Physician Associate- London Fields Pcn

JOB DESCRIPTION

PRIMARY CARE NETWORKS IN CITY AND HACKNEY

LONDON FIELDS PCN

Job Title: Primary Care Network (PCN) Physician Associate

Salary: £45k-£55k (Depending on experience)

Contract: Fixed term for 18 months

Hours: Full time (37.5 hours)

Reporting to: Primary Care Network Development Manager

Accountable to:Primary Care Network Clinical Director

Groups of GP Practices in City and Hackney have come together to form 8 Primary Care Networks (PCNS) each covering a total population of between 30,000-56,000. The purpose of these PCNs is to enable GP practices to work together in a collaborative way to develop and deliver network-based services that respond to the needs of the local population.

Job Summary:
The London Fields PCN in City and Hackney is seeking to recruit a PCN Physician Associate to join other 4 Physician Associates and the rest of our PCN team. As a PA you will be acting within your professional boundaries, providing care for patients from initial history taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of their care under the supervision of a GP. You will demonstrate safe, clinical decision-making and expert care for patients within the general practice, in consultation with the duty GP. You will work with the multi-disciplinary general practice team to support the delivery of policy and procedures and meet the needs of patients.

Mentorship and supervision will be provided by designated senior medical personnel. The level and type of supervision will be dependent on the post holder’s skills and knowledge and determined by the organisation’s clinical governance arrangements. You will follow recommended annual appraisals and continuing professional development set out by the Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA).

1. SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• To deliver a high standard of patient care using advanced autonomous clinical skills with in-depth theoretical knowledge and evidence-based practice working under the supervision of a GP
• To manage a clinical caseload and deal with presenting patient’s needs in a primary care setting
• To provide clinical leadership where appropriate within the practice and support other members of the team to develop and maintain clinical skills appropriate to your role and expertise.

2. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Qualifications

Essential:

• Qualified Physician Associate
• Postgraduate diploma/master in Physician Associate (formally Physician Assistant with a bachelor degree in Life Science/Biomedical/Nursing or Allied Health Science).
• Membership of the Faculty of Physician Associates of the RCP, which includes UK Physician Associate Registration (the PA Managed Voluntary Register)

Experience

Essential:

• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of continued professional development
• Experience of QOF and clinical audit
• General understanding of the GMS contract

Desirable:

• Basic IT skills
• Experience in Telephone Triage.
• Ability to supervise others.
• Good working knowledge of EMIS clinical systems.

3. PRIMARY DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Clinical

The post holder will under appropriate supervision:

• Provide first point of contact for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems, utilising history taking, physical examination, problem-solving and clinical decision-making skills to establish a working diagnosis and management plan working in partnership with patients.
• Undertake as agreed surgery based consultations for emergency or routine problems including management of long term conditions. In addition, undertake telephone consultations / home visits and participate in duty rotas
• Instigate necessary invasive and non-invasive diagnostic tests or investigations and interpret findings/reports within the scope of a PA’s practice. Discuss the result and implications of laboratory investigations with patients
• Utilise clinical guidelines and promote evidence-based practice
• Offer a holistic service to patients and their families, developing where appropriate an on-going plan of care/support with an emphasis on prevention and self-care
• Refer patients directly to other services or agencies using appropriate referral pathways
• Ensure safe handover of care within and outside the practice as appropriate
• Work directly with members of the practice primary health care team and support integrated patient centred care through appropriate working with wider primary care / social care networks
• Identify community health needs and participate in the development of patient/family-centred strategies to address them
• Contribute to the practice quality targets to consistently achieve high standards of safe, evidence-based, cost-effective patient care and service delivery

Training and development
- Participate in continuing professional development opportunities to keep up-to