Paramedic / Paramedic Practitioner in Primary Care

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder is an experienced Specialist/Advanced Paramedic, who acting within their competence, will provide care for the presenting patient from initial history taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of their care. They will demonstrate safe clinical decision-making and expert care for patients within primary care. There is a requirement to see emergency patients and this may be either in a practice or in the patients home. The practitioner will need to prioritise and triage the needs of patients accordingly making any necessary referrals for investigations in the appropriate manner.

Job responsibilities:

Diagnosing and treating patients presenting with undifferentiated primary care demand:

Triage and treat patients wishing to see a health care professional making any necessary referrals to other members of the primary health care team

Ensure clinical practice is safe and effective and remains within boundaries of competence and acknowledges limitations

Make professionally autonomous decisions for which he/she is accountable

Provide first point of contact within the service for patients presenting with undiagnosed problems, making use of skills in history taking, physical examination, problem-solving and clinical decision-making to establish a diagnosis and management plan

Provide health education / health promotion to patients, relatives and carers.

Refer patients to other members of the primary and secondary health care team as necessary

ECG (Lead II interpretation)

Minor injuries including wound care

Admission Avoidance Work

Accept referrals from other Health Care Professionals, providing telephone/face to face support and assisting with clinical management.

Follow up phone calls and consultations with patients, relatives and other Health Care Professionals regarding a patients care.

Creation of patient specific care plans to reduce avoidable hospital admissions, especially out of hours.

Intercept 999 calls by utilising the SECAmb IBIS system, either performing telephone triage call / visit to reduce avoidable hospital admissions.

Pathological specimens and investigatory procedures

Undertake the collection of pathological specimens.

Perform investigatory procedures either clinically indicated or requested by other members of the primary health care team.

Administration and professional responsibilities

Maintain their professional registration in line with HCPC standards.

Maintain a high personal standard of professionalism.

Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the Paramedic Practitioner team.

Ensure accurate and legible notes of all consultations, treatments and referrals are recorded in the patients electronic notes.

Ensure the clinical computer system is kept up to date with accurate details recorded and amended when required.

Ensure expense claims are made accurately, reporting any problems to the Office Manager.

Ensure collection and maintenance of statistical information required for regular and ad hoc reports and audit.

Attend and participate in meetings as required.

Restocking and maintenance of clinical areas and administrative rooms used.

Supplies and equipment

Maintenance of equipment and stock relating to patient care.

Training and personal development

Training requirements will be monitored by yearly appraisal and will be in accordance with team/locality requirements. Personal development will be encouraged and supported by the organisation. It is the individuals responsibility to remain up to date with recent developments.

Participate in the education and training of students of all disciplines and the introduction of all members of staff where appropriate.

Maintain continued education by attendance at courses and study days as deemed useful or necessary for professional development ensuring HCPC requirements are met.

If it is necessary to expand the role to include additional responsibilities, full training will be given.

Develop and maintain a Personal Learning Plan.

Completion of annual mandatory online and basic life support training.

Liaison and Communication

Work with multi-disciplinary practice teams within the locality Practices

Work with the wider multi-disciplinary community integrated teams working with the Locality

As well as the nursing teams there is a need to work closely with reception and office staff to ensure the smooth running of the practices, reporting any problems encountered to the relevant person.

There is also the need to establish and maintain good liaison with other surgeries and agencies including secondary care.

The post-holder will establish and maintain effective communication pathways with colleagues, patients and their carers, recognising the need for flexibility to overcome different levels of understanding and cultural backgrounds.

Confidentiality:

Maintain confidentiality in accord with HCPC and local organisation and practice confidentiality policies.

Health & safety:

The post-holder will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the organisation Health & Safety policy.

Correct usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process

Safe management of clinical waste and sharps procedures including use, storage and disposal

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management

Actively identifying, reporting, and correction of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised

Keeping own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within the business.

Spillage control procedures and management

Decontamination control procedures, management and equipment maintenance

Equality and diversity: The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and 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 organisation procedures and policies, and current legislation

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues

Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Quality:

The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the locality and organisation, by:

Contribute to the practice achieving its quality targets to sustain the high standards of patient care and service delivery

Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk

Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources

If an Independent Prescriber (with HCPC registration annotation), the following also apply:

Generate EPS and FP10 prescriptions within scope of practice, considering local and national guidelines including but not limited to:

o South Central Antimicrobial Network Guidelines

o Frimley ICB Medicines Management Team updates/prescribing

o NICE guidelines

o Royal Pharmacological Society Prescribing Competency Framework

Prescriptions outside of scope of practice will be valid in the following circumstances:

o Life threatening emergencies

o Clinical Management Plan (prescribing as a supplementary prescriber)

o EXCEPT any medicines governed under the Misuse of Drugs Act as these cannot be prescribed by Paramedics until the law is amended.

Maintain accurate EMIS records of prescriptions issued / generated.

Maintain up to date with prescribing by undertaking continued professional development including but not limited to:

o Attending Prescribing Forums

o Discussing cases routinely with General Practitioners / Non-Medical Prescribers

o Reviewing updated guidance

Be part of the regular review of the prescribing scope of practice.

Provide support and guidance to other Paramedic Prescribers.

When required, act in role of Duty Paramedic Practitioner for the Rapid Home Visiting Service.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• HCPC Registration as Paramedic with no restrictions on practice
• MSc Advanced Clinical Practice qualification or equivalent recognised specialist/advanced practice qualification at minimum degree level
• Evidence of appropriate continuing professional development activity to maintain up-to-date knowledge and ongoing competence in all aspects of role
• Evidence of working autonomously and as part of a team
• Proven ability to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of their own clinical practice
• Placement / employment experience within primary care

Desirable

• Independent Prescriber
• Post-registration study relating to urgent care / minor illness / minor injury

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Salus Medical Services Ltd

Address

Aldershot Centre For Health

Hospital Hill

Aldershot

Hampshire

GU11 1AY

Employer's website

http://www.salusmedical.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)