Job role specific queries

Most GP locums should be recorded in the main part of NWRS in the same way as permanent staff, as they will have consistent and generally predictable working hours and their presence in the workforce is expected on a planned and / or ongoing basis. To record them, you should indicate that a GP is working as a locum by selecting a relevant staff role from the list (locum – covering sickness / maternity / paternity; locum – covering vacancy; locum – covering other in the GP practice module and GP locum in the PCN module). You can also use the Contract Type field to select “Locum”. This works in the same way for the GP practice and the PCN module, but you will see on the initial screen in the GP practice module that you are asked the question “Is this a staff member or a locum”. You should not click locum here, as this option is only for ad-hoc GP locums.

For locums in other staff groups for example, nurses, there is currently no locum staff role, but you can use the “Contract Type” field to record that the person is a locum.

Only GP Locums who work occasionally for a practice (previously referred to as “Infrequent Locums”; now referred to as “ad-hoc locums”) should be added to NWRS using the “Locum” option, which is available in the GP practice module after clicking “Create Record”. You will only be asked for minimum details – GMC Registration Number, First Name, Other Names (optional), Last Name, Gender, and the monthly hours worked for the current and previous two months.

If a GP locum post is fulfilled by a PCN contracted service (and you do not know the name of the person who will be fulfilling it), please use “GP locum” as the staff role

GP locums should be recorded against this role in the GP staff group. For other locums, select the relevant staff group, an appropriate job role (for example “Other”) and select “Locum” as the contract type.

If a role has an advanced clinical practitioner level, then a check box will appear after you have selected the role. Please check this box if the member of staff is an advanced practitioner. These roles are:

• Dietician
• Paramedic
• Pharmacist
• Physiotherapist
• Podiatrist
• Therapist – Occupational Therapist

If your record was entered onto NWRS before this option was available, please log in and update the record.

There are additional questions for certain PCN and PCN Contracted Services roles, to indicate whether they are MHP roles and whether they cover adults, or children and young people. Additional questions will appear if you select one of the following roles in the Direct Patient Care staff group: Social Worker, Peer Support Worker, Applied Psychologist – Clinical, Social Prescribing Link Worker, Therapist – Occupational Therapist, Therapist – Counsellor, Therapist – Other, Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner, Trainee Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner, Clinical Associate in Psychology, Trainee Clinical Associate in Psychology. They will also appear if you select the Community Mental Health Nurse role in the Nursing staff group. Please update your records if you have any MHP staff and have not previously provided this information.

Practices and PCNs should use the ‘Health Support Worker’ role within the Direct Patient Care staff group to record anyone who is directly employed by the organisation to perform a vaccination task, regardless of their work location.

• ataff who are performing new paid roles as support for the vaccination program (but are not vaccinators) should be added to the system under “Admin – Other”. 
• any staff already recorded elsewhere in NWRS should remain under their current staff group and role, unless the vaccinator role is a permanent change, or they are undertaking this in addition to their existing role (see example below)
• records should be added for anyone who was employed in a vaccinator role but has since left; these should be marked in the NWRS as a leaver by entering a termination date and an appropriate reason for example, “End of Fixed term contract/end of work requirement” or “Voluntary Resignation – Other/Not Known”.

Voluntary staff supporting vaccination should not be recorded in NWRS. 

For example, if a practice nurse is tasked with vaccinating patients as part of their role, they should continue to be recorded in NWRS as a Practice Nurse – there is no need to change their staff role, nor to add an additional health support worker record for this individual. However, if a practice nurse continues to perform their usual duties but takes on an additional role solely as a vaccinator outside of their normal working hours (i.e., not in the context of their practice nurse role), this should be recorded as a separate role for that individual. 

These should be marked in the NWRS as a leaver by entering a termination date and an appropriate reason, for example., “End of fixed term contract end of work requirement” or “Voluntary resignation other or not known”.

Direct Patient Care is broken down into different roles, both on NWRS and in the published reports. If you have specific reporting or recording requirements, please get in touch to discuss.