Community Paramedic

Job responsibilities

Job responsibilities

To be responsible for the provision of paramedical services, working as part of the practices multidisciplinary team, delivering care within their scope of practice to the entitled patient population. The paramedic practitioner will be required to work autonomously in the practice and in the community (home visits), providing a range of services such as assessment, diagnosis, treatment, telephone triage and referring patients appropriately, as well as supporting the management team in the reviewing of clinical policy and procedure.

Primary Responsibilities:

The following are the core responsibilities of the paramedic practitioner. There may be on occasion a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent on factors such as workload and staffing levels. The paramedic practitioner will work within their scope of clinical practice and:

a. Assess and triage patients, including same day triage, and as appropriate provide definitive treatment (including prescribing medications following policy, patient group directives, NICE (national) and local clinical guidelines and local care pathways) or make necessary referrals to other members of the primary care team

b. Examine, assess and diagnose patients and provide clinical care/management as required

c. Triage patients and provide the necessary treatment during home visits

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

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

f. Maintain accurate clinical records in line with extant legislation

g. Ensure that read codes are used effectively

h. Ensure continuity of care, arranging follow-up consultations or reviews as necessary

i. Review the effectiveness of the treatment provided, making changes where necessary to improve patient outcomes

j. Prioritise health issues and intervene appropriately

k. Act as the lead clinician when dealing with clinical emergencies

l. Support the delivery of anticipatory care plans as this process develops (e.g. monitoring blood pressure and diabetes risk of elderly patients living in sheltered housing)

m. Recognise, assess and refer patients presenting with mental health needs

n. Support patients in the use of their prescribed medicines or over-the-counter medicines (within own scope of practice)

o. Liaise with external services/agencies to ensure that the patient is supported appropriately (vulnerable patients, etc.)

p. Support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters, in accordance with local and national policies

q. To develop and sustain own personal and professional development, clinical skills and professional awareness in accordance with PREP requirements and the ongoing demands of the role

r. Understand practice and local policies for substance abuse and addictive behaviour, referring patients appropriately

s. Deliver opportunistic health promotion where appropriate

Secondary Responsibilities:

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the paramedic practitioner may be requested to:

a. Support the practice audit programme, undertaking audits when necessary

b. Work within the policies of scheme of the practices and PCN

c. Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care

d. Support and participate in shared learning within the practice

e. Continually review clinical practices, responding to national policies and initiatives where appropriate

f. Participate in the review of significant and near-miss events, applying a structured approach, i.e. root cause analysis (RCA)

g. Take personal responsibility for own learning and development, including the requirement to maintain currency, achieving all targets set in own Personal Development Plan (PDP)

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Paramedic HCPC qualified

Desirable

• Postgraduate diploma or degree primary care related
• Non Medical Prescribing

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to effectively triage, assess and diagnose
• Wound Care
• ECGs
• Chaperone procedure
• Requesting pathology tests and processing results, advising patients accordingly
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Asthma
• CHD
• Understands the importance of evidence-based practice
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding of when to refer to GPs

Desirable

• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• Awareness of issues within the wider health area
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• Knowledge of health-promotion strategies
• Understands the requirement for PGDs and associated policy

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Polite and confident
• Flexible and cooperative
• Motivated, forward thinker
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations
• Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of the patient
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Effectively utilise resources
• Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of working as a paramedic practitioner

Desirable

• Experience in triage
• Experience of dealing with a range of clinical conditions

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).