New GP Assistant at New Queen Street
Mags Simonaitis is enjoying getting to know patients in her role as the first GP Assistant in New Queen Street and Stanground Surgeries. She carries out routine tests and administration, with the results going onto patients' notes, saving doctors' time on doing tests themself or booking a patient at another time.
Mags, a former team lead in residential care homes, made the switch to Primary Care when she moved to the area. She is enjoying interacting with a wider patient demographic and learning from colleagues at the surgery and beyond.
She said: 'As I was previously a healthcare assistant I have had training on phlebotomy, immunisations and performing health checks. The results then go on the notes for the clinician. This is a new role here and it is going to be tailored to the needs of the patients and staff.
'I am really enjoying it as you get the chance to see and get to know so many different patients. A few people have asked what a GPA role is, and when I explained it was helping out the doctors and surgery with some of the workload, they were amazed that it existed.
'I am doing official GPA training and there are a number of competencies that I need to be signed off and my colleagues and mentor are very supportive in making this happen. There is a GPA at another Lakeside surgery who I have been meeting with to see how she works and hopefully, one day, I'll be as good as she is in her role. The team have been very welcoming, good at information sharing and showing me the ways of working and I am definitely enjoying it.'