Medical Director Designate

Job summary

Are you a dynamic and visionarymedical leader who is passionate about General Practice? Do you relish thechallenge of clinically leading a large scale multi-practice provider,supported by a dedicated and skilled team? Are you attracted to the beautifulcounty of Somerset?

If so, this is a unique and exceptionalopportunity for you to join Symphony Healthcare Services (Symphony) as MedicalDirector Designate, initially working as our Deputy Medical Director for 2 - 4sessions per week with a clear developmental pathway in place to enable you to transitioninto the eventual role of Medical Director for 6 sessions per week in the summer of 2025 when ourcurrent Medical Director retires.

Main duties of the job

The MedicalDirector Designate will initially report to the current Medical Director ofSymphony Healthcare Services (Symphony) and, together with the MedicalDirector, will be the Contract Holder (though a Nominee Partnership) for allGMS contracts operated by Symphony. The role holder will subsequently report tothe Managing Director following the transition into the Medical Director post.

Youwill be a voting member of the Symphony Healthcare Services Board and a seniorexecutive supporting the Medical Director, with clinical responsibility forensuring the organisation delivers thehighest quality of safe andeffective healthcareto the patients registered with the Symphonypractices.

About us

Symphony is a General Practiceorganisation providing NHS General Practice services as an arms lengthsubsidiary of Somerset Foundation Trust (SFT). Symphony is providing innovativesolutions to support Primary Care in Somerset, and currently holds 13 GMS and 3PMS contracts in the county, serving a patient population of 132,000. Symphony is a key partner in the developing SomersetIntegrated Care System and is supporting the sustainability and transformationof Primary Care through the development of novel integrated and at scale caremodels.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Senior Contract Holder of all the GMS practice contracts, and a Signatory for the GMS contracts provided by Symphony Healthcare Services. Have a solid understanding of the contracting mechanisms, including the implications of the Nominee GP structure and the sub-contracting mechanism through which Symphony operates GMS contracts. Ensure compliance with medical revalidation for GPs employed by Symphony and be responsible (delegated from the Medical Director for all performance matters related to doctors working within the Symphony practices, not confined to directly employed GPs. Have joint responsibility with the Nursing & AHP Director for the development and performance of all other clinical staff working within Symphony. Support the Medical Director in the responsibility for the overall clinical performance of Symphony, and provide clinical leadership in all areas pertaining to the role (clinical, education, research, data, digital, quality and innovation). Together with the Medical Director, line manage and provide support to the Symphony practice Clinical Leads, in addition to other clinicians leading on areas such as education, quality, transformation and research. Work with the Medical Director and Clinical Director for Quality and Clinical Safety to provide advice and support to practice Clinical Leads and the Symphony Central Team in relation to the management clinical complaints. Oversee the safety and effectiveness of the provision of General Practice services (core and non-core) to the patients registered with Symphony practices. Report related concerns, risks and remedial proposals to the Managing Director as appropriate. Have the lead responsibility to ensure compliance with medical revalidation for GPs employed by Symphony, and lead the internal management of performance concerns related to doctors working within the Symphony practices, not confined to directly employed GPs. Ensure the Symphony appraisal and performance policies are followed for Symphony employed GPs and that incidents discussed in performance review are communicated into the medical revalidation process, working with the Deanery, Performance Advisory Group (PAG) and relevant Responsible Officer (RO). In conjunction with the Director of HR, investigate disciplinary and grievance procedures in accordance with the GMC Medical Performance and Conduct procedure and Symphony policies. Be a voting member of the Symphony Healthcare Services Board. Promote and represent the best interests of Symphony within local, regional and national forums, promoting collaboration and integration and supporting the Medical Director and Managing Director in negotiations with commissioners, stakeholders, and other providers. Act as an ambassador for Symphony and General Practice through engagement events and the provision of education and training events. In conjunction with the Director of HR, take lead responsibility for the recruitment, selection, development and management of all GPs employed by Symphony. Endeavour to maintain good staff morale within the GP workforce and ensure appropriate staff support through a variety of structures is readily available. Specifically, work with the Symphony Education Lead to ensure that opportunities are available for each GP to access appropriate supervision, mentoring and career