Physician Associate – CLICK PCN
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Physician Associate Job Description
Accountable to: PCN Clinical Director and PCN Manager
Salary: Band 7 £38,890 to £44,503 a year depending on experience
About us
CLICK PCN consists of seven GP Practices: Chard: Essex House, Springmead and Tawstock; Langport; Ilminster: The Meadows, Summervale and Churchview and together our dedicated teams care for around 48,442 patients.
Job overview
CLICK (Chard, Langport and Ilminster) PCN has an exciting opportunity for a Physician Associate to join the team. We are a friendly, forward-looking PCN who values the work-life balance we are able to provide allowing us to enjoy the beautiful countryside of Somerset.
This new role will be as diverse as it is challenging as you will be working at part of the clinical team whilst developing this evolving role. You will provide care for the presenting patient from initial history taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of care through face to face and telephone consultations. You will need to be able to provide treatment to the patient at home, within the Care Home and/or at one of the 7 surgeries within the network.
We would require you to have good communications skills, an ability to prioritise and manage your own workload and being motivated by delivering exceptional patient care.
Main duties of the job
Key responsibilities:
- Assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatment/interventions and care of patients presenting with an undifferentiated diagnosis;
- Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug and non-drug based treatment methods into a management plan;
- Proactively identify, diagnose and manage treatment plans for patients at risk of developing long term conditions as appropriate.
Duties:
- To provide emergency support as required;
- Make appropriate clinical entries into patient records as required, ensuring accurate and current electronic records are maintained;
- To provide Home Visits for the PCN;
- To provide Care Home support as required and assist with MDTs.
Job Description
Job responsibilities
Post Overview
The post holder will be a trained Physician Associate, who acting within their professional boundaries; will provide care for the presenting patient from initial history taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of their care. They will demonstrate safe, clinical decision-making and expert care for patients through (but not limited to) clinics, triage clinic, on-call duties, home visits and relevant administrative work, ensuring the highest standards of care for all registered and temporary patients of CLICK PCN .
This includes the duty to record all patient data and measurements as directed by the PCN Practices where required to maximise Practice income under QOF, Enhanced Services and any other incentives which may be offered to the Practices from time to time and to follow Practice protocols and policies, including those relating to referrals and prescribing.
The post holder will work with colleagues to ensure the highest standards of care for all patients, dealing with a wide range of presenting health needs in a general practice setting.
The post holder will also contribute to planning and decision making as part of a Practice team (as appropriate).
The postholder will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.
Key Responsibilities
- Working alongside the rest of the clinical team, the postholder will provide a first point of contact for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems, making use of skills in history taking, physical examination, problem-solving and decision-making to establish a diagnosis and management plan;
- Making professional, autonomous decisions in relation to presenting problems; offering care complementary to that offered by the GPs and other practitioners in the PCN;
- Undertaking visits to patients in their own home and to nursing homes, if required, to carry out assessment, diagnosis and treatment during urgent / acute episodes of care with the supervision and support of GPs;
- Develop integrated patient centred care by undertaking weekly virtual MDT’s within the residential and nursing home setting with support of GPs and other agencies;
- Instigate necessary investigations / diagnostic tests and interpret findings / reports;
- Screening patients for disease risk factors and early signs of illness;
- Emergency care;
- Promote health and well-being through use of health promotion, health education/prevention, screening and therapeutic communication skills;
- Clearly communicate the health status of the patient using appropriate terminology, technology and format; ensuring accurate and comprehensive patient records to agreed standards including the recording of appropriate information for the Enhanced Services and Quality and Outcomes Framework and any other such data gathering to achieve targets set for the Practice;
- Utilise clinical guidelines and promote evidence-based practice and monitor and evaluate standards of care through appropriate clinical audits, taking appropriate remedial action if standards are not achieved.
- Significant event reviews and other research and analysis tasks may also be undertaken;
- Support the management of patient’s conditions through offering specialized clinics following appropriate training (but not limited to) COPD, asthma, diabetes and anticoagulation;
- Timely assessment of incoming electronic and paper correspondence relating to both patient and non-patient information as required. Using the appropriate electronic systems.
- Participate in duty rotas; undertaking face-to-face, telephone, and online consultations for emergency or routine problems as determined by the PCN, including management of patients with long-term conditions;
General
- Recognition of professional boundaries and ensuring these are maintained;
- Maintaining professional registration where appropriate;
- Awareness of and compliance with all relevant Practice policies / guidelines e.g. confidentiality, data protection;
- A commitment to life-long learning and audit to ensure evidence-based best practice, attending clinical update / skills training;
- Contributing to evaluation, audit and clinical standard setting within the Practices;
- To take an active part in the appraisal process;
- To comply with all relevant Health and Safety regulations and assist with the implementation of relevant Health and Safety Policy;
- To comply with and actively promote the Practices Equality and Diversity Policy;
- To comply with and actively promote the Practices Safeguarding Policy and Practices;
- To support sustainability practices and recognise the shared responsibility of carrying out duties in a resource efficient way;
- Develop and agree a personal development plan (PDP) utilising a reflective approach to practice, operating under appropriate clinical supervision;
- Participate in continuing professional development opportunities by keeping up to date with evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of their role, meeting clinical governance guidelines for continuing professional development (CPD),
- To undertake any other duties as appropriate.
General Practice is an ever-changing service and all staff are expected to participate constructively in Practice activities and to adopt a flexible approach to their work.
This job description will be reviewed annually during the appraisal process and will be varied in the light of the business needs of the PCN.
The job description sets out the main duties of the post at the date when it was drawn up. Such duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a common occurrence and cannot of themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of the post.
Person Specification & Qualifications
Essential
- Completed a post graduate Physician Associate course (either PG Diploma or MSc);
- Professional qualification with Faculty of Physicians Associates and/or General Medical Council following implementation of statutory regulation, working within the latest code of professional conduct (CIPD) and;
- Has passed UK Physician Associate National Re-Certification exam.
Desirable
- Experience of working in a similar role in primary care
- Degree at 2:1 level or above
- Evidence of continuing professional development activity
- Basic Life Support Training
Experience
Essential
- Management of patients with common acute medical conditions
- Management of patients with complex needs
- Experience of liaising effectively with hospitals and other outside agencies
Desirable
- Knowledge of primary care services and frameworks (e.g. QOF)
- Recent experience of working in general practice
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Advanced clinical practice skills
- Clinical examination skills
- Knowledge of clinical governance within primary care
- Knowledge of local and national health policy
- Excellent communication skills
- IT literate
- Negotiating and conflict management skills
Desirable
- Knowledge of public health issues
- Knowledge of the wider health economy
- Able to identify determinates of health in a local area
- Experience using the EMIS Web clinical system
Other
Essential
- An understanding, acceptance and adherence to the need for strict confidentiality
- Able to work under pressure
- Hard working, flexible, reliable, honest, pleasant and approachable
- Able to work autonomously with minimal supervision
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.
