There are often myths about working in Urgent Primary Care, which might make you feel hesitant about taking the leap.
We challenge the most common misperceptions of working in Urgent Primary Care, so you understand the facts and benefits of working there.
We make sure that staff are fully supported in their roles in Urgent Primary Care and wherever possible are not working in isolation. All staff are surrounded by a team and have access to clinical leads and have a designated, experienced team leader who can advise on areas of difficulty during their shift.
There are many different career opportunities available within Urgent Primary Care. Whether that’s progressing to become a team leader or working towards a managerial role, working in Urgent Primary Care provides the opportunity to work with, and learn from, other disciplines within the NHS.
All of the Health Boards are committed to developing a comprehensive career framework and training package for urgent primary care, which will be available to clinical staff at all levels.
IR 35 refers to off-payroll staff to ensure that individuals who would work like employees pay broadly the same employment taxes as normal employees, regardless of the structure they work through.
If NHS staff working in Urgent Primary Care are NHS employees, IR 35 will not be applicable to them because they are remunerated through the NHS payroll.
Most staff choose to work in Urgent Primary Care because of the flexibility and the range of shifts available. They are able to choose their shifts and work around childcare requirements. There are also opportunities for some clinicians to work remotely. Working mainly from home and communicating with the service and patients by email and telephone can be an attractive option that removes the need to travel to and from work.
Most of the skills gained during your day-to-day roles will be transferrable to working in Urgent Primary Care. It requires staff with a range of skills from clinical to non-clinical. If you are unsure whether you have the necessary skills, come and talk to us.
There are clear boundaries in Urgent Primary Care. NHS staff in Urgent Primary Care are only expected to work the hours they choose. If they agree to work overtime, this will be paid on an hourly rate. Also, there is no added burden of paperwork to complete at the end of the day or follow-up appointments to schedule.
Due to the acute nature of Urgent Primary Care, GPs and nurses are only expected to deal with one urgent consultation at a time, and on average, have 12 to 15 minutes per patient (depending on workload) during the shift, where they will decide to either admit the patient to A&E, manage themselves or refer to the patient’s own GP to see during in-hours.