Therapy Clinical Decision Maker / Triage Hereford

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and highly skilled clinician to join the Single Point of Access (SPA) team as a Band 6 Therapy Clinical Decision Maker. The post holder will provide clinical assessment, triage, decision-making and leadership for referrals with identified therapy needs, working within a complex and fast-paced service. The role will be 2 days, 8-6 (Monday to Friday), based at the Community Response Hub.

The Single Point of Access provides a centralised route into community services, ensuring patients are assessed and directed to the most appropriate service based on their individual needs. The Therapy Clinical Decision Maker will play a key role in delivering safe, responsive and effective clinical triage, supporting timely access to community-based care, to prevent avoidable deterioration, hospital attendance and admission.

This is a telephone-based clinical role, requiring the post holder to undertake comprehensive clinical triage and assessment remotely. The post holder will use clinical reasoning and professional judgement to identify clinical risk, determine urgency and make autonomous decisions regarding the most appropriate pathway of care.

This opportunity would suit an experienced registered clinician with strong assessment and decision-making skills who is confident managing clinical risk remotely and is motivated to contribute to the development of an integrated, responsive and patient-centred Single Point of Access service.

Main duties of the job:

• Undertake comprehensive, predominantly telephone-based clinical triage and assessment of patients identified as having therapy needs, with a wide range of acute, complex and changing health and care needs.
• Complete triage and/or screening of urgent and more routine therapy referrals, filtering referrals for UCR and Neighbourhood team, identifying the most appropriate onward service.
• Work alongside a Senior Triage Clinician, HUB GP being part of a MDT clinical decision-making team. Using clinical reasoning, professional judgement and evidence-based practice to determine clinical urgency, level of risk and the most appropriate course of action.
• Recognise signs of acute deterioration, red flags and safeguarding concerns, taking immediate and appropriate action as required.
• Work collaboratively across organisational and professional boundaries, liaising with community teams, primary care, ambulance services, acute providers, social care and other system partners to identify and coordinate the most appropriate pathway of care.
• Contribute to the development, implementation and review of clinical pathways, triage frameworks, protocols, standard operating procedures and service guidance.
• Participate in clinical audit, quality improvement, service evaluation and other clinical governance activities, using findings to support improvements in the quality, safety and effectiveness of the SPA service.

About us:

Wye Valley NHS Trust is a member of an NHS Foundation Group with South Warwickshire NHS FT, the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. Located on the border with Wales in the shadow of the Black Mountains, we provide acute and community services across Herefordshire and into parts of Powys and run Hereford County Hospital and the community hospitals in Bromyard, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye.

We are a progressive and forward-looking trust with ambitious plans to improve quality and integrate patient pathways through close collaborative working with our partners to deliver the quality of care we'd want for our family and friends. More than 3,500 people work for the Trust - they tell us it's a great place to work, blending the busyness of a DGH with the benefits of working in a beautiful rural and unspoilt county like Herefordshire. We can offer a great work-life balance and have a fine tradition of working with staff to help them achieve their full potential.

Our values: Care, Accountability, Respect and Excellence - are at the heart of all we do. We believe in providing the right care in the right place at the right time...all the time.

Job responsibilities: For more information about the role and responsibilities please see the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification:

Education & Qualifications:

• Professional Qualification to degree level or equivalent
• Professional Registration (HCPC)

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities:

• Good clinical knowledge across a wide area of specialisms
• Good prioritisation skills and time management
• Excellent communications skills
• Problem-solving approach
• Good organisational skills

Experience:

• Post graduate experience in a range of clinical areas within health, social care and community services
• Experience of supervising and delegating to colleagues
• Experience of remote assessment and triage

Desirable:

• Knowledge & understanding of community services

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. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.