Assistant Practice Manager (Maternity Cover)
Application Deadline: 29 May 2026
Department: Primary Care
Employment Type: Fixed Term Contract
Location: DMC Chadwick Road Surgery, SE15 4PU
Reporting To: Practice Manager
Compensation: £33,000 / year
Description
Passionate about contributing to DMC’s service development across our Primary Care Team and more widely across the organisation, enabling you to be involved in the decisions that affect our care delivery.
We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated APM to join our team and develop our services. You should be a keen learner, passionate about your clinical development and able to communicate well at all levels
The Role
The primary focus for this role is to help manage the key customer accounts and day to day operations within DMC Primary Care GP Practices.
To support the Practice Manager in all aspects of operational management of the practice in order to ensure the smooth running of the Practice.
The Operations Manager will take responsibility, with support from the Practice Manager, for the general day to day running of the Practice ensuring the wellbeing of patients, doctors and staff. This includes:
- To ensure the effective and efficient management of the practice, optimising quality patient care and services
- To be the practice Human Resource lead, ensuring motivation and productivity of staff working in the practice.
- To ensure optimum and effective operations and systems in the running of the practice.
- To ensure the profitability of the practice, in line with contractual, NHSE and legislative guidelines, including maximising income and ensuring cost-efficiency.
- To provide guidance to the Practice Manager on any NHS developments and legislative changes which may affect the general management of the practice
- To ensure compliance with all regulatory and CQC standards, including current health and safety, employment, data protection and also all relevant legislation.
- To ensure the practice achieves local and national key performance indicators and targets
Main Duties & Responsibilities
Human Resources
- To ensure that the practice is staffed and resourced within budget by persons with appropriate skills, experience and commitment to provide the professional technical, administrative and interpersonal expertise needed.
- To lead practice recruitment of staff
- To ensure that all training, development and induction of staff is undertaken in line with practice policies and procedures ensuring excellent customer care.
- To carry out appraisal and supervision meetings for directly line managed staff and others as appropriate
- To manage staff leave requests and absence
- To deal with disciplinary and grievance procedures
- To keep abreast of employment law and revisions ensuring that the practice meets its statutory obligations
Operations and IT
- To ensure the efficient operational running of the practice IT Systems
- Ensure the appropriate training of all personnel and users of the Practice IT systems
- Lead on IT crisis prevention and develop systems to protect security of data.
- Ensure policies against the misuse of the Internet and emails are updated
GDPR and Data Protection
- To ensure confidentiality of data and conformity to the Data Protection Act and Medical Records and Reports Acts, the Freedom of Information Act and the Caldicott Report.
- To act as the principal point of contact in relation to all Data Protection matters
- To review and update all data protection policy with regard to current legislation
- To ensure staff are fully trained in all data protection matters
- To manage all data protection breaches in line with legislation
FinanceResponsible to the Practice Manager for the effective use of Practice finances, working with the finance team to plan effective budgetary control, ensuring cost efficiencies, best use of resources and maximisation of profitability. In particular:
- To lead on the development and preparation of practice financial management systems, reports and business plans for the Practice Manager.
- Ensure policies are in place and up to date to protect the Practice against fraud and financial mismanagement.
- To oversee the practice achieving national and local targets and standards to optimise income
- To assimilate payroll information and deal with pensions.
- To ensure that correct monthly claims for payment and billing for services are submitted in good time
- To ensure there are effective controls of expenditure whilst ensuring necessary investment in resources.
- To ensure all income-generating opportunities are explored and maximised.
- To provide regular budgetary and cash flow forecasting to the Practice Manager.
- Ensure correct payment of suppliers and expenses.
- Ensure appropriate control of the petty cash account.
Regulatory compliance
- To ensure compliance of CQC requirements within the surgery, supported by relevant practice policies.
- To manage the process by which the Practice maintains registration under the CQC
- Support the Senior Management Team through any inspection visits from the CQC.
- Implement and follow up any action or improvements required by the CQC in order to maintain registration.
- Ensure that the practice is meeting all statutory and legislative requirements
Health and Safety and Premises
- To act as the responsible Health and Safety Officer
- To ensure appropriate risk assessment as required by legislation is carried out
- To ensure all Health and safety policies are kept up to date and that staff are appropriately trained and adhere to the requirements of policy and legislation
- To ensure the premises meets all infection control requirements
- To ensure that the buildings, services and facilities are well maintained and that regular servicing and testing as required by legislation is carried out
- To advise the Practice Manager in making full and effective use of its current premises, equipment and stock.
Patient Services
- To ensure that the practice is delivering accessible, equitable and quality patient services
- To ensure that the practice has an effective patient participation group
- To ensure that the practice meets all requirements for patient feedback and management of complaints in keeping with NHS standards
- To ensure that the practice provides accessible information to patients
- To ensure the practice website is kept up to date with relevant information and in keeping with NHS standards
Other Duties
To provide strategic management for the practice and ensure that a long-term plan and risk analysis is carried out and reviewed regularly.
- To attend appropriate meetings on behalf of the Practice Manager including with relevant stakeholders
- To ensure that significant event reviews are carried out in an effective manner and learning is embedded into the practice
- To plan, manage and review all practice policies, systems and procedures ensuring efficient and effective work process
- Regularly review the organisation and developments within and outside the practice which will impact directly or indirectly. This includes involvement in local and national agencies which formulate and influence primary health care strategy.
- Ensure the effective and efficient working systems and operational systems within the Practice.
- Any other tasks as requested by the Practice Manager
Benefits
- 25 days of annual leave (plus bank holidays), increasing with service
- NHS Staff Discount Scheme access
- Career development and progression pathways
- An inclusive and collaborative culture across clinical, tech, and admin teams
- A role where your work directly impacts patient care and NHS capacity
