Job responsibilities
Job summary
Battersea Fields Practice values its links with the local community, and aims to work in partnership with patients and the local community to provide excellent, patient-centred health care. The post-holder will manage a caseload and deal with a wide range of health needs ensuring the highest standards of care for all patients. The post-holder will also work collaboratively with the other members of the practice team to maximise practice achievement in relation to external clinical and non-clinical contracts.
The post-holder
Under GP supervision, will provide care for the presenting patient from initial history taking and clinical assessment through to the diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of care.
Will demonstrate critical thinking in the clinical decision-making process, including assessment and diagnostic skills, leading to the delivery of safe care for all patients within the service.
Will work collaboratively with the healthcare team to meet the needs of the patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures.
Will provide a holistic and clinical service, with support from GPs, implementing agreed management plans and following approved protocols as appropriate.
The post holder will be working with the practice and PCN teams to continually improve the service and consider opportunities for innovation and development of clinical care. This will include contributing to clinical team meetings and service audit in the practices and within the PCN if required.
Appropriate training and CPD time will be provided within the scope of the role.
Key responsibilities
Clinical responsibilities
The role working under the supervision of a GP will:
Work clinical sessions consisting of face-to-face, telephone appointments or both
Conduct home visits: acute (on the day) and chronic (holistic patient assessments)
Provide clinical services required (within own competencies and based on clinical guidelines)
Respond to medical problems presented by patients, including history taking and examination
Develop consultation skills to enable shared patient practitioner decision-making
Develop and explain clinical management plans in partnership with patients, and modify plans according to age, comorbidity and patient wishes.
Present findings to the supervising GP and use your clinical findings to justify the differential diagnosis and management plan
Triage and action incoming patients enquiries via the website/digitally or in person, pathology results and documents
Organise investigation, treatment and referral where appropriate.
Act upon alerts (e.g. QOF, local enhanced services etc.) and reminders during a consultation, in order to Make Every Contact Count
Be able to justify choice of medication, understand the impact of comorbidities and other medications, poly-pharmacy on agent choice and prognosis, and seek advice when needed from GPs and pharmacy team
Provide appropriate preventative health care and advice
Adhere to the practice prescribing formulary, local and national guidelines.
Under supervision of the GPs in the practice , make professional, autonomous decisions in relation to presenting problems and the management of chronic health conditions, whether self-referred or referred from other health care workers within the organisation;
Communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, relatives or carers using good verbal and written communication skills
Record clear and contemporaneous IT based consultation notes to agreed standards
Collect data for audit purposes
Other responsibilities
Engaging in appropriate lifelong educational and audit activity - as defined by the Royal College of Physicians Faculty of Physician Associates, to maintain clinical competence and performance, including 50 hours of annual CPD.
Participate in teaching and training of medical, nursing, paramedic and physician associate students
Participate in and support other staff in ensuring delivery of relevant practice or PCN objectives
Supporting practice staff and responding to requests for advice and assistance from the practice reception, nursing staff and other staff members
Awareness of and compliance with all relevant practice policies/guidelines, e.g. prescribing, confidentiality, data protection, health and safety etc
Undertake additional training where necessary to provide services
Attending training and events organised by the practice or other agencies, where appropriate
Contributing to evaluation/audit and clinical standard setting within the organisation
Contributing to the development of computer-based patient records
Contributing to the summarising of patient records and read-coding patient data
To represent the practice professionally with the aim of raising the profile of the practice in a positive manner.
Duties may vary from time to time, without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility
Confidentiality
- In the course of seeking treatment, patients 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.
Health & Safety
The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:
- Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
- Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
- Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
- Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
- Reporting potential risks identified.
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 recognises 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 which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal/Professional Development
In addition to maintaining continued education through attendance at any courses and/or study days necessary to ensure that professional development requirements for PREP are met, the post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as part of this employment, such training to include:
- Participation in an annual external and/or internal individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
- Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
Quality
The post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:
- 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.
Communication
The post-holder should recognize the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:
Communicate effectively with other team members
Communicate effectively with patients and carers
Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
