, checking and signing/authorising repeat prescriptions and dealing with queries, paperwork and correspondence in a timely fashion.
• 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.
• In consultation with patients and in line with current practice disease management protocols, developing care plans for health.
• 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.
• Prescribing in accordance with the practice prescribing formulary (or generically) whenever this is clinically appropriate.
• The post holder will be required to visit patients during surgery time in an emergency if clinically indicated.
• The post holder will undertake a fair percentage of On Call sessions per week as allocated on the practice rota as required and participate in the PCN Enhanced Service hours (Monday to Friday 6:30pm to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm).
• The post holder will undertake fair share of home visiting sessions per week as allocated.

Training/Meetings

• Attending training and events organised by the practice or other agencies, where appropriate.
• Participate positively and actively in clinical and practice meetings.
• The PCN and Practices have a strong ethos around training and development of others, therefore the successful candidate will be willing and able to support medical students, and other training roles.
• Patient Management.
• Create opportunities to address patients care needs in the most expedient way, taking into account that continuity of care and access to services are often in direct conflict.
• Encourage patients to be aware of the service pressures within primary care and to manage their expectations of what we can realistically deliver in a manner that is fair and proportionate for all care priorities.
• Make improved use of the telephone and other technologies. Encourage patients to rely on face- to-face consultation only where there is a clinical need to do so.
• Communicate and reassure patients of the need to offer alternative care options where appropriate and safe to do so.
• To immediately highlight any concerns you may have in respect of safety or quality of patient care to the Clinical Director/Practice Partners/PCN Manager.

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.

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, 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

• 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-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
• Acting in a way that recognizes 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-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development

• Develops and maintains up to date personal development plan and professional portfolio for purposes of annual individual performance review, appraisal and revalidation.
• Is able to develop own knowledge and clinical practice to meet objectives and changes in service.
• Manage own time, workload and resources effectively.
• To provide education and training to other staff and Registrars as appropriate.
• Operate a high standard of probity.
• A commitment to life-long learning and audit to ensure evidence-based best practice.
• Awareness of and compliance with all relevant practice policies/guidelines, e.g. prescribing, confidentiality, data protection, health and safety.

Quality

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the Practice, and will:

• Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk.
• Work to practice protocols.
• 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.
• Be familiar in all mediums of communications such as email, tasks, telephone etc.
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers.
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
• Communicate effectively to outside agencies.
• Communicate clearly with their lead GP.

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.

General

This job description reflects the current situation. It is subject to review and updating in the light of changing service needs. Details may be changed in consultation with the role holder and/or reviewed at their annual appraisal. Job descriptions are not designed to be all-inclusive although they will, as far as practicable, be a reasonably accurate and understandable specification of duties. The nature of our organisation demands a flexible approach in order to provide efficient and modern services to our patients. This job description may be amended by North Staffordshire GP Federation and you may be required to carry out additional or other duties as may be reasonably required.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Knowledge and understanding of triage.
• Appropriate level of primary care experience.
• Newly Qualified General Practitioner with under 2 years from qualification.
• Experience of ICB initiatives.
• Knowledge of clinical governance.
• Knowledge of Quality and Outcomes Framework.
• A good understanding of Patient Choice.
• Experience of medicines management.
• Potential to cope with stressful situations.

Desirable

• An understanding of GP commissioning.

Personal qualities and attributes

Essential

• Adaptable and open to new situations and changes. Understanding and relating to patients' feelings and concerns.
• Respectful and polite in interactions.
• Showing kindness and care towards patients. Confident in decision-making and actions.
• Effective at planning and structuring tasks.
• Able to perform well under pressure and meet deadline.
• Committed and reliable in teamwork.
• Taking initiative to identify and tackle tasks independently.
• Self-motivated to achieve personal and professional goals.
• Maintaining confidentiality with sensitive information.

