Physician Associate

Job summary

A great opportunity has arisen within Solent NHS CAMHS for Physician Associates to join the specialist CAMHS service at Southampton CAMHS. This post is being recruited in partnership with the South East School of Physician Associates and the successful candidates will become part of the inceptorship programme offered by the school for their first year in practice. This opportunity will allow the candidate to have access to a PA Mentor, CPD and supervision from a PA School consultant alongside the support offered within Solent NHS. The service works within children and young people who present with mental health and neurodiversity presentations. The service is made up of different teams covering Crisis and complex care, eating disorders, looked after Children, Learning Disabilities and Non-Medical Prescribing. The service operates an MDT approach within all the different teams and has a range of medical and therapeutic professions e.g., Consultant Psychiatrists, Non-Medical Prescribers, Nurses, Social Workers, Creative/Psychotherapeutic therapists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists.

We are looking for someone who has a passion for working in this specialist field of mental health, with evidence of relevant clinical skills and therapeutic skills. You should also have experience of working with a multi-disciplinary team.

We are aiming to have the successful candidate in post by the 31st March 2024.

Main duties of the job

The Physician Associate (PA) will provide care for the presenting patient from history taking and clinical assessment through to the diagnosis, treatment, evaluation of care and providing therapeutic care. They will demonstrate critical thinking in the clinical decision-making process, including mental health assessment and diagnostic skills, leading to the delivery of safe care for all patients. They will work collaboratively with the CAMHS team to meet the needs of the children and young people, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures. The PA will provide a holistic and clinical service, with support from doctors and multidisciplinary team (MDT) as required, implementing agreed assessment and therapeutic care management plans and following approved policies/protocols as appropriate.

The role will involve assessing the physical and mental health of people as they attend services. Review and changes to care plans will be expected with a focus on mental health needs of the presenting child/young person. The PA will also review and act appropriately on blood results, ECG, and other physical health monitoring and correspondence regarding their patients. The post holder will be central to the development of new ways of working and incorporating health education and social prescribing to support physical health needs. This will need the skills to assess and review symptoms of psychiatric illness and then request, review and intervention to formal results (bloods, ECG, imaging etc)

About us

At Solent, our teams mirror the communities we serve. The Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging plan fosters authenticity, ensuring every Solent NHS Trust member feels visible, validated, and valued.

The Annual Staff survey positions us among top-performing Community and Mental Health trusts in 3 of 9 themes:

• Compassion and inclusivity
• Each voice matters
• Staff Engagement

Our commitment to enhancing diversity, inclusion, and belonging fosters a strong sense of uniqueness, celebrated among colleagues, contributing to excellent patient outcomes.

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