Specialist Ward Doctor - South Petherton Community Hospital

Job summary

We are a 20 bedded community hospital in South Petherton within the beautiful countryside of South Somerset: under the umbrella of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. Our hospital is made up of 16 stroke rehab beds, 3 medically fit beds and one palliative/end of life bed. Our hospital also has a busy outpatient department, X Ray facilities, The South Somerset D/N hub, Living Better hub, and a wealth of community services all based at the hospital.

The ward patients are transferred to us for rehab from 6 acute settings following their initial inpatient treatment for stroke.

We are proud of our multidisciplinary team which works in an integrated and collaborative way to provide best care for our patients, improving patient outcomes across the stroke pathway. We are a diverse team and pride ourselves in the inclusivity of our work force.

We share a strong ethos of MDT working with a focus on dignity, privacy, respect, and kindness.

As the Specialist Ward Doctor, you will be fully supported by senior consultants based within Somerset Foundation Trust. You will also be afforded a great deal of autonomy in how you plan your working day and be supported by a fully qualified Advanced Clinical Practitioner.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder's role and responsibilities:

CLINICAL

• Provide assessments and give advice on the medical (acute and chronic) treatment of people.
• Liaise with other members of the multidisciplinary team to complete comprehensive stroke assessments in patients as appropriate.
• Support the MDT by interpreting observations, blood results and other investigations.
• Liaise with a wide range of professions, disciplines, medical specialties and primary care to ensure seamless admission, transfer and discharge of patients through various parts of their care pathway.
• Support (supervise as appropriate) the advance clinical practice role at South Petherton
• Undertake annual appraisal and job plan reviews.

MANAGEMENT

• Contribute to the development of stroke and community practice in line with the best practice and nationally accredited standards.
• Collaborative work with other services and agencies including the Local Authority (social care), Safeguarding and the voluntary sector.
• Understand and participate in the maintenance, monitoring and evaluation of service specific performance indicators and targets.
• Provide cross-cover for planned leave with ACP team.
• Comply with all Trust policies.

Work within the financial and other constraints decided upon by the Trust; additional resources will not be committed without the authorisation of the appropriate manager/budget holder.

About us

As an organisation, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust offers employees a wide range of benefits including flexible working, NHS pension scheme, generous annual leave allowance and a commitment to career development.

You will be eligible for our Blue Light Card and a wide range of NHS exclusive shopping & leisure discounts.

We are proud of our skilled, diverse workforce and as an inclusive employer we welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Working in Somerset enables you to enjoy the idyllic countryside, areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines whilst still only being a stone's throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London.

There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable.

Somerset offers the countryside and the cosmopolitan - there is truly something for everyone!