Specialty Doctor in Palliative Medicine

Job responsibilities

Job Title:Specialty Doctor in Palliative Medicine

Location:Inpatient Unit, Dorchester

Hours of work:6 PA's (4 PA's would be considered) plus participation in on call rota

Grade:Specialty Doctor - 2021 NHS pay scale

Reports to:Consultant in Palliative Medicine

Background Information

Weldmar Hospicecare is an independent charity that provides specialist end of life care to patients and those that are important to them throughout Dorset. This care is given in the comfort of patients own homes by Weldmar Community Nurses and our Weldmar at Home team, via Day Services held across the county or as inpatients at our hospice in Dorchester. Our team of dedicated staff and volunteers ensure that we can continue to support patients through one of life's most difficult journeys. We work closely with other health care providers including the NHS to ensure that our patients receive the highest possible care.

We do receive some funding from the NHS but the majority of our income is generated by our fundraising and retail teams, which plays a vital part in securing income to fund our care, both now and in the future.

The principal clinical services are:

• A 12 bed inpatient unit in Dorchester serving some 300 people a year.
• A community based specialist palliative care service led by 13 specialist nurses. This supports some 650 patients each year.
• An MND service for people living with motor neurone disease
• Weldmar at Home service

As a specialist palliative care service, we aim to enhance palliative care throughout Dorset by:

• Providing expert care that is centred on the patient and family.
• Providing multi-disciplinary advice and support.
• Delivering education and development programmes.
• Working in partnership with outside agencies to achieve an integrated service.
• Ensuring quality improvement by constant planned review.
• Continuing to work as a charity mainly supported by public donation in order to provide a service free to patients and solely based on clinical need.

The service is provided by a wide range of staff fully committed to multi-disciplinary team working. As well as our inpatient unit, we have Community Palliative Care Nurse Specialists, Patient & Family Support Team, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Complementary Therapists and Wellbeing Support Sessions to support the Medical and Nursing teams.

There is an active education programme, and we have a research link with the University of Southampton.

We have a strong clinical governance structure to ensure our care is safe, evidence based, patient centred and effectively delivered.

Current Medical team(all part time)

2 Consultants in Palliative Medicine

1 Associate Specialist

2 Specialty Doctors

Plus 2 Advanced Nurse Practitioners

Job Purpose

The Specialty Doctor post is mainly concerned with providing continuity of medical support and care in the inpatient unit. However at times it may involve outpatients or domiciliary visits

Scope and Limits of Authority

The medical and nursing teams work very closely together. While the postholder will exercise their own professional judgement, the advice of other clinical and nursing staff will be important in informing their decisions.

The postholder will therefore be consulting regularly with Weldmar Hospicecare's:

• Consultants in Palliative Medicine
• The Associate Specialist
• The Director of Clinical Services
• The lead nurses for the inpatient unit and community nurses

Sound links with GPs and hospital based teams are also essential.

Attendance at meetings of the Charity's Medical Staff is expected.

Key areas of responsibility

• Admission of new patients

• Management of existing patients
• Community visits and Outpatient consultations at the IPU are undertaken at the request of the Community Palliative Care Nurse Specialists and primary care colleagues.
• Participation within the IPU in the MDT meetings and handovers
• Provision of advice and support by telephone to the Palliative Care Nurse Specialists in the Community and at Dorset County Hospital and to GPs as appropriate
• Full participation in professional activities including clinical audit, training and quality assessment activities
• Whilst the GPVTS doctors on placement are clinically supervised by the Consultants, the Specialty Doctors are expected to monitor and feed back any issues relating to their performance
• Commitment to meeting CPD requirements, with appropriate support to enable this
• Commitment and full participation in the annual performance appraisal process in line with GMC guidance. Line management will be provided by the Associate Specialist or Consultant.
• Participation in teaching for medical students from Southampton University and GPVTS doctors in association with the Consultants.
• 1:5 on call rota in support of the hospice and community teams
• 2nd on call cover for the ANPs (approx. once a year)
• Involvement in all aspects of clinical governance
• Participation in training
• Maintain computer skills especially in SystmOne

Experience

Essential

• - Completed at least four years' full- time postgraduate training( or its equivalent gained on a part-time or flexible basis) at least two of which will be in a specialty training programme in a relevant specialty or as a fixed term specialty trainee in a relevant specialty; or shall have equivalent experience and competencies.
• - Experience of clinical audit
• - Excellent communication skills
• - Commitment to multi-disciplinary team working
• - Basic computer literacy
• The post holder must live within 30 minutes of the IPU which is situated in Dorchester, to participate in the non-residential on call rota
• The Charity operates a 1-in-5 first on-call system for weeknights and weekends.
• The Specialty Doctor will have office accommodation with computer. There is administrative cover by a clinical administration team.
• This post will have 6 programmed activities per week plus on call payments and a job plan agreed.

Qualifications

Essential

• Full registration with the General Medical Council

Desirable

• A palliative care qualification is desirable.

Other Requirments

Essential

• Other Requirements
• - An Enhanced plus barred list Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check: which will disclose any spent and unspent convictions and cautions (subject to filtering), as well as any relevant police information plus a check of the relevant Barred List's. It may disclose other information that the police consider is relevant to the role and level of check applied for.
• - Commitment to the values and ethos of Weldmar Hospicecare
• - Act as an advocate and ambassador for the Charity
• - Commitment to and understanding of equality and diversity and how this translates into good practice
• - Understands and conforms to Weldmar Hospicecare infection prevention and health and safety policies and actively promotes best practice at all times.
• - Commitment to own continued professional and personal development
• - Ability to travel which requires a full valid driving licence and business insurance
• Key Terms and Conditions of Appointment
• Salary: Actual starting salary, dependent on experience and qualifications, in line with NHS Specialty Doctor Pay Scales (2021 contract)
• Pension:
• Postholders already in NHS pension scheme can continue to pay into it as long as they have been paying in within the last twelve months. The Charity has its own pension scheme with Standard Life which can be joined after three months' service eligible staff will be automatically enrolled into workplace pension scheme, employee contribution 5%, Employer 4%
• Hours: Sessions to be worked in agreement with the Lead Consultant
• Annual Leave: 6 weeks per annum and Bank Holidays - pro rata.
• Medical indemnity: the post holder will be expected to have full Medical indemnity Insurance. They will be expected to pay their own premium and produce annual evidence of such insurance.
• Domiciliary Visits: if these take place, mileage will be paid but not a fee
• Private Practice: It is acceptable in principle for the postholder to undertake some private practice outside his or her normal contractual working hours and following a formal notification to the Board of Weldmar Hospicecare
• Fees: It is agreed policy that cremation fees due to medical staff working at the hospice are payable direct to the Charity
• Notice: The agreed minimum notice period is three months by either party

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).