Physician's Associate for Student Practice

Job description

Job responsibilities

Primary Care Physician Associate -Job DescriptionJob Title: Primary Care Physician Associate

Reporting to: GP Partners and the Practice Manager

Accountable to: GP Partners

Location: London

Salary: Negotiable

Job status: Full or Part time

Contract: Permanent

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

The Department of Health's Competence and Curriculum Framework for physician associates defines the physician associate as:

'a new healthcare professional who, while not a doctor, works to the medical model, with the attitudes, skills and knowledge base to deliver holistic care and treatment within the general medical and/or general practice team under defined levels of supervision.'

Physician associates can supplement and complement GPs and nursing staff. Under supervision of a GP, they can see a range of patients whose cases vary in complexity.

Under supervision of the GP in the practice, the post holder will provide care for the presenting patient from focused history taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of care. They will demonstrate safe, clinical decision-making and expert care, including assessment and diagnostic skills, for patients within the service. The post holder will demonstrate critical thinking in the decision-making process. They will work collaboratively with the healthcare team to meet the needs of the patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures. The post holder will provide a holistic and clinical service, with support and supervision of GPs, implementing agreed management plans and following approved protocols as appropriate.

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under supervision of a GP and in accordance with the practice timetable, as agreed, the post-holder will make him/her-self available to undertake clinical sessions.

Under supervision of a GP, you may be required to:

• Work clinical sessions consisting of either telephone triage appointments, face to face appointments or both
• Conduct home visits following adequate training
• Triage incoming pathology results and documents
• Act upon alerts (e.g. QOF, local enhanced services etc.) and reminders during a consultation.
• Provide clinical services required (within own competencies) as part of the PMS contract held between Brondesbury and Camden CCG
• Undertake surgeries during extended hours in accordance with the access needs of the practice population and the contractual obligation of the practice
• Respond to medical problems presented by patients, including history taking and examination
• Provide confidence to supervising GP in your findings and in you using your clinical findings to justify the differential diagnosis
• Organise investigation, treatment and referral where appropriate.
• Be confident in explaining to patients their clinical management plan and able to modify plan according to age and comorbidity.
• Develop consultation skills to enable shared patient practitioner decision
• Be able to justify choice of medication. Able to understand the impact of comorbidities and other medications, poly-pharmacy on agent choice and prognosis
• Provide appropriate preventative health care and advice.
• Provide medical support as required to patients referred by nursing staff
• 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, whether self-referred or referred from other health care workers within the organisation
• Record clear and contemporaneous IT based consultation notes to agreed standards
• Collect data for audit purposes

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES WITH THE PRACTICE(s):

• Engaging in appropriate lifelong educational and audit activity - as defined by the Royal College of Physicians Faculty of Physician Associates. This will be in order to maintain clinical competence and performance, including 50 hours of annual CPD, Good verbal and written communication skills and able to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, relatives or carer CBDs, Mini CEXs and the completion of objectives agreed by yourself and the practice, in an annual Personal Development Plan. Your Personal Development Plan should bear relevance to the Practice Development Plan.
• Participate in annual appraisal which will include staff multi source feedback (MSF) and patient survey.
• Participate in and support other staff in ensuring the practice meets targets
• Supporting the practice staff and responding to requests for advice and assistance from the practice reception, secretarial and nursing staff.
• Attend prescribing, palliative care, virtual ward round, clinical and practice meetings.
• Provide additional enhanced services to the practices that meet the needs of the practices patient population and maximise the income streams to the practice
• Undertake additional training where necessary to provide these enhanced services
• Awareness of and compliance with all relevant practice policies/guidelines, e.g. prescribing, confidentiality, data protection, health and safety, annual QOF Assessment of the Practice.
• Meet timescales/deadlines for audits and written returns to ensure that the Practice meets quality standards and receives the designated funding (e.g. Quarterly Enhanced Services returns, annual QOF audit etc.)

GENERAL DUTIES

To behave in a professional way at all times that encourages quality care and the development of a team spirit. 360 degree feedback is used to assess clinicians and you will be required to participate in this.

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 Company as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.

DATA PROTECTION

Brondesbury Medical Centre is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998. You must not at any time use the personal data held by the organisation for a purpose not described in the Register entry or disclose such data to a third party. If you are in any doubt regarding what you should or should not do in connection with the Data Protection Act then you must contact your line manager or appropriate senior lead at the time

FLEXIBILITY

This job description is not intended to be exhaustive. The post-holder will be expected to adopt a flexible attitude towards the duties outlined which may be subject to amendment at any time in consultation with the post-holder and in line with the needs of the organisation.

The post holder may be required to fulfil other duties, as agreed with the practice manager to meet the needs of the organisation.

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

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 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 individual performance review at practice level
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
• Undertake the Introduction to Teaching in Primary Care, London Deanery F2
• Support the practice in enabling or maintaining Deanery approved practice training status

QUALITY

Under supervision and support of GPs in the practice, the post-holder will strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:

• Participating in clinical governance activity and contribute to the improvement in quality of health outcomes through audit and the Quality and Outcomes Framework
• Alert other team members to issues of Clinical Governance issues, quality and risk
• Participate in Significant Event Analysis reviews
• 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. He/she will also contribute to the overall team-working of the Practice putting the needs of the Practice first.
• Participate and contribute to the practice achieving other quality standards such as ISO 9001, Investors in People, RCGP Quality Practice award.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• You will already will have completed your MSc/ Pg Dip in Physicians Associates and be eligible to join the PAMVR.

Desirable

• Excellent clinical skills and a good knowledge of unscheduled care.

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

Brondesbury Medical Centre

Address

Gower Street Practice

20 Gower Street

London

WC1E 6DP

Employer's website

https://www.brondesburymedicalcentre.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)