- Paramedic Practitioner (PCN)
- Contract: Permanent
- Hours of work: 37.5
- Salary: £46,500-£49,000
Path Group are acting a recruiting partner on behalf of a large busy south London Primary Care Network with 6 practices and a patient population of 48k. The member practices work closely together at scale and collaborate with others in the local health and social care system. The PCN is highly innovative and delivers multiple services including out of hours extended access, vaccination clinics and a home visiting scheme.
Path are recruiting a Paramedic Practitioner to support the delivery of services, and to provide clinical support on our clients behalf.
Main duties of the job
As Paramedic practitioner, you will work as an autonomous, accountable Practitioner, providing a holistic approach including assessment, diagnosis, treatment and signposting, to deliver a high standard of patient care. You will support the PCN anticipatory care team which consists of: GP Lead, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Paramedic Practitioner, Clinical Pharmacist and Care Coordinator.
You will work as part of a well-supported and expanding multidisciplinary PCN workforce and join MDT meetings and virtual wards alongside other acute and community providers to implement care plans and deliver patient care in both practice settings and through home visits. The role involves agile working, for which you will be provided with a laptop to record contemporaneous notes into the patients GP record.
Job responsibilities
The following are the core responsibilities of the PCN Paramedic Practitioner with additional responsibilities dependent upon factors such as workload and staffing levels across the PCN.
Clinical Practice
• Work as an autonomous clinician to provide expert clinical advice, support and care.
• Work as part of a proactive and collaborative multidisciplinary team (MDT) within the PCN.
• Support the PCN anticipatory care team with caseload management. Admit or discharge patients to and from the caseload, and refer them to other care providers internally and externally as appropriate, and in line with practice protocols.
• Clinically assess and triage patients, including same day triage, and as appropriate provide and review interventions/treatments (including prescribing medications following policy, patient group directives, NICE (national) and local clinical guidelines and local care pathways) or make necessary referrals to other members of the primary care team. Consultations may be conducted by home visit, face-to-face, video, or by telephone.
• Develop and utilise clinical skills to analyse and interpret history of illness, presenting symptoms and physical findings to enable diagnosis, proactive care planning and treatment of patients.
• Perform specialist health checks and reviews within scope of practice and in line with local and national guidance.
• Undertake the collection of pathological specimens, including venous blood samples and swabs.
• Perform and interpret ECGs alongside other results as appropriate.
• Perform investigatory procedures needed by patients and those requested by GPs and the wider PCN.
• Assist with anticipatory care-planning and the care of patients at end of life, ensuring care plans are put in place and actioned as needed.
• Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug and non-drug based treatment methods into a management plan.
• Assist patients and carers to proactively manage and anticipate their future health needs and develop appropriate plans, in conjunction with their GP and other medical staff.
• Advise and educate patients on general healthcare, promote self-management and signpost to other services.
• Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, and apply principles of self-care.
• Work with patients in order to support compliance with, and adherence to, prescribed treatments and medications.
• Ensure all patients who may be vulnerable, or who have mental health needs, are appropriately managed and referred on to the necessary mental health team.
• Participate in MDT processes and pathways, review identified patients, conduct face-to-face assessments and participate in MDT meetings, discharge planning meetings and care home rounds, as required.
• Liaise with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients. This is including, but not limited to:
- Patients
- GPs, nurses and other practice staff in the PCN
- Other healthcare professionals
PCN clinical director
Care homes
Community nurses and other allied health professionals
- Community and hospital pharmacy teams
• Analyse, evaluate and present service data and patient outcomes as required by the PCN.
• Contribute to internal and external stakeholder meetings.
About you:
You will be an experience paramedic practitioner, fully registered with the HCPC, ideally with experience working in primary care, highly desirable but not essential to be a prescriber. However, the PCN will support your career development with MSc ACP / prescribing.
Person Specification
You must be enthusiastic about patient care and willing to become part of the wider PCN team. We are looking for a Paramedic Practitioner who interacts with all members of staff from admin, to lead GP partners and form good working relationships with all.
Qualifications
Essential
• Educated to degree/diploma level in Paramedic Science or equivalent.
• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), with no cautions or restrictions on practice.
• Completion of 2 year Consolidation of Learning period as a newly qualified Paramedic
Desirable
• Level 7 Advanced Clinical Assessments and Level 7 Minor Ailments/ illness modules.
• Qualified, registered independent non-medical prescriber, or willing to work towards this.
• Working towards advanced clinical practitioner status.
Aptitudes
• Enthusiastic, committed and able to use own initiative
• Professional, calm and efficient manner
• Awareness of when to refer for senior advice
• Polite, punctual, and cooperative
• Self-motivated and proactive
• Positive and flexible approach to work
• Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of the patient
• Understands own scope of practice and how that relates to the wider team
• Open to innovation and new ways of working
• Able to work under pressure
• Attention to detail
Skills/Abilities
• Ability to evidence a sound understanding of the NHS principles and values
• Ability to liaise effectively and build effective relationships with a range of stakeholders
• Excellent communication (both oral and written) and interpersonal skills
• Ability to deal with confidential information and maintain confidentiality
• Ability to work both as a member of a multidisciplinary team and autonomously
• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office
• Good organisational skills with the ability to re-prioritise as needed
• Ability to reflect and learn from situations
• Ability to engage and share learning with peers and other health professionals
• Ability to cope with unpredictable situations and change
• Effective time management
• Knowledge of Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and General Practice
• Knowledge of personalised care approaches
• In-depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence-based practice
• Clinical governance issues in primary care
• Minimum of 3 years post-registration experience working as a Paramedic
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
• Management of patients with long-term conditions, frailty and complex needs
• Experience in undertaking home visits and ability to visit patients in their own homes alone
• Experience in managing caseloads, completing assessments, planning and implementing interventions
• Ability to write comprehensive clinical notes, implement and evaluate care plans
• Ability to travel and work flexibly
• Attendance at annual updates and mandatory training as required
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD)
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Full (UK) Clean Driving Licence
Desirable
• Understanding of local commissioning objectives and QOF/PCN DES/IIF
• Knowledge of local public health issues
• Understanding of local culture between primary and secondary care
• Knowledge of audit principles, and evidence of participation in and completion of audits
Experience
•Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of working closely with a wide range of stakeholders across organisations and sectors, especially with NHS / healthcare professionals
• Experience of leading and developing service improvements
• Experience of using EMIS Web, Docman and different IT systems in the NHS
• Mentorship experience or supervisory skills training
Other Requirements
• Good public speaker and presenter
• Ability to travel to home visits with appropriate kit
You will need to have your own car to attend home visits as the PCN covers quite a wide patch. .