Other Requirements

Essential

• Meets DBS reference standards and has a clear criminal record, in line with the law on spent convictions.
• Willingness to work flexible hours when required to meet work demands.
• Champion of equality and valuing diversity.
• Always operates in line with Confidentiality and Data Protection Act.
• Working flexibly and prioritising competing demands on time to ensure agreed deadlines are met and organisational effectiveness within limited hours available.
• PCN as a whole within the constraints of limited resources and different ways of working.
• Eligible to work in the UK.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Ability to work autonomously.
• Ability to work as a be part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Problem solving and analytical skills.
• IT skills MS Office, Internet etc able to competently use all basic IT software.
• Flexible and a good timekeeper.
• Good telephone skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Detail-Oriented.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable

• Knowledge of General Practice Clinical Systems such as EMIS and SystemOne

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified General Practitioner.
• Full GMC Registration to practice as a GP.
• Inclusion on Performers List as a GP Performer.
• Eligibility for Medical Indemnity Membership.

Desirable

• Commitment to professional development.
• MRCGP

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

North Staffordshire GP Federation

Address

Newcastle South PCN

Newcastle-under-Lyme and surrounding areas

Newcastle-under-Lyme

ST5 2BQ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

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

Job description

Job responsibilities

Employed by Newcastle South Primary Care Network, the postholder will work as part of a multidisciplinary team of Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Care Coordinators, Social Prescribers, Health and Wellbeing Coach, Dietician, Mental Health Practitioners, and First Contact Physiotherapist.

The PCN is made up of five practices with a patient population of over 43,000 patients.

Scope and Purpose of Job Description

The following Job Description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work and is not intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. Duties may vary from time to time dependent upon factors such as workload, staffing levels, new legislation, and changes in technology or policy, in this event appropriate training will be provided.

Job Purpose

The purpose of the role is to lead improvements to maximise safe, cost-effective best practice in prescribing to improve the quality of patient care. The post holder will help patients to get the nest from their medicines by switching medications to agreed and approved protocols, improving repeat prescribing processes in General Practice, including promotion of repeat dispensing and online ordering, minimising clinical risk and aiming to reduce wasted medicines.

The postholder will practice as an independent prescriber, working with and alongside the general practice team, holding face to face consultations including for long term conditions within scope of competence.

In addition, the post holder will be responsible for encouraging the development of better understanding of the principles of medicines optimisation throughout the practice teams and promoting good practice in line with therapeutic developments. This will involve assisting the PCN in achieving national requirements and utilisation of medicines optimisation initiatives.

Job Responsibilities

1. Clinical

1.1 Letter from Secondary Care

Review letters from secondary care that recommend a change in medication.

Update the patients list of repeat medications.

If appropriate, communicate with the patient (or the person responsible with their care) and their nominated pharmacist.

If necessary, issue a prescription.

1.2 Prescription Queries

Resolve queries from the prescribing team.

Request for medication not on the patients repeat list.

Request for medication that is not available.

The patient appears to be over or underusing medication.

1.3 Medication Reviews

Review the records of patients whose repeat medication has reached the review date.

Check that biological and laboratory measurements are up to date and within target.

Minimise polypharmacy.

Optimise prescription duration.

Check that doses are appropriate to age, renal and hepatic function.

Consider patient capacity and concordance.

Consider the possibility of prescription drug addiction.

If necessary, advise patient of need for consultation with nurse or doctor.

Issue a prescription.

1.4 MHRA Alerts

Monitor the MHRA and respond to alerts as necessary.

Run a computer search on the drug involved.

Arrange appropriate information to go the patients involved and update their records.

Repeat the search after a suitable time interval.

1.5 Repeat Prescribing

Ensure the effective implementation of repeat dispensing by:

Identifying patients suitable for repeat dispensing.

Work closely with prescribers and community pharmacies.

Issue medication for future repeat prescribing within scope of competence as an independent prescriber.

1.6 External Stakeholders

Provide patients on treating self-limiting conditions through face to face or remote consultation with referral to community pharmacy services as appropriate.

