Urgent Care Response Hub Based GP

Job responsibilities

Primary duties and areas of responsibility

The Virtual Ward GP role is to act as the senior clinical decision maker within the UCR Team and providing daily clinical leadership. The following duties are the core responsibilities of the Virtual Ward GP:

• adhering to the timetable of daily scheduled clinical activities
• holding the responsibility for medical decisions made during the contracted service hours
• appreciating the complexity of patients with multi-morbidity, frailty and polypharmacy where involving specialists is necessary
• providing care in line with recommended best practice as established through clinical guidelines
• providing medical advice and supporting decision-making to the members of the wider MDT through all stages of the patient journey:

1. at triage of new referrals or admission to the virtual ward
2. during daily handovers and Board rounds
3. in an urgent / on-call capacity
4. support pharmacists with medication reviews when needed
5. upon discharge with a written discharge summary

• supporting and guiding the development of patient management plans, including:

1. RESPECT forms
2. DNAR forms
3. Personalised Care and Support Plans
4. Ceiling of care

• reviewing and prescribing medications, with clinical input from the VW Pharmacy Team proposing the use of digital monitoring where it may be appropriate, and:

1. setting thresholds for escalation
2. acting upon signs of deterioration

• work with the MDT to support clinical decision-making based on readings from POC/remote monitoring equipment.
• requesting diagnostic investigations and managing test results
• providing virtual consultations or home visiting where clinically required
• keeping accurate and contemporaneous documentation, including:

1. keeping accurate and up to date records on SystmOne
2. supporting with writing of discharge summaries

• liaising with other health professionals / providers for advice, such as:

1. the patients primary care team / GP
2. acute medical teams where advice may need to be sought
3. palliative care teams
4. mental health teams

• identifying deteriorating patients and escalating care when needed and in line with patient wishes
• support the development of the multidisciplinary team by:

1. identifying opportunities for development
2. supporting or signposting to training
3. providing supervision
4. instilling a culture of self-directed learning and professional development

• Working with the B&HF Clinical Lead and SCFT Leads on matters related to clinical governance and service improvement, for example:

1. audit
2. quality improvement
3. complaint handling
4. promoting a culture of continuous improvement
5. to promote a culture of collaborative team working

There may be a requirement to carry out other tasks dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels, and the job role may evolve over the two-year pilot.

For more information, please see attached job description.

Please note, this advert may close early if there are suitable candidates.

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified GP
• General Practitioner (Certificate of Completion of Training CCT)
• Full GMC Registration
• National Performers List registration
• Appropriate defence indemnity (MPS/MDU)

Desirable

• MRCGP
• Diploma in Geriatric Medicine
• Diploma in Immediate Medical Care
• Diploma in Urgent Medical Care

Clinical Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Outstanding level of clinical knowledge and skills commensurate with that of an experienced GP
• Understands the importance of evidence-based practice and clinical effectiveness
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Strong IT skills (competent in the use of Office and Outlook)
• Effective time management (Planning & Organising)
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Problem solving & analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• Ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• Experience with clinical risk management
• Understanding of Clinical Governance and quality issues as well as health and social policy

Desirable

• Knowledge of the current issues facing primary care and the wider NHS
• EMIS and SystmOne user and Docman skills
• Experience with audit and able to lead audit programmes
• Ability and success in the implementation of change and/or service development within an organisation

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Adherence to the GMC Standards/Duties The duties of a doctor registered with the General Medical Council - ethical guidance - GMC (gmc-uk.org)
• Motivated, forward thinker
• Ability to work under pressure
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Flexibility of working hours to meet the needs of the service
• Car driver

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of continued professional development
• Experience and knowledge of Sussex ICB and referral systems

Desirable

• Experience of working with Urgent Care, A&E and Out of Hours
• Five years post-CCT in general practice
• Previous post CCT experience of working in virtual wards or other acute care settings
• Experience of working effectively in collaboration with other organisations
• Experience of providing supervision/support to an MDT

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).