Job responsibilities
Patient Care
-Clinical Assessment and Treatment: Perform high-quality clinical assessments for patients presenting to the service, either through telephone triage or face-to-face consultations within treatment centres, patients' homes, or the community as required. Apply clinical expertise to diagnose, treat, and manage acute healthcare needs, ensuring interventions are evidence based and patient-centred.
-Diagnostic and Investigative Skills: Utilise appropriate diagnostic tools and initiate relevant investigations to support clinical decision making. Make informed decisions regarding treatment plans and patient care pathways.
-Emergency Response: Swiftly identify and manage patients whose condition is deteriorating, ensuring timely escalation to emergency services or specialist care as necessary.
-Prescribing: Prescribe medications in accordance with the Cornwall Joint Formulary, ensuring prescriptions are clinically appropriate, cost effective, and in line with best practice guidelines.
-Clinical Documentation: Maintain accurate, contemporaneous, and comprehensive patient healthcare records, ensuring documentation reflects the nature of the consultation, clinical findings, treatment plans, and any follow-up actions required.
-Communication: Engage in clear, empathetic, and effective communication with patients, carers, and families, ensuring they understand their diagnosis, treatment options, and care plans. Facilitate informed decision-making and shared care where appropriate.
-Collaborative Working: Work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team, including clinicians and operational staff, to deliver a seamless, high-quality, and co-ordinated urgent care service. Engage in regular team meetings and case discussions to optimise patient outcomes.
-Integrated Care Development: Contribute to the development and enhancement of integrated care pathways by working closely with relevant stakeholders across health and social care organisations, promoting a holistic approach to urgent care delivery.
-Evidence-Based Practice: Maintain and apply up-to-date knowledge of clinical guidelines, audit results, and contemporary research to ensure all care delivered is based on the best available evidence. Engage in continuous professional development to enhance clinical practice.
-Confidentiality: Uphold the highest standards of patient confidentiality in line with organisational, national, and regulatory codes, ensuring all patient information is handled with the utmost care and integrity.
Governance and Risk Management
-Regulatory Compliance: Ensure adherence to all relevant organisational, local, and national guidelines, regulations, and legislation. Maintain awareness of CQC standards and contribute to achieving and maintaining compliance.
-Safeguarding and Incident Management: Adhere to safeguarding protocols, dealing appropriately with concerns, complaints, incidents, and alerts through established company systems and policies. Participate in the investigation and resolution of clinical incidents to support continuous service improvement.
-Clinical Governance: Follow all company clinical governance policies, including those related to patient safety, quality improvement, and risk management. Participate in clinical audits, reviews, and peer feedback sessions to uphold and enhance clinical standards.
-Consultation Documentation: Ensure all consultation notes are recorded clearly, accurately, and contemporaneously to meet agreed standards, facilitating continuity of care and effective clinical governance.
Internal Communication and Professional Conduct
The General Practitioner is expected to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and courtesy in all internal and external communications. This includes, but is not limited to, interactions with colleagues, management, and external partners. Effective communication is a cornerstone of professional practice and is essential in ensuring the delivery of high-quality patient care and fostering a positive working environment.
-Professionalism in Communication: All written and verbal communications must reflect the professionalism of the organisation. This includes using a respectful tone, being clear and concise, and avoiding any form of language or expression that could be perceived as unprofessional.
-Email Etiquette: Emails should be used judiciously and constructively to support collaborative working. The GP will:
o Use emails primarily for sharing information, coordinating care, and addressing issues in a professional manner.
o Avoid using emails as a platform for expressing frustration, making sarcastic remarks, or engaging in negative discourse. If issues need to be raised, they should be done so constructively, ideally in person or through a formal, structured process.
o Ensure that email content is appropriate, considering the audience and potential for misinterpretation.
o Refrain from sending emails in anger or frustration; instead, take time to reflect and, if necessary, seek advice before responding.
-Constructive Feedback and Issue Resolution: When addressing concerns or providing feedback to colleagues or management, it is crucial to do so in a manner that is solution-focused and constructive. The emphasis should always be on improving service delivery and supporting team cohesion.
-Collaboration and Teamwork: The GP is expected to foster a culture of collaboration, supporting colleagues and contributing positively to the team dynamic. This includes being receptive to feedback, engaging in open dialogue, and participating in team meetings and discussions in a constructive manner.
Leadership and Development
-Clinical Support: Provide clinical leadership and support to the multidisciplinary team as needed, fostering a collaborative and supportive working environment. Mentor and guide less experienced clinicians where appropriate.
-Performance Review: Engage actively in the companys clinical performance review process, seeking and acting on feedback to improve personal and team performance.
-Continuous Learning: Commit to lifelong learning, including participation in regular clinical audits and critical appraisal of research to ensure practice remains evidence-based. Meet Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements and keep up to date with mandatory training, including digital tools and platforms used within the service.
-Self Assessment: Regularly assess and reflect on personal clinical performance, taking accountability for actions and outcomes, whether working independently or under supervision.
Operational Delivery
-Contractual Targets: Support the organisation in meeting and exceeding contractual targets, including key performance indicators related to patient care, clinical outcomes, and service efficiency.
-Agility and Flexibility: Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability to meet the evolving needs of the service, including changes in work patterns or locations as required by organisational priorities. Be prepared to take on additional duties as directed by management, in line with the overall purpose of the role.
General
-Professional Development: Engage in personal and professional development activities to meet the changing demands of the role. Participate in annual appraisals, training activities, and any other opportunities for growth provided by the organisation.
-Compliance: Ensure full compliance with all Kernow Health CIC and Cornwall 111 IUCS statutory and mandatory training requirements, as well as adherence to company policies and protocols.
-Organisational Objectives: Align personal objectives with those of the core team and the wider organisation, contributing to the achievement of strategic goals.
-Flexibility: Adapt to the needs of the organisation by working flexibly in response to changing requirements and priorities, demonstrating a commitment to the overall success of the service.
-Other Duties: Undertake any other duties reasonably required in line with the role, as directed by your line manager.
