General Practitioner

Job summary

Exciting opportunity to join an enthusiastic and good-humouredPrimary Care Network looking for a like-minded GP to join our PCN Additional Roles team.

Main duties of the job

The Role:

Provide patients with face-to-face consultations, providing telephone/video consultations and home visits Opportunity for newly qualified GP (within first two years of practice) 4-5 sessions per week Fixed term contract until 31st March 2025

About us

Taunton Deane West Primary Care Network is an NHS collaboration between 3 GP Practices, all with a CQC overall good rating - Wellington Medical Centre, Luson Surgery, and Lister House Partnership. Our surgery teams are working closely with each other, enjoying the ability to share expertise and resources, to develop new services. Our vision is to continue to improve the quality of care that we provide in alignment with the need of our patient population. Because we are part of a PCN, we are able to take advantage of additional staff roles that are now available to support all of our patients. These additional roles help us to provide the right care at the right time, from the right professional.

The PCN Team:

Personalised Care Team: Care Coordinators, Health and Wellbeing Coaches and Social Prescribing Link Workers Proactive Care Team and Enhanced Health in Care Homes Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Musculoskeletal Practitioners and Occupational Therapists Paramedics and General Practice Assistants Dedicated and highly skilled management team, including Clinical Director, PCN Manager and Practice Managers Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

You will manage a caseload and deal with a wide range of health needs in a primary care setting. You will ensure the highest standards of care for all registered and temporary patients at any of the sites which you will be supporting. In general, the post-holder will be expected to undertake all the normal duties and responsibilities associated with a GP working within primary care.

Main Responsibilities and Duties

Clinical responsibilities

In accordance with the practice timetable, you will make yourself available to undertake a variety of duties, including surgery consultations, telephone consultations and queries, visiting patients at home, checking and signing repeat prescriptions and dealing with queries, paperwork and correspondence in a timely fashion

Making professional, autonomous decisions in relation to presenting problems, whether self-referred or referred from other health care workers

Assessing the health care needs of patients with undifferentiated and undiagnosed problems

Screening patients for disease risk factors and early signs of illness

Developing care plans for health in consultations with patients and in line with current PCN and practice disease management protocols

Providing counselling and health education

Admitting or discharging patients to and from the caseload and referring to other care providers as appropriate

Recording clear and contemporaneous consultation notes to agreed standards

Collecting data for audit purposes as requested for support

Compiling and issuing computer-generated acute and repeat prescriptions (avoiding hand-written prescriptions whenever possible)

Prescribing in accordance with the PCN and practice prescribing formulary (or generically) whenever this is clinically appropriate

In general, the post-holder will be expected to undertake all the normal duties and responsibilities associated with a GP working within primary care.

Other responsibilities

Awareness of and compliance with all relevant PCN and practice policies/guidelines, prescribing, confidentiality, data protection, health and safety

A commitment to life-long learning and audit to ensure evidence-based best practice

As requested, supporting/contributing to evaluation/audit and clinical standard setting

Contributing to the development of computer-based patient records

Contributing to the summarising of patient records and read-coding patient data

Attending training and events organised by the PCN, practice or other agencies, where appropriate.

Confidentiality

In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that employees will respect their privacy and act appropriately

In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, you may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, PCN and practice employees and other healthcare workers. You may also have access to information relating to the PCN and practices as a business such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential

Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the PCN or the practices may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

Health & safety

You will implement and lead on a full range of promotion and management of their own and others health and safety and infection control as defined in the PCN and practices health & safety policy/manual, and the infection control policy and published procedures. This will include (but will not be limited to):

Using personal security systems within the workplace according to guidelines

Awareness of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory / contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines

Providing advice on the correct and safe management of the specimen process, including collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage and transport arrangements

Correct personal use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ensuring correct use of PPE by others, advising on appropriate circumstances for use by clinicians, employees and patients.

