Paramedic in General Practice

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main duties and Responsibilities of the Post

Duties Specific to the Post

To perform routine tasks related to patient care. Such tasks may include but are not exclusive to:

• Provide care for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems, making use of history taking, physical examination, problem-solving and clinical decision-making, to establish a diagnosis and management plan;
• Provide assessment, treatment and diagnosis at point of first contact, by attending to patients in a variety of clinical or non-clinical settings according to patients or practice needs;
• Undertake home visits, see patients face to face in the surgery and conduct telephone triage/remote consultations, in accordance with practice protocols;
• Make professionally autonomous decisions for which he/she is accountable;

Refer patients to an alternative care setting or treat and discharge as appropriate; Instigate necessary invasive and non-invasive diagnostic tests or investigations and interpret findings/reports;

• Work with the multi-disciplinary team within the practice, and access the broader health care community, to promote integrated and seamless pathways of care.

Professional Duties

Diagnosing and treating patients presenting with minor illness

To ensure a high standard of practice and care at all times by:

• Adherence to the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards of conduct, performance and ethics
• Be responsible and accountable for assessing health and/or social needs of patients within the primary care setting, using agreed clinical protocols and clinical guidelines;
• Hold a virtual case load and be accountable for delivery of integrated quality patient care. This will be working mainly autonomously, although seeking appropriate guidance from other clinical colleagues when necessary;

• Ensure clinical practice is safe and effective and remains within boundaries of competence, and to acknowledge limitations;
• Advise patients on general health care, minor ailments/illness and minor injuries, with referral to other members of the primary and secondary health care team as necessary;
• To provide holistic patient care within the unscheduled care setting from assessment of presenting condition through to diagnosis and initial treatment including the dispensing and/or prescribing of medication within agreed clinical guidelines and protocols;
• Works from the surgery and within communities as an autonomous practitioner caring for patients and families;
• To undertake assessment for patients within the community and those attending the surgery, using diagnostic skills and initiation of investigations where appropriate;
• Ensure evidenced-based care is delivered at the highest standards ensuring delivery of high quality patient care;
• Contribute positively to the effectiveness and efficiency of the team and work colleagues
• Support QOF requirements

Pathological specimens and investigatory procedures

• Undertake where necessary, the collection of pathological specimens including intravenous blood samples, swabs etc. Perform investigatory procedures requested by the GPs or as deemed appropriate

Administration and professional responsibilities

• Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team
• Ensure accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients notes
• Ensure the clinical computer system is kept up to date, with accurate details recorded and amended
• Enhance own performance through Continuous Professional Development, imparting own knowledge and behaviours to meet the needs of the service
• To achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development in order to meet the needs of the service
• To participate in the audit process, evaluation and implementing plans and practice change in order to meet patient need
• Ensure appropriate items of service claims are made accurately, reporting any problems to the practice administrator
• Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the practice
• Ensure collection and maintenance of statistical information required for regular and ad hoc reports and audit
• Attend and participate in practice meetings as required
• To formally and informally impart knowledge and skills to colleagues promoting peer review and best practice within the work environment
• To communicate at all levels within the team ensuring an effective service is delivered
• To support delivery of enhanced services and other requirements on behalf of the Primary Care Network (PCN)

In addition:

• You must deliver care based on the best available evidence or best practice;
• You must keep you skills and knowledge up-to-date by taking part in appropriate learning activities that maintain and develop your competence and performance;
• You must demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity;

Our Values and This Role

Our values give us the framework for how we make decisions and keep us true to what is important. They help us understand what the encouraged and discouraged behaviours are, and should be the core behaviours from which role specific behaviours are derived.

We put our patients first in all we do

Together we create a great place to work, grow and develop

We are open and fair and are committed to excellent communication

We strive relentlessly to be better and more successful

We take personal and social 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 and Safety

To share the responsibility for the maintenance of a healthy and safe working environment, including

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines;
• Remaining an awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements and good practice guidelines;

1. Responsibility for the correct and safe management of the specimens process including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements;

• Adherence to their own individual hand hygiene;
• Adherence of current working practices across the practice in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related-activities, ensuring that procedures are followed and issues escalated to the Nurse Lead where appropriate;
• Safe management of sharps procedures including use, storage and disposal;
• Actively identifying, reporting of health and safety hazards, or infection hazards to either the Nurse Lead, Lead GP or Practice Manager;
• Waste management including collection, handling, segregation, container management, storage and collection;

Maintenance of sterile environments.

Communication

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

• Communicate effectively with other team members
• Communicate effectively with patients and carers
• Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Person Specification

Other

Essential

• Satisfactory Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check

Qualifications

Essential

• Paramedic with BSc in Paramedicine/Paramedic Science or
• equivalent
• Current registration with the HCPC professional body
• Full driving licence and own vehicle

Desirable

• Relevant post graduate diploma or degree
• Non-medical prescriber qualification
• Emergency Care Practitioner course or similar
• Aware of and/or working towards First Contact Practitioner
• Roadmap for Paramedics
• Level 7 learning / working towards masters level capability

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Able to work autonomously and within professional
• boundaries
• Experience with clinical risk management
• Able to seek support from peers as necessary
• Good personal organisation
• Excellent computer skills/knowledge of IT systems
• Ability to support other members of the team when required
• Evidence of excellent documentation, report writing and
• record keeping skills.
• Effective time management skills
• Knowledge of national standards that inform practice e.g.
• NICE guidelines etc
• Clear, polite telephone manner

Desirable

• Involvement in clinical audit/research
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Experience with EMIS Web, Docman, ICE, NHS net etc.

Personal Qualities and Attributes

Essential

• An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
• Ability to work without direct supervision and determine own workload priorities and those of others in the team
• Ability to use own judgement, resourcefulness and common sense
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Able to build rapport with people from all backgrounds and communities
• Pleasant and articulate
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Knowledge of and ability to work to policies and procedures
• Ability to work under pressure and to multi-task
• Flexibility of working hours and commitment to team working, and of working across both sites at DHG
• Punctual

Experience

Essential

• At least 3 years experience as a Band 6 or equivalent Paramedic
• Experience in the acute examination of adults and children
• Management of common minor injuries/illnesses
• Experience as an autonomous practitioner
• Able to work under pressure and manage varying workloads
• and changing demands
• Evidence of ongoing post registration CPD
• An appreciation of the nature of primary care prescribing,
• concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing

Desirable

• Experience of working in Primary Care / Urgent Care / Emergency Care
• Experience of telephone triage assessment
• Broad knowledge of general practice and the new NHS
• landscape including relationship between individual practices /
• Primary Care Networks (PCN)

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

Downend Health Group

Address

The Willow Surgery

Hill House Road, Downend

Bristol

BS16 5FJ

Employer's website

https://www.downendhealthgroup.com (Opens in a new tab)