development. Support the Medical Director in reviewing and revising the Symphony GP employment model. Support the development and review of the Symphony Clinical Workforce plan and clinical operations model. Ensure that practice workforce plans and planned rotas provide at least the agreed minimum level of clinical cover to Symphony services at all times. In conjunction with the Executive team, contribute to the development and review of strategies, policies and the Symphony Business Plan. Support senior Symphony Directors to ensure systems are in place so that all clinical policies, guidelines and standards are disseminated, understood and followed in line with statutory requirements as stated by the Care Quality Commission and with any external auditors, delegating this to the relevant Clinical Director as appropriate. Maintain confidentiality of clinical information under General Data Protection Rules (GDPR), the Data Protection Act, and General Medical Council codes of practice, in addition to assuring the same for all medical staff working with Symphony patients. Ensure compliance with relevant statutory requirements as they affect the Symphony service, Health and Safety at work (including Manual Handling regulations), fire safety, data protection, clinical governance and the Care Quality Commission. Ensure all clinical records are maintained according to statutory requirements and specifically, GDPR, Care Quality Commission and the GMC. In conjunction with the Medical Director, be responsible for the delivery of high-quality clinical services to patients and their relatives/carers, ensuring that their physical, psychological, spiritual, emotional and social needs are met whenever possible within the available resources. In line with the business needs of Symphony, and working with the Operations, Finance and HR Directors, develop the clinical workforce model and clinical operational model, monitor and maintain clinical workforce needs, observing budgetary constraints and ensuring minimum expected standards of care are not compromised. Provide relevant reports in conjunction with the Medical Director to Governance Groups and the Symphony and SFT Board of Directors. Promote the principle and ethos of lifelong learning and ensure that clinical practice is evidence based and linked to latest research. Clinically lead on the exploration of options for innovation within Symphony, and support the implementation of innovative solutions agreed by the Symphony Board and Executive Team, delegating this as appropriate. Provide clinical leadership in the exploration of digital tools and solutions to support operations in Symphony, delegating this as appropriate. Provide clinical advice to the Symphony Data Team and support the organisation to be data driven. Support the process of standardisation of protocols and processes within the Symphony practices, working with the Clinical Reference Group to collate, approve, and disseminate these to the Symphony practices. Participate in the Clinical Lead rota, and be available at other times (during working hours) for advice when the duty Clinical Lead is not available, or in matters of particular complexity requiring additional advice. Provide senior medical, clinical, contractual and operational advice to all staff including the Symphony Central Team. The Deputy Medical Director will therefore be expected to be fully competent in relation to General Practice contracts, Safeguarding, Confidentiality, NICE guidance, Data Protection, GMC, NMC and HCPC codes of conduct, and all the areas of care (including non-NHS services) provided by the Symphony practices. Person Specification

Experience

Essential

In practice as a General Practitioner / locum practitioner Commitment to and experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary and skill mixed team environment Experience of working in a senior leadership role Experience of working to achieve standards within the Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF) Experience of working in primary care in an area with significant health problems Development of areas of clinical expertise Experience of audit and improving care for patients

Desirable

Experience of leading service change Experience of leading an organisation. Involvement in Performance investigations

Qualifications

Essential

A medical practitioner whose name is included in the 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 Qualified General Practitioner (completed Certificate of Completion of Training CCT) Currently on a Performers List and not suspended from that list or from the GMC Medical Register Accredited as a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) or having equivalent accreditation MBBS or equivalent medical degree

Knowledge and Understanding

Essential

Understanding the role of medical services in a wider public health agenda Knowledge of General Practice Commissioning, Contracting, and Funding Knowledge of the demographic characteristics that affect health and health care in the area Understanding current NHS policies Understanding of the health and social needs of a local practice patient population and their variation in different practices Understanding the current issues and challenges facing General Practice and wider Primary Care

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