Management of the full range of infection control procedures in both routine and extraordinary circumstances ( pandemic or individual infectious circumstances)

Hand hygiene standards for self and others

Managing directly all incidents of accidental exposure

Management and advice relating to infection control and clinically based patient care protocols, and implementation of those protocols across the PCN and practices

Active observation of current working practices across the PCN and practices in relation to infection control, cleanliness and related activities, ensuring that procedures are followed, and weaknesses/training needs are identified, escalating issues as appropriate to the responsible person

Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks across clinical and patient process

Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills, and initiate and manage the training of others across the full range of infection control and patient processes

Monitoring practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring that proper use is made of hand-cleansing facilities, wipes etc., and that these are sufficient to ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated as appropriate to the responsible manager

Safe management of sharps use, storage and disposal

Maintenance of own clean working environment

Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean and sterile and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial / corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management

Actively identifying, reporting, and correcting health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised

Keeping own work areas and general/patient areas generally clean, sterile, identifying issues and hazards/risks in relation to other work areas within the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where appropriate) with responsible managers

Undertaking periodic infection control training (minimum twice annually)

Correct waste and instrument management, including handling, segregation, and container use

Maintenance of sterile environments

Demonstrate due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Equality and Diversity

You will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with PCN and practice procedures and policies, and current legislation

Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues

Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

Personal/Professional Development

In addition to maintaining continued education through attendance at any courses and/or study days necessary to ensure that professional development requirements for PREP are met, the post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the PCN as part of this employment, with such training to include:

Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development

Participation in an annual appraisal and revalidation.

Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.

Quality

You will strive to maintain quality within the PCN and practice, and will:

Alert other team members both at the PCN and the practices to issues of quality and risk

Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision

Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance

Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs

Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.

Positively completing and participating in Significant Event Audits.

Communication

Recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members

Communicate effectively with patients and carers

Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.

Contribution to the Implementation of Services

You will:

Apply PCN and practice policies, standards and guidance

Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work

Participate in audit where appropriate.

Problem Solving and Decision Making

You will have the ability to make judgement calls on patient care within the standard guidelines and will escalate as needed.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Experience of working to achieve standards within the Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF) Experience of supporting service change Ability to listen actively to patients in a non-judgemental manner. The ability to deal with criticism and work well under severe pressure. Formulating treatment plans and evaluation of progress Ability to work with integrated care pathways, protocols, and patient specific directives. Understanding of the current issues and challenges facing primary care Ability to develop and deliver evidence-based care. Experience of service improvement and quality initiatives. Evidence of contributing to practice development and research in clinical area. Ability to understand the importance of and establish own role in Clinical Governance and risk management. Demonstrates evidence of continuous professional development (CPD)

Desirable

Experience with clinical IT systems EMIS

Skills, Knowledge and Competencies

Essential

Excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact with patients and other healthcare professionals. Understand the health and social needs of a local practice patient population Strong attention to detail. Patience and a calm demeanour in stressful situations.

Desirable

Excellent time management skills. Excellent record keeping skills

Work Related Personal Qualities

Essential

Demonstrates awareness of the importance of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Ability to work flexibly to meet Practice demands Sensitive and shows empathy in difficult situations Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, patients, relatives, nurses, other staff and agencies (verbal, written and electronic formats) Caring attitude to patients Must value and appreciate the worth of others A recognition of the importance of showing respect, dignity and compassion to patients and colleagues Progressive, forward-thinking attitude Commitment to continuing education and professional development

Qualifications

Essential

Fully Qualified GP eligible to work in General Practice in the NHS Must have qualified under two years before employment MBBS or equivalent medical degree National Performers List Registration General Practitioner Register under article 10 of the General and Specialist Medical Practice Order 2003 Not subject to suspension under section 41A of the Medical Act 1983 Clear DBS report Evidence of commitment to ongoing personal & professional development Eligible to independently practice in the United Kingdom

Desirable

Have an understanding of the needs of the vulnerable groups of patients that are registered

---