Prescribing Paramedic Practitioner

Kearsley Medical Centre is seeking a dedicated, enthusiastic, autonomous Prescribing Paramedic Practitioner on a part-time basis, to join our busy practice team in supporting the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of our acute demand.

Job title

PrescribingParamedic Practitioner

Hours

24 hours perweek. Monday PM, Tuesday/Wednesday full day, Thursday PM (Specific workingtimes may be negotiated)

Location

KearsleyMedical Centre, Jackson Street, Kearsley, Bolton, BL4 8EP

Band 7equivalent / salary dependent on experience and qualifications

Reporting

Clinicallyaccountable to the GP Partners and designated clinical supervisor;organisationally accountable to the Practice Manager.

Pension

NHS PensionScheme, subject to eligibility and scheme rules.

Shortlisting: 18th November

Interview date: 25th November (may be subject to change)

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will provide high-quality,evidence-based clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and ongoing managementfor patients presenting with undifferentiated, acute and long-term healthneeds. Working at an advanced level appropriate to their training, competenceand scope of practice, the Prescribing Paramedic Practitioner will undertakeface-to-face and telephone consultations, home visits and care-home visitswhere required. The post-holder will use independent prescribing skills, whereappropriately qualified and annotated on the HCPC Register, to support timelytreatment and medicines optimisation. The role will complement the work of GPsand the wider clinical team and contribute to the safe and effective operationof the practice's Total Triage and duty systems.

About us

Kearsley Medical Centre is a GP practice inBolton, serving a registered population of approximately 13,000 patients. Thepractice is a training practice and has a multidisciplinary team comprising GPPartners, salaried GPs, practice nurses, an assistant practitioner and advancedclinical practitioners. The post-holder will work as part of this team toprovide accessible, safe and effective primary care.

Job responsibilities

Clinical assessment and management

Undertake comprehensive,person centred assessments of patients presenting with undifferentiatedillness, acute presentations, minor injury and exacerbations of long termconditions, within individual competence.

Take and interpret relevantclinical histories, perform physical examinations and use appropriate clinicalreasoning to develop differential diagnoses and management plans.

Recognise red flags, clinicaldeterioration and situations requiring urgent escalation, emergency services,GP review or referral to secondary care.

Initiate, request and interpretappropriate investigations, including pathology and other diagnostic tests, andact on results in a timely manner.

Provide appropriate treatment,safety-netting, follow up and referral, ensuring patients understand theirmanagement plan and when to seek further help.

Undertake home visits andcare-home visits for acute and urgent episodes of care, where clinicallyappropriate and in line with practice arrangements.

Support continuity of care andwork collaboratively with GPs, nurses, ACPs, pharmacists, reception triageteams and external services.

Independent prescribing and medicines management

Prescribe medicines as anHCPC annotated independent prescriber, within relevant legislation, thepractitioner's demonstrated competence, the agreed scope of practice and localmedicines governance arrangements.

Undertake clinical assessmentbefore prescribing, establish and document a working or confirmed diagnosis,consider relevant contraindications, allergies, interactions, comorbiditiesand patient preferences, and agree treatment through shared decision making.

Prescribe, review, amend andstop medicines where appropriate; provide clear advice on dose, duration,administration, potential adverse effects, monitoring and follow up.

Use current evidence andrecognised resources, including the British National Formulary, relevant NICEguidance, local formulary and Greater Manchester and Bolton prescribing guidance.

Undertake medication reviewsand medicines optimisation within competence, identifying polypharmacy,interactions, adherence issues, medicines-related risks and opportunities fordeprescribing or referral.

Maintain accurate prescribingrecords and ensure prescriptions are issued securely and in accordance withpractice policy and applicable legal requirements.

Report and manage suspectedadverse drug reactions, prescribing incidents and near misses through theappropriate reporting and governance processes.

Work within the limits of theprescriber's competence; seek advice or refer to an appropriate clinician whena presentation or prescribing decision falls outside that scope.

Participate in prescribingaudit, review of prescribing practice and continuing professional developmentto maintain safe and effective prescribing.

Primary care and team working

Work with the Total Triageservice as required, prioritising patients according to clinical need and risk.

Provide clinical advice andsupport to colleagues within professional competence, escalating concerns andsupporting safe patient pathways.

Contribute to the development,review and implementation of clinical protocols, pathways and standardoperating procedures.

Support health promotion,prevention, patient education and self-management, including signposting toappropriate community and voluntary sector services.

Undertake clinical proceduresand collect pathological specimens, including venepuncture and swabs, wheretrained and competent.

Maintain effective workingrelationships with community, urgent care, secondary care and other relevanthealth and social care providers.

Clinical records, quality and team working

Maintain complete,contemporaneous and accurate patient records using the practice clinicalsystem, including assessment findings, clinical reasoning, diagnosis,prescribing decisions, advice, safety netting and follow up arrangements.

