Minor Illness Clinical Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

The post holder will commit to demonstrating critical thinking in the safe clinical decisionmaking process. They will communicate and work collaboratively with the general practice team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures.

Scope and Purpose of the role

• Treat patients deemed to have a minor illness needing to see a health care professional using a variety of techniques to elicit and interpret the history of an event/illness, including past medical history and drug history in order to reach a clinical decision, provide appropriate care and/or make any necessary referrals to other members of the primary health care team.
• To undertake clinical assessment and treatment of patients attending the same day
• To provide a face-to-face consultation to manage on the day demand for minor illness
• To exercise a high degree of professional autonomy and work closely as part of the multi-disciplinary team.
• To provide a minor illness Serviceincluding prescribing or suggesting medications as appropriate to your prescribing qualification.
• To provide advice and information in appropriate non-clinical language to empower patients to undertake self-care of their presenting clinical condition.
• To maintain accurate and timely record of all clinical consultations and ensure that your Professional code of conduct is adhered to.
• To be able to work with a degree of independence and manage own workload according to priorities.
• Ensure clinical practice is safe and effective and remains within boundaries of competence and to acknowledge limitations.
• Advise patients on general health care and minor ailments with referral to other members of the primary and secondary health care team as necessary
• To play an active role in the development/ improvement and audit of processes that facilitates and improves patient flow.
• To ensure that accurate documentation and records of patient care are kept.

Job Dimensions

To manage own clinical workload in general practice responding effectively to patient need and ensuring patient choice and ease of access to services.

To work effectively and within the boundaries of professional practice as part of an Urgent Care Team delivering an on the day service to meet patients needs.

Clinical Practice

Practice in compliance with respective code of professional conduct and within scope of practice, being responsible and accountable for decisions, actions, and omissions at this level of practice.

Provide a first point of contact within the Practice for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed minor illness, making use of skills in history taking, physical examination, problem-solving and clinical decision-making, to establish a diagnosis and management plan.

Where the post holder is an independent prescriber have the ability to prescribe safe, effective and appropriate medication as defined by current legislative framework.

Offer a holistic service to patients and their families, supporting people in making decisions, planning care or seeking to make positive changes, with an emphasis on prevention and self- care.

Work with multi-disciplinary team within the Practice, and across the broader healthcare community, to promote integrated and seamless pathways of care.

Contribute to the practice achieving its quality targets to sustain the high standards of patient care and service delivery.

Education, Teaching and Mentoring

Maintain a clinical portfolio that evidences practice. In conjunction with Line Manager and Educational Lead formulate a personal development plan to evidence a commitment to continual professional development. Using agreed competency framework appropriate to the individuals scope of practice.

Participate in regular performance review with the Line Manager

Demonstrate and meet competencies to deliver appropriate health care such as history taking and physical assessment.

Participate in continuing professional development opportunities to ensure that up-to-date evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of the role is maintained.

Professional

Promote evidence-based practice through the use of the latest research-based guidelines and the development of practice-based research.

Monitor the effectiveness of their own clinical practice through the quality assurance strategies such as the use of audit and peer review.

Maintain their professional registration.

Keep up to date with pertinent health-related policy and research. Critically appraise and synthesise the work to underpin own practice and to inform others within the practice team to consider the impact and strategies for implementation.

Pro-actively promote the role of allied professionals within the Practice, and externally to key stakeholders and agencies.

Help the practice operate in a cost-effective manner.

Identify and manage care risks on a continuing basis.

Evaluate own practice and participate in multi-disciplinary service and team evaluation. Actively engage in peer review to inform own and others practice, formulating and implementing strategies to act on learning and make improvements.

Work closely with others in the setting up and/or improving of practice systems for monitoring/measuring performance against Clinical Governance and Quality Indicator targets.

Ensure that all Practice Policies are fully implemented.

Health and Safety

Ensure all members of staff comply with the Groups health and safety policy, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System.

The post-holder will comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990).

Carry out risk assessments to comply with current Health and Safety legislation

Ensure any health and safety concerns are reported to the appropriate Senior Manager

To be aware of and adhere to applicable practice rules, regulations, legislation and procedures, national legislation (Health and Safety, COSHH, Data Protection).

Equality and Diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues

Act in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with group processes and policies and current legislation

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues

Behaving in a manner that is welcoming, non-judgemental and respects the individuals circumstances, feelings, priorities and rights

The details contained in this job description are not exhaustive and may change as the post develops.

Governance:

Identify and record risks and issues, developing contingency plans with service and contract leads

Ensure the PCN is compliant with health and safety policies and procedures to reflect current best practice

Confidentiality:

To maintain confidentiality of information acquired in the course of undertaking duties for the practice.

The post-holder should respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.

Special Working Conditions:

The post-holder is required to travel independently between practice sites, patient homes (where applicable), and to attend meetings etc. hosted by other agencies.

The post-holder will have contact with body fluids i.e., wound exudates, urine etc. while in clinical practice.

The practice operates extended hours on a rota basis and the post holder may be required to work some extended hours shifts as detailed in your employment contract.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1994:

Because of the nature of the work, this post is exempt from the provisions of Section 4(2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1994 (Exceptions) Order 1995. Applicants for posts are not entitled to withhold information about convictions which for other purposes are spent under the provisions of the Act and in the event of employment any failure to disclose such convictions could result in disciplinary action or dismissal by the Practice. Any information given will be completely confidential and will be considered only in relation to an applicant of a position to which the order applies.

Job Description Agreement:

This job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities only. There may be other duties required of the post-holder commensurate with the position. This description will be open to regular review and may be amended to take into account development within the Practice. All members of staff should be prepared to take on any additional duties or relinquish existing duties in order to maintain the efficient running of the Practice.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered with the appropriate clinical body
• Post registration qualification to evidence autonomous clinical practice relevant to Minor Illness

Desirable

• NMP Qualification

The Groups Values

Essential

• The candidate must demonstrate an understanding of our values.

Experience

Essential

• Post registration experience to evidence autonomous clinical practice relevant to Minor Illness or General Practice
• Specialist Minor Illness knowledge underpinned by theory and experience.
• Experience of working under pressure and managing varying workloads and changing demands
• Administration of medications within Patient Group Directions (PGDs)
• Sound knowledge of local primary care services
• Demonstrable experience of Minor Illness knowledge in all age groups, without limitation in scope
• Able to evidence competency in management of patients

Desirable

• Able to evidence safe prescribing practice and is an Independent Prescriber
• Experience in more than one clinical environment
• Able to use systmone

Skills

Essential

• Ability to support and manage a caseload of patients including assessment, planning, monitoring and evaluation
• Working autonomously and within professional boundaries when ordering tests, requesting investigations, and developing interventions. Minimal supervision and support required.
• Able to seek support from peers when faced with patients with presenting conditions outside of their scope of clinical knowledge and skills.
• Ability to work on own initiative and prioritise own work and work within a team.
• Excellent communication skills
• Effective decision making
• Ability to liaise effectively with members from other Health Care Providers within Primary and Secondary Care and external agencies as required

Personal Quallities

Essential

• Committed and Enthusiastic to service and personal development
• Team Player
• Flexibility of working hours
• Willing to embrace change that will enhance the quality of the service and contribute to developing patient quality audits and pathways

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).