Job responsibilities
The successful
applicant will provide care for the presenting patient from initial history
taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of care. This may take place in the surgery, the
patients home or a residential home.
They will be encouraged to develop a self-directed role within the team,
which may vary in responsibilities from day to day. Telephone assessment, home visits and
face-to-face assessments at the surgery will be the mainstay of their workload,
however development of care plans and long-term condition management will play
an important role too. They will
communicate and work collaboratively with the general practice team to meet the
needs of patients and support the delivery of a safe and efficient service.
Responsibilities:
Assess,
diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatment/interventions and care for
patients presenting with an undifferentiated diagnosis
Telephone
triage of patients requesting same day appointments and other urgent queries,
prioritising the needs of patients and referring on to other members of the
Primary Healthcare Team as necessary.
Clinically
examine and assess patient needs from a physiological and psychological
perspective, and plan clinical care accordingly
Assess,
diagnosis, plan, implement and evaluate interventions/treatments for patients
with complex needs
Proactively
identify, diagnose and manage treatment plans for patients who have, and are at
risk of developing, a long-term condition
Diagnose
and manage both acute and chronic conditions, using knowledge of both drug- and
non-drug-based treatment methods into a management plan
If you
are a prescriber, you would initiate and review medication appropriate to
patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice, appropriate
protocols and within scope of practice
Work
with patients in order to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed
treatments
Prioritise
health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex,
urgent or emergency situations, including initiation of effective emergency
care
Support
patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles,
and apply principles of self-care
Undertake
visits to patients in their own homes and to nursing homes if required during
urgent/ acute
episodes of care with the supervision and support of GPs
Identify,
implement and maintain Care Plans to support avoidance of unnecessary hospital
admissions
Communication:
Communicate
effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative
methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding,
cultural background and preferred ways of communicating
Anticipate
barriers to communication and take action to improve communication
Communicate
effectively with all members of staff in the primary healthcare team
Communicate
effectively with members of the secondary care team and other allied health
professionals when appropriate
Act as
an advocate for patients and colleagues
Ensure
awareness of sources of support and guidance and provide information in an
acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and referring
where appropriate
Delivering
a quality service
Recognise
and work within own competence and professional code of conduct
Produce
accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation,
consistent with legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures
Prioritise,
organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes
quality
Deliver
care according evidence-based care
Assess
care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation
Initiate
and participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes
across the organisation and its activities
Utilise
the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and
the team, implementing improvements where required
In
partnership with other clinical teams where appropriate, collaborate on
improving the quality of health care responding to local and national policies
and initiatives as appropriate
Support
and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation
Use a
structured framework to manage, review and identify learning from patient
complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events
Be
aware of statutory child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local
guidance
Be
aware of adult safeguarding procedures and guidance
Promote the role of Allied Healthcare Professionals
in general practice
Team
working
Understand
own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time
Work as
an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the
mechanisms to develop new ways of working
Delegate
clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and
assessment of competence
Create
clear referral mechanisms to meet patient need
Prioritise
own workload and ensure effective time-management strategies are embedded
within the culture of the team
Work
effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies
impacting upon care delivery
Discuss,
highlight and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient
care
Manage
and lead on the delivery of specifically identified services or projects as
agreed with the practice team
Agree
plans and outcomes by which to measure success
Management
of risk
Manage
and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures
are in place to protect patients
Monitor
work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and
conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and
guidelines
Managing
information
Use
technology and appropriate software as an aid to management in planning,
implementation and monitoring of care, presenting and communicating information
Review
and process data using accurate Read codes in order to ensure easy and accurate
information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes
Understand
responsibility of self and others to the practice and primary care trust
regarding the Freedom of Information Act
Understand
responsibility of self and others to the practice and primary care trust
regarding the Data Protection Act
Collate,
analyse and present clinical data and information to the team where appropriate
Equality
and diversity
Identify
patterns of discrimination and take action to overcome this and promote
diversity and equality of opportunity
Enable
others to promote equality and diversity in a non-discriminatory culture
Support
people who need assistance in exercising their rights
Adhere
to local chaperoning policies
Act as
a role model in the observance of equality and diversity good practice
Accept
the rights of individuals to choose their care providers, participate in care
and refuse care
Assist
patients from marginalised groups to access quality care