Maintain confidentiality andcomply with data protection legislation, information governance requirementsand practice policies.

Work in accordance with HCPCstandards, the professional code of conduct, relevant legislation, nationalguidance and Kearsley Medical Centre policies and procedures.

Identify and report clinicalrisks, safeguarding concerns, significant events, complaints and incidents inaccordance with practice procedures.

Participate in clinical audit,quality improvement, service evaluation and learning from incidents to improvepatient outcomes and service delivery.

Ensure appropriate arrangementsare in place for test results, referrals, clinical correspondence and follow upof patients under the post holder's care.

Professional responsibilities

Maintain current HCPCregistration as a paramedic and comply with the HCPC Standards of Conduct,Performance and Ethics and Standards of Proficiency.

Maintain the HCPC prescribingannotation required for the prescribing responsibilities of this post andpractise only within the medicines entitlements recorded on the Register.

Maintain a portfolio ofcontinuing professional development, reflective practice, supervision andevidence of ongoing competence in both paramedic and prescribing practice.

Participate in annualappraisal, clinical supervision, peer review and agreed performance developmentprocesses.

Take responsibility forpersonal workload, recognising professional limits and seeking support whererequired.

Support the learning anddevelopment of colleagues and students where appropriately experienced andtrained.

Communication, equality and patient experience

Communicate clearly,sensitively and effectively with patients, carers, colleagues and partnerorganisations, adapting communication to individual needs.

Respect patients' privacy,dignity, values, beliefs, rights and preferences, and promote equality,diversity and inclusion.

Use shared decision making andensure patients are involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

Provide information in anaccessible format and use interpretation or other communication support whererequired.

Act professionally,compassionately and without judgement, maintaining appropriate boundaries atall times.

Safeguarding

The post-holder must understand and fulfiltheir responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children and adults at risk,complete mandatory safeguarding training at the level required for the role,recognise and act on concerns, make appropriate referrals and document actionsin accordance with local and practice safeguarding procedures.

Clinical supervision and prescribing governance

The post-holder will have access to anidentified GP clinical supervisor and appropriate peer support. The practicewill ensure that the prescribing role is supported by appropriate clinicalgovernance, including an agreed scope of practice, access to currentformularies and prescribing guidance, suitable clinical systems, processes forresults and follow-up, prescribing audit, incident reporting and access toadvice when required. The post-holder remains professionally accountable fortheir own clinical and prescribing decisions. Any supervision arrangements donot remove that individual accountability.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) in Paramedic Science/Paramedic Practice or an equivalent recognised qualification; current, unrestricted HCPC registration as a paramedic; successful completion of an HCPC-approved independent prescribing programme with the appropriate independent prescriber annotation on the HCPC Register; evidence of current competence and CPD.
• Postgraduate qualification in Advanced Clinical Practice (MSc or equivalent); postgraduate study relevant to primary care, urgent care or a clinical specialty; additional relevant clinical qualifications.

Clinical, skillset and other requirements

• Demonstrable ability to assess, diagnose, manage and evaluate patients with undifferentiated and complex presentations at a level appropriate to the role; evidence of autonomous clinical decision-making and understanding of professional scope and limitations.
• Current HCPC independent prescribing annotation; demonstrable knowledge of prescribing law, pharmacology, medicines optimisation, monitoring, adverse drug reactions and safe prescribing systems; ability to prescribe only within competence and local governance arrangements.
• Strong clinical assessment, examination, diagnostic reasoning, treatment planning and safety-netting skills; ability to recognise serious illness and deterioration; understanding of evidence-based practice, safeguarding, infection prevention and control, and clinical governance.
• Excellent written, verbal and listening skills; ability to communicate complex information clearly, sensitively and appropriately; ability to work effectively with patients, carers and a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to prioritise workload, manage competing demands, work under pressure, maintain accurate records and use clinical systems confidently; flexible, reliable and able to work autonomously while recognising when to seek advice.
• Full, valid UK driving licence and ability to travel to undertake home visits; satisfactory enhanced DBS clearance where required; occupational health clearance and satisfactory references; willingness to undertake mandatory training.
• Experience of independent prescribing in general practice, urgent care or another relevant clinical setting; experience undertaking medication reviews and prescribing audit.
• Experience of chronic disease management, prevention and health promotion; additional procedural skills relevant to primary care; experience of clinical audit or quality improvement.
• Experience supporting, mentoring or teaching colleagues or students; relevant teaching or assessing qualification.
• Experience of service development, pathway design or leading clinical improvement.
• Ability to speak additional community languages or other skills that support the practice population.

Experience

• Normally a minimum of three years' relevant post-registration paramedic experience, with substantial experience of assessing and managing patients in clinical practice.
• Experience in general practice, primary care, urgent treatment centre/minor injuries, emergency department, out-of-hours or community services; experience of home visiting and care-home settings.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Depending on experienceBand 7 - Pay point DoE