Job summary 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 holders skills and knowledge and determined by the organisations 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 patients 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. PRIMARY DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY Clinical 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 surgery based consultations for emergency or routine problems including management of long term conditions. In addition, undertake telephone calls. Instigate necessary invasive and non-invasive diagnostic tests or investigations and interpret findings/reports within the scope of a PAs 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 (PPHCT) 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-date with evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of the role to meet clinical governance guidelines for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and a Personal Development Plan (PDP) utilising a reflective approach to Practice. This requires 50 hours of CPD every year. Undertake a variety of research and analysis tasks associated with the improvement of clinical care, medical diagnosis and treatment where appropriate using the following means. Audit of clinical practice Significant event review / root cause analysis Review of relevant literature Research unusual symptoms and treatment options through consultation with general practitioners, physicians and other specialists. Contribute to regular multi-disciplinary and or Practice educational meetings. Participate in Multi-Disciplinary Protocol and Patient Group Directions (PGDs) development as appropriate .. Work closely with other clinical staff and administrative managers in the setting up and/or improving of Practice systems for monitoring/measuring performance against Clinical Governance and Quality Indicator targets. Administration Fully document all aspects of patient care and complete all required paperwork for legal and administrative purposes in accordance with relevant standards. Work in accordance with internal administrative systems relating to but not limited to the management of clinical data. Send and receive written information on behalf of the Practice relating to the physical and social welfare of patients. Ensure that all Practice policies are fully implemented. 4. Professional Take the UK PA National Re-Certification Exam every six years - required for Physician Associates AND maintain your professional registration working within the latest Code of Professional Conduct (CIPD). Undertake statutory and mandatory training as required by the Practice. Demonstrate clinical leadership. Pro-actively promote the role of the PA within the Practice and externally to key stakeholders and agencies. Respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role. 5. Health and Safety Comply at all times with the Practice Health and Safety policies by following agreed safe working procedures and reporting incidents using the organisations Incident Reporting System (IRS). Comply with the Data Protection Act (1984) and the Access to Health Records Act (1990). Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards Reporting potential risks identified. 6. Equality and Diversity Co-operate with all policies and procedures designed to support equality of employment. Co-workers, patients and visitors must be treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc. 7. Communication and working relationships Establish and maintain effective communication pathways with all Practice staff and visiting clinical team members such as district nurses, modern matrons, health visitors etc. 8. Job Description This job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities. There may be other duties required of the post-holder commensurate with the position. This description will be open to regular review and may be amended to take into account developments within the Practice. Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly. Contribution to the Implementation of Services: Apply 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. Person Specification Personal Attributes Essential Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of patients and PCN. Self-motivation. Adaptable. Confident decision maker. Understand limitations. High level of clinical reasonins. Energy and enthusiasm and the ability to work under pressure. An enquiring and critical approach to work. Caring attitude to patients. Ability to communicate effectively in a multi-disciplinary team environment to provide an integrated service. Excellent interpersonal influencing and negotiating skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Commitment to Continuing Professional Development following clinical governance guidelines. Desirable Understands self (strengths and weaknesses) and impact of behaviour on others. Clinical Effectiveness Clinical Effectiveness Desirable Experience in conducting clinical audit Evidence and knowledge of research methodology. Management and AdministrativeExperience Essential Ability to organise and prioritise workload effectively. Ability to exercise sound judgements when faced with conflicting pressures. Sound IT knowledge, including internet, Outlook, Word, Excel Desirable Ability to motivate and develop the multi-disciplinary team. Ability to manage and lead a working group. Professional and Multi-disciplinary team working Essential Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary environment. Participate in significant event analysis reviews and reflection. Experience Essential Experience of preventative medicine and chronic disease management. Able to deliver patient centered care through history-taking, physical examinations and clinical decision-making skills to establish a working diagnosis and management plan in partnership with the patient. Recognizes priorities when problem solving and identifies deviations from the normal pattern and is able to refer to seniors or GPs when appropriate. Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision. Recognises patients need for alternative methods of communication and responds accordingly. Desirable Understanding current issues within the specialty and the future direction of the specialty. Understanding current issues within the PCN and wider NHS. Ability to work and lead others across professions. Qualifications Essential Degree at 2:2 level or above. PG Dip in Physician Associate Studies from a UK PA programme. Current and valid certification or re-certification by the UK Physician Associate National Examination. Member of the Faculty of Physician Associates at the RCP, which includes registration on the UK Physician Associate Register (the PA Managed Voluntary Register). Desirable MSc Degree in Physician Associate Studies, Physician Assistant Studies or Medical Sciences Evidence and knowledge of research methodology. Experience in conducting clinical audit