Job responsibilities
JOB SUMMARY
The Physician Associate
role works in support of the clinical team. The role will require the PA to run
their own consultations ensuring appropriate history, examination, diagnosis
and management plan is formulated. The post involves a mixture of appointments
including face to face, telephone video and online consultation.
This post is focused on
improving access to healthcare for Women and Children from the local
Bangladeshi community. Alongside the usual primary care consultations, the post
holder will offer specialised clinics (following appropriate training)
including: Mother and Baby Clinic, Cervical Screening and Family Planning.
PRINCIPAL
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical responsibilities
- To perform initial patient assessment and
examination, initiate diagnostic process and interpret investigations and
recommend initial treatment.
·
To exercise a high degree of personal autonomy when
assessing and planning care for patients with a range of presenting complaints.
·
To develop extensive specialist knowledge and experience,
acting as a resource to the clinical team and allied health professionals.
·
Practice under the supervision of the on call Duty
Doctor on a day to day basis and named link Doctor at each individual site and
overall supervision from PCN additional workforce lead.
·
Take patient histories and perform physical
examinations of a patient recording all information in the patients’ medical
records.
·
Order and interpret diagnostic laboratory tests,
radiological studies or various other therapies.
·
Discriminate between normal and abnormal findings
to recognise early stages of serious medical, emotional or mental problems in
the patient
·
Establish differential diagnosis, make appropriate
treatment plans and initiate emergency treatment.
·
Work with the multi disciplinary team in an
appropriate management plan for complex patients e.g. Social Services,
Community Nurse Team, Clinical Nurse Specialists.
·
Instruct and counsel patients regarding mental and
physical health, including:
a) Diet and lifestyle
advice
b) Disease
and disease prevention
c) Treatment
d) Normal
development
- Refer
and converse with appropriate specialists in regard to patient management.
· To perform diagnostic/therapeutic
procedures, as per skills and experience such as:
·
IM/Sc Injections
·
Venepuncture
·
Spirometry
·
Cervical Smear Taking
·
Other interventions or
procedures as directed by the supervising physician
- Work
collaboratively with the medical team,
- Maintain
knowledge and proficiency in medical practices through continuing
education, CPD days, staff meetings, workshops and online training.
- Work
towards prescribing independently when appropriate legislation is in
place.
- Work
with the teams to develop/improve and implement new models of working to
ensuring efficiency within the area of work.
- Work
within the team to support the achievement and maintenance of internal and
external targets e.g. QOF/LCS/Prescribing incentive
Communication
- Utilise and
demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully
informed and consent to treatment
- Communicate with
and support patients who are receiving bad news
- Communicate
effectively with patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative
methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding,
cultural background and preferred ways of communicating
- Anticipate
barriers to communication and take action to improve communication
- Maintain effective
communication within the practice environment and with external
stakeholders
- Act as an advocate
for patients and colleagues
- Ensure awareness
of sources of support and guidance and provide information in an
acceptable format to all patients, recognising any difficulties and
referring where appropriate
Delivering a quality service
- Recognise and work
within own competence
- Produce accurate,
contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultation, consistent
with legislation, policies and procedures
- Prioritise,
organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes
quality
- Deliver care
according to NSF, NICE
guidelines and evidence-based care
- Assess
effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking
and formal evaluation
- Initiate and
participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes
across the organisation and its activities
- Utilise the audit
cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the
team, implementing improvements where required
- In partnership
with other clinical teams within the CCG,
collaborate on improving the quality of health care responding to local
and national policies and initiatives as appropriate
- Evaluate patients’
response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care
- Support and
participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation
- Use a structured
framework (e.g. root-cause analysis) to manage, review and identify
learning from patient complaints, clinical incidents and near-miss events
- Assess the impact
of policy implementation on care delivery
- Understand and
apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and
abused children and adults, and be aware of statutory child/vulnerable
patients health procedures and local guidance
Teaching and training
- Assist in the development and mentoring of the
UK Physician Associates as the profession progresses, e.g. supervision of
a student.
- Facilitate
and influence a suitable student centred learning environment for
physician Associate students
- Act
as a ‘champion’ for the Physician Associate role
- To
attend staff development courses offered by CCG
as part of own personal and professional development
·
Undertake any other duties as appropriate to the post and as
delegated by GP supervisor and Practice Manager
·
To assist in the development and teaching other groups of staff as appropriate e.g.
nursing/medical students
There
may also be a requirement to undertake other similar duties as part of this
post in order to provide a quality service.
These will be consistent with the level of responsibilities outlined
above.
Professional conduct
The post holder must
comply with the Code of Professional Conduct as set out by the PAMVR
LOCATION
The PCN
provides medical services at sites other than our member practices e.g. care
homes and employees will be expected to work at any location within NCL CCG
within reasonable distance of Central Camden PCN.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Patient and/or staff
information is confidential. It is a
condition of NHS employment that you will not use or disclose any confidential
information obtained in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
NO SMOKING
The CCG has a Smoke Free policy. All Health Service premises are considered No
Smoking Zones, other than designated staff smoking areas.
HEALTH AND
SAFETY
The PCN has a duty of
care to employees and will ensure that, as far as is reasonably practicable,
adequate training, facilities and arrangements for risk avoidance are in place.
All Surgery employees
are required to comply with relevant Health and Safety legislation and the
Trust’s policies relating to Health & Safety and Risk Management. In particular, they have a duty to:
·
Take reasonable care of both their own and others’
health and safety.
·
Report any adverse incident (including “near misses”)
in accordance with the individual Practice/CCG
Policy.
·
Report any concerns regarding both general health
and safety and the well being of patients and staff, in accordance with Trust
Policies.
Undertake or participate in risk assessments, as
appropriate.
This job description
may be reviewed from time to time in light of developments and may be amended
in consultation with the post holder.
