Job responsibilities
Clinical
responsibilities
The post holder
will under appropriate supervision:
- Provide proactive
care for patients in care homes and those patients presenting with
undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems, utilising history taking, physical
examination, problem-solving and clinical decision-making skills to establish
a working diagnosis and management plan working in partnership with
patients and their carers
- Undertake as
agreed care home consultations for routine problems including management
of long-term conditions. In addition, undertake telephone consultations/care
home visits and participate in duty rotas
- Instigate
necessary invasive and non-invasive diagnostic tests or investigations and
interpret findings/reports within the scope of a PAs practice. Discuss
the result and implications of laboratory investigations with patients
- Utilise
clinical guidelines and promote evidence-based practice
- Offer a
holistic service to patients and their families, developing where
appropriate an on-going plan of care/support with an emphasis on
prevention and self-care
- Refer
patients directly to other services or agencies using appropriate referral
pathways
- Ensure safe
handover of care within and outside the practice as appropriate
- Work
directly with members of the care home team and support integrated patient
centred care through appropriate working with wider primary care / social
care networks
- Identify
community health needs and participate in the development of
patient/family-centred strategies to address them
- Contribute
to the PCN quality targets to consistently achieve high standards of safe,
evidence-based, cost-effective patient care and service delivery
Training and development
- Participate
in continuing professional development opportunities to keep up-to-date
with evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of the role to
meet clinical governance guidelines for Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) and a Personal Development Plan (PDP) utilising a
reflective approach to practice.
- Undertake a variety
of research and analysis tasks associated with the improvement of clinical
care, medical diagnosis and treatment where appropriate using the
following means.
- Audit of clinical practice
- Significant event review / root
cause analysis
- Review of relevant literature
- Research unusual symptoms and
treatment options through consultation with general practitioners,
physicians and other specialists
- Promote and support a learning culture
within the practice and assist in clinical instruction, mentoring and
supervision of medical, nursing or physician associate students and other
learners that may periodically be attached to the practice
- Contribute to regular multi-disciplinary
and or practice educational meetings
- Work closely
with other clinical staff and administrative managers in the setting up
and/or improving of practice systems for monitoring/measuring performance
against Clinical Governance and Quality Indicator targets
Administration
- Fully
document all aspects of patient care and complete all required paperwork
for legal and administrative purposes in accordance with relevant
standards
- Work in
accordance with internal administrative systems relating to but not
limited to the management of clinical data
- Send and receive written information on
behalf of the practice relating to the physical and social welfare of
patients
- Work closely
with other clinical staff and administrative managers in the setting up
and/or improving of practice systems for monitoring/measuring performance against
Clinical Governance and Quality Indicator targets and work to deliver the
NHS contract pertinent to the PCN including the terms of the Quality and
Outcomes Framework and locally enhanced services
- Ensure that
all federation policies are fully implemented
- Support,
contribute to and participate in external inspections
Professional
- Take the UK
PA National Re-Certification Exam every six years - required for Physician
Associates AND maintain your
professional registration working within the latest Code of Professional
Conduct (CIPD)
- Undertake
statutory and mandatory training as required by the federation
- Demonstrate
clinical leadership
- Pro-actively
promote the role of the PA within the practice and externally to key
stakeholders and agencies
- Respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge
patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.
Health
and Safety
- Comply at all times with the federations health and safety
policies by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting
incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System (IRS)
- Comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to
Health Records Act (1990).
Equality,
diversity and inclusion
The post-holder
will support the equality, diversity and inclusion rights of patients, carers
and colleagues, to include:
Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is
consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation.
Respecting the
privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
Behaving in a
manner that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and
respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Communication
and working relationships
Establish
and maintain effective communication pathways with all care homes and visiting
clinical team members such as district nurses, modern matrons, etc.
Confidentiality:
The federation is
committed to maintaining an outstanding confidential service.
In the course of
seeking treatment, patients across the PCN entrust us with, or allow us to
gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other
matters. They do so in confidence and
have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act
appropriately.
In the
performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may
have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers,
practice staff and other healthcare workers.
They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a
business organisation. All such
information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.
Information
relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the
business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in
accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to
confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
General
responsibilities
The federation will be responsible
for:
-
Annual appraisal
and setting of a personal development plan and providing you with training and
development opportunities relevant to the post
-
Providing you
with any necessary equipment, office and clinical space to carry out your
duties
-
Providing you
with clear management, that you work within recommended policies and procedures
and towards the goals of the service
-
Ensuring that you
have a safe and healthy environment to work in
-
Ensuring that you
are able to work flexibility.
You will be responsible for:
-
Following network
medical practice policies and procedures
-
Completing
mandatory training
-
Keeping up to
date with the knowledge and skills required for the job
-
Making sure that
you are vaccinated against coronavirus and hepatitis B infection.
