Physician Associate

**About the Role**:
Lea Valley Health PCN are looking to welcome a physician associate into their busy team. 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 can expect to work 37.5 hours per week, working hours can vary and we are looking for someone who is flexible.

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 4 practices in the PCN.

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 Lea Valley Health 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).

Key responsibilities:

- Work alongside the clinical team, the post-holder 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:

- Make professional, autonomous decisions in relation to presenting problems; offering care complementary to that offered by the GPs and other practitioners in the PCN;
- Undertake 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 MDTs within the residential and nursing home setting with support of GPs and other agencies:

- Instigate necessary investigations / diagnostic tests and interpret findings / reports:

- Screen patients for disease risk factors and early signs of illness:

- Prioritise health problems, intervening as appropriate, including initiation of 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;
- Undertake significant event reviews and other research and analysis tasks;
- Support the management of patients 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.

If you are a qualified and experienced physician associate looking for a new and exciting change in career then we would love to hear from you. You will have the following skills and qualifications:

- 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.
- Have experience in t