Job responsibilities
Job summary
Paramedics work autonomously within the community at an advanced level of practice, using their enhanced clinical assessment and treatment skills, to provide first point of contact for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems relating to minor illness or injury, abdominal pains, chest pains and headaches. They are health professionals who practice at an advanced level having the capability to make sound judgements in the absence of full information and to manage varying degrees of risk when there are complex, competing, or ambiguous information or uncertainty.
The post holder will demonstrate critical thinking in the decision-making process. They will work collaboratively with the healthcare team to meet the needs of the patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures. The post holder will provide a holistic and clinical service, with support and supervision of GPs, implementing agreed management plans and following approved protocols as appropriate.
The post holder will triage, take a comprehensive history, examine, diagnose, and treat/refer or a range of minor injuries/illnesses/infections as required.
Key responsibilities
CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under supervision of a GP and in accordance with the practice timetable, as agreed, the post-holder will make themselves available:
- Assess and triage patients, including same day triage, and as appropriate provide definitive treatment or make necessary referrals to other members of the PCN team.
- Advise patients on general healthcare and promote self-management where appropriate, including signposting patients to other community or voluntary services.
- To work within the professional code and other directives as defined by your relevant professional body.
- Act upon alerts (e.g., QOF, local enhanced services etc.) and reminders during a consultation.
- Be able to:
- Perform specialist health checks and reviews.
- Perform and interpret ECGs, alongside other results as appropriate.
- Perform investigatory procedures as required.
- Support the delivery of anticipatory care plans and lead certain community services (e.g., monitoring blood pressure and diabetes risk of elderly patients living in sheltered housing, care/nursing homes).
- Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug- and non-drug-based treatment methods into a management plan.
- Clinically examine and assess patient needs from a physiological and psychological perspective, and plan clinical care accordingly.
- Collaborate with other members of the PCN including doctors, nurses and other AHPs, accepting referrals and referring to them for specialist care.
- Develop consultation skills to enable shared patient practitioner decision.
- Be able to justify choice of medication. Able to understand the impact of comorbidities and other medications, polypharmacy) on agent choice and prognosis.
- Work autonomously and be accountable for his/her professional actions.
- Ensure the practice EPS (electronic prescription rate, paperless prescription generation) is maximised.
- Remained up to date with Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements to maintain your professional registration.
- To ensure own education commitment is at least sufficient to maintain CPD requirements and to ensure own mandatory training certificates re current, in line with organisational policy.
- To offer clinical leadership, support and training to colleagues and students.
- To participate in clinical supervision.
- To demonstrate a clear understanding of the accountability and legal implications of the paramedic role within primary care.
- To participate in a regular performance review with the Clinical Team Leader, using agreed competency framework appropriate to the individuals scope of practice.
- To undertake practice at an advanced level using expert knowledge and clinical skills to deliver holistic care to registered patients.
- Assess patients with a range of acute conditions. To take a history, conduct appropriate physical examinations, formulate differential diagnoses, and carry through management treatment plans ensuring relevant follow-up.
- Highlight any gaps in knowledge/training needs to the Clinical Team Leader to allow them the opportunity to offer support to fulfil the duties of this post.
- Remain up to date with clinical guidelines to ensure that practice remains evidence based.
- Where appropriate make referrals to other healthcare professionals in primary and secondary care and arrange hospital admissions for applicable cases.
- Attend MDTs and maintain effective relationships with multi-professional colleagues, such as the community palliative care team, district nurses, specialist nurses, mental health, and social care.
- Undertake telephone triage work and provide telephone advice calls/signposting to other services as appropriate.
- Ensure clinical practice is safe and effective and remains within the 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.
- Work in line with organisational policies and procedural guidelines.
- Attend and participate in the practice meetings as required.
- Take part in clinical audit to continually review and improve the quality-of-care provision.
- This role will evolve to meet the changing needs of the population and the ECP should be prepared to undertake further training as required to fulfil the duties of this post.
- Provide direct clinical care to patients using established clinical guidelines.
- Interview patients, take medical histories, perform physical examinations, analyse, diagnose, and explain medical problems during surgery consultations and home visits.
- Prescribe/issue medications as appropriate following policy, patient group directives NICE (national), local clinical guidelines and local care pathways.
Clinical Governance
- Ensure that patient identifiable information, laptops, and smartcards are transported in line with the information governance policy.
- Prescribe treatment in line with local and national guidelines and Integrated Care Board (ICB) formulary.
- Ensure accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded promptly in the patients notes on SystmOne.
- To maintain infection control standards in varied and challenging environments in line with the organisations infection control policy and procedural guidance.
- To ensure the safety of patients, relatives, and colleagues and to report all incidents and near misses in line with the risk management policy.
- To remain up to date with all mandatory training.
- To maintain up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding adult and children guidance to ensure that those at risks of abuse/suffering abuse are identified and the necessary process to protect them is followed.
- To meet responsibilities as an employee as set out in the organisations corporate and clinical policies.
- To always maintain confidentiality.
- Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care.
Communication
Communicate effectively with other team members.
Communicate effectively with patients and carers, recognising their needs for alternative methods of communication.
Quality
Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk in the care of patients.
Ensure own actions are consistent with clinical governance systems.
Practice in accordance with agreed standards of care.
Enable patients to access appropriate professionals in the team.
Ensure stock items under your control are ordered and available in the treatment and consulting rooms.
Know the practice's policies, especially the whistle-blowing policy, available in the practice staff handbook.
Be able to manage your own time effectively.
Equality and diversity
Act in ways that recognise the importance of people's rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with procedures.
Respect the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients and carers.
Understand basic legal and communication issues regarding child abuse, family violence, vulnerable adults, substance abuse and addictive behaviour.
Information processes
Record information and activities undertaken with patients and carers in an accurate and timely fashion using manual or computer systems as appropriate.
Maintain confidentiality or information relating to patients, relatives, staff, and the practice.
Maintain accurate and contemporaneous electronic patient records on SystmOne.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Attend annual updates and mandatory training as required.
Highlight any gaps in knowledge/training needs to their line manager to allow them the opportunity to offer support to fulfil the duties of this post.
Act in a manner that safeguards children and/or vulnerable adults as applicable to the role.
Work in line with organisational policies and procedural guidelines.
This JD is not intended to be an exhaustive list of activities but an outline of the main areas of responsibility. The role is likely to evolve to meet the changing needs of the service.
