Job description: GP partner

This job description is a template. It should be used as a guide and edited according to the specific needs of the practice and the duties required of the post.

Job summary and scope

The GP partner is responsible for operational and strategic decision-making and management, and providing medical care and services to the practice population, managing a clinical caseload and dealing with a diverse range of health needs.

This will include, but is not limited to, leadership and recruitment, development of services, patient consultations, administration, complying with the practice’s contract type (for example, GMS/PMS/APMS), education and training delivery, and private contracts.

Key responsibilities – clinical

Caring for patients

• Practise evidence-based medicine, in line with national and locally agreed guidelines
• Conduct patient consultations during the practice’s clinical appointment hours
• Undertake duty and out-of-hours consultations as required on a rota basis
• Triage patients presenting to the practice in person and by telephone
• Conduct telephone consultations and home visits as appropriate
• Check and sign repeat prescription requests
• Check, manage and process patient test results
• Prescribe in line with local and national guidelines
• Refer patients to secondary/urgent care and additional interventions as appropriate
• Manage long-term conditions and patients with complex problems
• Promote healthy living strategies and give health and wellbeing advice, generally encouraging patients to follow a healthy lifestyle
• Carry out patient testing and screening as required
• Make autonomous clinical decisions relating to patients’ health needs
• Develop and implement practice guidelines, policies and procedures

Communication with patients

• Use communication that is appropriate to the situation, including communicating sensitively with patients and carers when delivering bad news
• Establish appropriate communication methods to suit patients’ and carers’ level of understanding, cultural/language needs, and preferred communication method
• Anticipate and overcome barriers to communication, and seek support from other staff members where necessary
• Use appropriate communication skills and style to make patients aware of risk, to obtain consent where necessary, and to ensure patients comply with treatment

Delivering high-quality services

• Provide services to the practice’s patient population, to the highest possible standard, in line with competencies and professional code of conduct
• Monitor and maintain the standard of care provided, taking appropriate action if standards are not met, through self- and peer-review, benchmarking and evaluation
• Lead and undertake clinical governance and clinical audit activities to ensure the continual improvement of service delivery
• Lead and participate in reviewing and responding to complaints, significant events and other shared learning activities within a structured framework
• Support and mentor staff in training to ensure they deliver the highest standards of care
• Support the performance of team members and collaborate in improving the quality of healthcare and service provision, in line with local and national policy and strategy
• Work within the practice’s legal framework for identifying vulnerable patients and apply policies relating to treatment of vulnerable patients

Key responsibilities – non-clinical

Management and leadership

• Manage workload, staff availability and cover, in collaboration with fellow partners
• Make, implement and adhere to decisions, in collaboration with fellow partners, including following agreed processes to raise concerns
• Develop and nurture professional and collaborative working relationships with all staff and external stakeholders
• Ensure the practice and all staff follow best practice, as set out in clinical guidelines and identified through audits
• Identify opportunities to improve existing processes and develop new ones, both in the practice and those involving external agencies and stakeholders
• Lead on clinical and practice management, including delegating responsibility as appropriate
• Develop and maintain systems to ensure the efficient running of the practice, such as those to manage staff training, performance, clinical governance, finance, IT, complaints, and equality and diversity
• Action and refer concerns and issues as appropriate

Practice-related duties

• Process medical reports, referrals and correspondence
• Record and collect data for audit purposes
• Make timely, clear, computer-based records of consultations and contact with patients
• Maintain administrative records relating to the practice contract, enhanced services and QOF
• Contribute to providing a supportive environment for other staff through informal catch-ups and contact
• Attend and contribute to in-house meetings, including clinical, educational/training-related and administrative meetings
• Attend meetings and events held by external agencies and stakeholders
• Contribute to teaching and training clinical staff as appropriate

Personal and professional development of self and others

• Comply with the GMC Code of Conduct
• Prepare for and complete annual external appraisals
• Prepare for and complete revalidation process
• Act as a mentor and positive role model to all members of staff, both clinical and non-clinical, sharing information and good practice
• Prioritise own workload and collaborate with others to delegate and prioritise team and practice workload
• Undertake training as required to ensure competencies for delivering all responsibilities, to meet personal, statutory and practice education and learning needs, including keeping records of learning, reflection, complaints and feedback
• Keep up to date with current evidence-based approaches to patient care and service delivery, in line with NICE and the National Service Framework
• Lead and contribute to education activities, such as reviewing significant events, clinical audit, protected learning time, video analysis of consultations, etc
• Contribute to education and training of trainee clinical staff and students

Other important aspects of the role

Maintaining confidentiality

The GP partner will, as an integral part of and in the course of carrying out his/her role, have access to confidential and sometimes sensitive information relating to patients, carers and family members, as well as similar information about colleagues. The GP partner will also have access to confidential commercial information about the practice and its business.

All such information, in whatever format and howsoever made available, must be treated with the strictest confidence. All such information held both within and outside of the practice will be shared only as necessary, and in accordance with the practice’s confidentiality/data-sharing policies, and in line with data protection legislation and the Freedom of Information Act.

Equality and diversity

The GP partner will comply with and actively promote the practice’s own equality and diversity policy, and legislation relating to equality and diversity, including (but not limited to):

• Recognising the rights of patients, carers, family members and colleagues, and respecting their needs, beliefs, privacy and dignity
• Not discriminating against patients, carers, family members or colleagues on the grounds of any of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 (or its amendments or later legislation)
• Supporting people who need help understanding and exercising their rights
• Acting as a role model in relation to promoting equality, diversity and non-discriminatory practices
• Identifying discriminatory practices and patterns of discrimination, taking appropriate action to tackle it, and instead promoting equality
• Complying with, promoting and evaluating chaperoning policies
• Recognising and promoting the right of patients to choose their care provider, and to participate in or refuse care

Key relationships and contacts

Give your practice vacancy the competitive advantage you need to attract the candidates you want. Contact the Pulse Practice Jobs team on 0207 214 0570 or email [email protected] for more information.