Build rapport and work with relevant ICB team members to achieve local incentives with includes antimicrobial stewardship, cost effective prescribing and medicine safety management in line with local formulary and guidance.

1.7 Assist with minor illness clinics

2. Management

Initiate and implement ideas to improve acute and repeat prescribing.

Support the doctors and nurse practitioners in maintaining good prescribing.

3. Administration

Maintain accurate and clear clinical records.

Be familiar with the current QoF, LES and DES requirements.

Initiate and participate in practice audit.

Contribute to the smooth running and future development of the practices.

4. Professional Development

Pursue self-directed learning: identifying areas of weakness and taking steps to improve.

Complete significant event forms when these occur.

Maintain continued education by attendance at appropriate courses and study days as agreed with the PCN Leadership Team.

Maintain registration with the GPHC.

Adhere to the GPHC code of professional conduct.

Maintain a safe and therapeutic environment for all workers, carers and patients. Ensure that all statutory regulations (eg Health and Safety, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) are implemented.

Promote a professional approach at all times by attire and attitude to patients and staff both in and out of the Practice.

5. Code of Conduct

All staff are required to work in accordance with the code of conduct for their professional group (e.g. Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health Professions Council, General Medical Council, NHS Code of Conduct for Senior Managers).

6. Health, Safety and Welfare

In accordance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 you have a duty to take reasonable care to avoid injury to yourself and to others by your work activities.

The post holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others Health, Safety, Welfare and security as defined in the Practices Health & Safety Policy and in accordance with The Health and Safety at Work Act to include:

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines.

Identifying the risk 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.

Managing risks and reporting.

You will be issued with an identity badge which you must wear at all time on site.

You are responsible for the security of any keys, smartcards, passwords, etc., issued to you.

7. Infection Control

It is the responsibility of all staff, whether clinical or non-clinical, to familiarise themselves with and adhere to current policy in relation to the prevention of the spread of infection.

Clinical staff, on entering and leaving clinical areas and between contacts with patients, must follow the practices handwashing policy. Staff are required to communicate any infection risks to the practice manager.

8. 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 recognizes 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.

9. Clinical Governance and Risk Management

The PCN believes everyone has a role to play in improving and contributing to the quality of care provided to our patients. As an employee of the PCN you are expected to take a proactive role in supporting the PCN and Practices clinical governance agenda by:

Taking part in activities for improving quality such as clinical audit.

Identifying and managing risks through incident and near miss reporting and undertaking risk assessments.

Following polices, guidelines and procedures.

Maintaining continued professional development.

Clinical staff making entries into patient health records are required to follow any standards of record keeping.

10. Information Quality Assurance

As an employee of the PCN it is expected that you will take due diligence and care in regard to any information collected, recorded, processed or handled by you during the course of your work and that such information is collected, recorded, processed and handled in compliance with PCN and Practice requirements and instructions.

11. Freedom of Information

The post holder should be aware of the responsibility placed on employees under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and is responsible for helping to ensure that the PCN and Practices comply with the Act when handling or dealing with any information relating to PCN or Practice activity.

12. 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.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Undergraduate degree or MSc in Pharmacy Hold or be working towards a Postgraduate Diploma Independent prescribing qualification.

Behavioural competencies and skills

Essential

• Minimum of 2 years post-qualification experience.
• An appreciation of the nature of GPs and general practice.
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing. Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrates the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in an understandable form to a variety of audiences (e.g. patients).
• Is able to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions.
• Able to obtain and analyse complex technical information.
• Recognises priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate.
• Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.
• Produce timely and informative reports.
• Gain acceptance for recommendations and influence/motivate/ persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers.
• Work effectively independently and as a team member.
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provisions.
• Is able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleague(s) when necessary.
• Demonstrates self-development through continuous professional development activity.
• Can follow legal, ethical, professional, and organisational policies / procedures and codes of conduct.

