Primary Care First Contact Paramedic

Job responsibilities

Key duties and responsibilities

1. Perform urgent and same day home visits as required.

2. Work alongside the multi-disciplinary teams to provide urgent and routine appointments within the surgeries, providing triage when required.

3. As appropriate, provide definitive treatment or make necessary referrals to other members of the PCN or Practice teams

4. Advise patients on general healthcare and promote self-management where appropriate, including signposting patients to other community or voluntary services

5. Be able to

a. Perform specialist health checks and reviews

b. Undertake the collection of pathological specimens including intravenous blood samples, swabs etc

c. Perform investigatory procedures needed by patients and those request by GPs and the wider PCN

d. Interpret results as necessary

6. Support the delivery of anticipatory care plans and lead certain community services

7. Communicate at all levels across PCNs and other organisations, ensuring effective, patient centred service

8. Communicate proactively and effectively with all colleagues across the multi-disciplinary team, attending and contributing to meetings as required.

9. Collaborate with other members of the PCN including doctors, nurses and other AHPs, accepting referrals and referring to them for specialist care

10. Maintain accurate and contemporaneous health records appropriate to the consultation, ensuring accurate completion of all necessary documentation associate with patient health care and registration with the practice.

11. Review medications following policy, patient group directives, NICE (national) and local clinical guidelines and local care pathways. This will be done in accordance with evidence based practice and national and practice protocols, and within the scope of practice.

12. Work with patients to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments

13. Provide information and advice on prescriber or over-the-counter medication on medication regimens, side-effects and interactions.

14. Assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatment / interventions and care for patients presenting with an undifferentiated diagnosis, and patients with complex needs.

15. Clinically examine and assess patient needs from a physiological and psychological perspective, and plan clinical care accordingly

16. Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency care

17. Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug and non-drug based treatment methods into a management plan

18. Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, an apply principles of self-care.

Quality Requirements

19. Have completed or be working towards the Paramedic First Contact Practitioner qualification.

20. Enhance their own performance through continuous professional development, keep up to date with current evidence-based practice, impart own knowledge and skills to PCN colleagues to meet the needs of the service

21. Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the HCPC and College of Paramedics

22. Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, bench marking and formal evaluation

23. Participate in research and utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements where required

24. Work in partnership with other clinical teams, collaborate on improving the quality of health care responding to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate.

Administrative requirements

25. Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures

26. Be aware of data protection (GDPR) and confidentiality issues particularly within a PCN

27. Use technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring of care, presenting and communicating information

28. Review and process data using accurate read codes, to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes.

Supervision

The postholder will have access to appropriate clinical supervision and an appropriate named individual in the PCN to provide general advice and support on a day to day basis.

Personal attributes and abilities

Essential

• Effective team player and self-motivated
• Ability to co-ordinate and prioritise workloads
• Ability to cope with unpredictable situations
• Able to multi-task as well as be self-disciplined and highly motivated
• Demonstrates a flexible approach to ensure patient care is delivered

Desirable

• High degree of personal credibility, emotional intelligence, patience and flexibility
• Strong and inspirational leadership
• Confident in facilitating and challenging others

Qualifications

Essential

• BSc / Diploma in a Paramedic Program approved by the College of Paramedics
• Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration
• Full UK driving license with access to own vehicle (additional expenses to be reimbursed)

Desirable

• Have completed or be working towards the paramedic first contact practitioner qualification.

Knowledge

Essential

• Be able to operate at an advanced level of clinical practice.
• Experience in managing a designated caseload using theoretical and practical experience, completing assessments, planning, implementing interventions, and evaluating outcomes aligned to care plans
• Working knowledge of Microsoft GP practice systems including Emis and prescribing data monitoring systems
• Ability to write comprehensive clinical notes, implement and evaluate care plans

Desirable

• Previous primary care experience and completion of Urgent Care or Minor Illness / Injury Level 6 study
• Evidence working within a primary care setting
• Evidence of working across organisational boundaries within health and social care

Experience

Essential

• Qualified for a minimum of 5 years as a Paramedic (having completed the 2 year consolidation of learning period and a further 3 years experience at a Band 6 or equivalent level).

Analysis skills

Essential

• Ability to evidence a sound understanding of the NHS principles and values
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex/ often incomplete information, pre-empt, and evaluate issues, and recommend and appropriate course of action to address the issues

Desirable

• Independent thinker with good judgement, problem-solving and analytical skills

Communication

Essential

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to influence and persuade others articulating a balanced view and able to constructively question information
• Ability to negotiate effectively
• Respect confidentiality
• Build effective relationships with a range of stakeholders which are based on openness, honesty trust and confidence

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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