General Practice Assistant

Overview

General Practice Assistants (GPAs) form part of a multi‑disciplinary team within primary care and support the clinicians in the smooth running of the surgery by handling routine administration and some basic clinical duties enabling the clinician to focus on the patient. Ultimately the aim is to improve the patients access and experience in practice.

• Operate under the supervision of GPs and at times other appropriately qualified clinicians.
• Prepare patients prior to seeing the GP, taking a brief history and basic readings in readiness for the GP appointment.
• Arrange appointments, referrals, tests and follow‑up appointments of patients.
• Extract all information from clinical letters that needs coding and add it to notes.
• Dip urine, take blood pressure, conduct ECGs and phlebotomy.
• Sort all clinical post and prioritise for the GP in terms of actions, signposting some post to others such as a clinical pharmacist.
• Complete basic (non‑opinion) forms and core elements of some forms for the GP to approve and sign, such as insurance forms, mortgage, benefits agency forms, etc.
• Support the GP with immunisations and wound care.
• Explain treatment procedures to patients.
• Help the GP liaise with outside agencies, e.g., getting an on‑call doctor on the phone to ask advice or arrange admission while the GP can continue with their consultations.

Barnsley has established one super Primary Care Network (PCN) of over 250,000 patients which includes all of GP practices across Barnsley. This is supported by six neighbourhood networks building on our successful and existing model of neighbourhood working; this enables us to maintain and focus on the specific needs of each local area whilst allowing integration at a borough‑wide level.