Paramedic / Paramedic Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Job title - Paramedic Practitioner / Paramedic

Line manager - Paramedic Practitioner Manager

Accountable to - 

Business Manager – Administratively

GP Partner – Clinically

Hours per week - 36

Job summary

To be responsible for the provision of paramedical services, working as part of the practice’s 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. Identify, signpost or refer patients at risk of developing long-term conditions, preventing adverse effects on the patient’s health

b. Provide routine care to patients as required in accordance with clinically based evidence, NICE and the NSF

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

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

e. Triage and treat or refer patients who attend the minor illness clinic

f. Collect pathology specimens as required

g. Maintain accurate clinical records in line with extant legislation

h. Ensure that read codes are used effectively

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

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

k. Chaperone patients where necessary

l. Prioritise health issues and intervene appropriately

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

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

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

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

q. Ensure that they adhere to the relevant patient group directives and local clinical pathways at all times

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

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

t. 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. Support junior members of the team, providing guidance when necessary

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)

Experience

Essential

• Experience in triage
• Experience of dealing with a range of clinical conditions
• Experience of working in a primary care environment

Desirable

• Experience of working as a Paramedic Practitioner

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Paramedic (HCPC)

Desirable

• Postgraduate diploma or degree (primary care)

Clinical Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• - Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check
• - Occupational Health clearance
• - HCPC registration
• - Ability to effectively triage, assess and diagnose
• - Wound care
• - ECGs
• - Chaperone procedure
• - Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• - Diabetes
• - Hypertension
• - Asthma
• - CHD
• - Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• - Ability to work within own scope of practice and understanding of when to refer to GPs
• - Understands the requirement for PGDs and associated policy
• - Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• - Clear, polite telephone manner
• - Competent in the use of Office and Outlook
• - SystmOne Experience
• - Effective time management (planning & organising)
• - Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• - Problem-solving & analytical skills
• - Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure

Desirable

• - Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• - Spirometry
• - Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• - Awareness of issues within the wider health arena
• - Knowledge of health-promotion strategies
• Strong IT skills

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).