Desirable

• Good IT skills.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 2 years post-qualification experience In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of principles of evidence-based healthcare.

Other

Essential

• Self-motivation.
• Adaptable and Flexible.
• Full driving licence.
• Professional indemnity insurance (if not covered by practice policy).

Professional Registration

Essential

• Mandatory registration with General Pharmaceutical Council.

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
• A member of or working towards Faculty membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

North Staffordshire GP Federation

Address

Newcastle South PCN

And all practices within

ST5 2BQ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

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

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Frailty & Community Hub Co-ordination

Frailty Identification & Navigation:

Support the proactive identification and coding of moderately and severely frail patients. Serve as a central point of co-ordination between GP practices, the Community Frailty Hub, District Nurses, Community Therapy Teams, and Adult Social Care.

Personalised Care & Reablement Support: Assist in delivering person-centred care plans that encourage patient independence, goal engagement, and safe living within their own homes.

Physical Observations & Early Warning: Perform and accurately record basic physical observations (e.g., blood pressure, pulse oximetry, blood sugar) when indicated or instructed by a clinician. Monitor patients for subtle changes in condition and immediately escalate concerns to clinical staff.

Assessment & Visit Workflow: Facilitate first visit assessment documentation, maintain pre-visit summaries and ensure pre-visit data is accurately communicated across the MDT.

Signposting & Referral Pathways: Actively refer and signpost patients and carers to appropriate community services, voluntary agencies, and reablement programmes (e.g., home exercise plans set by therapy teams) to mitigate admission risks.

Cancer Care & Prevention

Co-ordinate contact with newly diagnosed cancer patients and monitor the 2 week wait referral process.

Proactively invite patients for screening (cervical, breast, bowel) and target non-responders to increase uptake.

Track necessary routine monitoring tests for cancer management and present learning/data at monthly governance meetings.

End of Life Care (EOLC) & Complex Needs

Assist in identifying and correctly coding palliative and complex patients.

Ensure regular annual and clinical reviews occur, assisting with correct DNAR record coding and reviews.

Liaise with social prescribing link workers, health/wellbeing coaches, and community providers to manage physical and psychological needs.

Learning Disabilities (LD) & Safeguarding

Support LD register patients with annual reviews, accessible communications, and uptake of preventative measures (flu/COVID jabs, screening).

Oversee safeguarding workflow, record management, document summarising, and coding across PCN practices, maintaining child/adult registers and liaising with MASH.

General Administrative & MDT Duties

Maintain accurate, timely electronic records (/EMIS Web) for all contact points, ensuring CQC documentation requirements are met.

Participate in vaccination call/recall campaigns and support practice reception/triage cover when required.

Contribute to safe service delivery through planned/unplanned cover and active involvement in team training and 1-to-1 performance reviews.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Working in a patient-focused/community setting
• Multi-disciplinary team working & administrative systems
• Independent workload prioritization

Desirable

• Experience in Primary Care, PCNs, or Frailty Hubs
• Supporting service improvement or clinical audit

Skills & Competencies

Essential

• Excellent verbal & written communication
• IT literacy (EMIS Web, MS Office)
• Basic physical observation monitoring skills (or willingness to train)
• Ability to recognize boundaries and escalate clinical concerns promptly

Desirable

• Network building with external health and social care partners
• Ability to motivate patients in goal setting & rehabilitation

Behaviours / Attributes

Essential

• Compassionate, solution-focused, and patient-centred
• Commitment to equality, dignity, privacy, and confidentiality
• Adaptable team player with strong time management

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience in health/social care
• Enhanced DBS with Adult/Child Barred List clearance

Desirable

• Care Certificate

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

North Staffordshire GP Federation

Address

Holistic Person-Centred Care (HIPC) PCN

Tunstall and Surrounding Area

Stoke on Trent

ST6 6BE

United Kingdom

Employer's website

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