Salaried GP in Eastbourne

If you are an experienced GP who thrives on variety and system-wide thinking, this may be the right next evolution of your clinical career. South Downs Health & Care (SDHC) is seeking a highly experienced GP (minimum 5 years post-CCT) who is confident working autonomously across varied clinical environments and is looking for a fresh and rewarding next chapter. You must be fully GMC registered, not subject to suspension, and on the performers list.

Main duties of the job

This is a cross-setting role designed to complement traditional practice models. Your work will span multiple settings, including:

• SDHC on site NHS and private services at Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing
• Intermediate Care Ward at Eastbourne DGH
• Virtual Ward services in Lewes
• Other SDHC operational sites as service needs require

The role is predominantly clinical, delivering evidence-based care, managing complex patients, prescribing safely, and making confident autonomous decisions. This breadth makes the role ideal for a senior GP who enjoys complexity, system-wide working and professional variety.

We recognise that outstanding general practice happens every day within single practices. SDHC actively collaborates on research projects with organisations such as NIHR, universities and external healthcare partners. This role would particularly suit a GP who wants to be research-active, at scale, in primary care, to help shape innovative service models and combine clinical experience with academic curiosity.

We regularly host GP trainees from the KSS Deanery. This role would particularly suit a GP who has an aspiration to train, enjoys mentoring colleagues and values collaborative multidisciplinary working; a GP who wants to influence local service development and is ready to use their experience to shape how care is delivered. You will also contribute to audit and quality improvement activities.

About us

SDHC operates as a GP-owned social enterprise, allowing us to reinvest in community services, innovation and workforce development. Our model brings together primary care, intermediate care, virtual wards and preventative services under one collaborative structure.

We offer:

• Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounted Hillbrow membership
• Flexible, full, or part-time working (Please note that some evening and weekend work is required)

Job responsibilities

ROLE DEFINITION

This post requires an experienced General Practitioner who has been fully GMC registered for a minimum of five years and is confident working autonomously across varied clinical settings. The post holder will be required to deliver clinical services across multiple SDHC sites, including, but not limited to, Hillbrow Health and Wellbeing, the Intermediate Care Ward at Eastbourne District General Hospital (EDGH), and the Virtual Ward Team Base in Lewes, as well as other SDHC operational locations according to service needs. This post will require the GP to work some evenings and weekends.

MAIN DUTIES AND KEY OUTCOMES

Clinical Delivery (90 percent or more of contracted hours)

Directly help to deliver on SDHC's contractual requirements to provide clinical capacity in all commissioned and private services, as required. This work will be delivered through a mixture of traditional methods such as telephone and face-to-face, or at external sites. You will be expected to:

• Practise evidence-based medicine, in line with national and locally agreed guidelines
• Prescribe in line with local and national guidelines
• Refer patients to secondary/urgent care and additional interventions as appropriate
• Manage long-term conditions and patients with complex problems as needed.
• Promote healthy living strategies and give health and wellbeing advice, generally encouraging patients to follow a healthy lifestyle especially if conducting group consultations.
• Make autonomous clinical decisions relating to patients' health needs
• Participate in research projects delivered by SDHC on behalf of organisations such as NIHR, Universities and other external healthcare organisations.

SDHC regularly takes GP trainees from NHSE Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS) Deanery. There is a requirement for all salaried GPs to provide occasional supervision of GP trainees.

Communication

Provide professional telephone and written advice and support to patients and their carers. To respond to queries from patients and staff in a professional manner referring to the appropriate colleagues in accordance with protocols and personal and professional boundaries.

Leadership

Accountable and responsible for own actions, working within professional and personal boundaries and competencies. Contributes to the continual improvement of SDHC services, sharing best practice and speaking up when things go wrong.

Provide leadership within your team (including but not limited to participation in buddying/mentoring of new colleagues, raising tensions in respectful and courteous manners, attendance and contribution to team meetings and discussions) Support team members to deliver excellent service through a programme of peer review and direct observation of practice.

Working Relationships

Work collaboratively with members of the SDHC team, attending and participating in team/clinical/SDHC meetings as required. Liaise with other SDHC teams to ensure patients receive the best and most appropriate care for their specific needs.

Patient & Public Involvement

Optimise patient well-being to enable them to do the things that matter to them. Engage with patients, internal and external stakeholders as required. Engage with users of the service to understand people's experience of the service and to measure levels of satisfaction. Ensure the patient voice is heard and acted on appropriately. Particular attention will be paid to how we ensure the care we provide is safe, effective, caring, and responsive. Contribute to responding to complaints as appropriate, according to the SDHC complaints policy. Participate in patient engagement activities relating to service developments/feedback as required. Promote a culture where the sharing of learning events and deep learning that comes from them is positive and the norm. Contribute to a learning event register which is maintained and required actions are completed within agreed timescales. Highlight issues and risks within the services. Contribute to the development and maintenance of the risk register, providing updates on mitigating actions as required within requested timescale.

Audit

Participate in audit activities to optimise patient safety and the use of resource, undertaking audit in accordance with the service audit plan. Make recommendations based on the outcomes of audit and shared learning activities. Ensure audits evidence SDHC's ability to provide Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-Led services.

Information and IT

Data that helps us understand our services, our practices and our patients is important to SDHC. You will help ensure we capture and analyse important data that helps drive continuous service improvement. Analyse, interpret and present prescribing information at practice and population level to support effective decision making and change in evidence-based clinical practice. Update electronic patient medication records in line with incoming clinical correspondence. Maintain full and complete records of all patient contacts using appropriate clinical templates and coding. Develop and utilise agreed searches and templates to ensure high quality consistent patient care and enable data collection and reporting on pharmacy team activity. Collect and review qualitative data such as evidence of impact, feedback, plaudits and complaints to improve individual and service improvement. Work within a team who provide peer support to each other, accessing support via local interprofessional training and supervision arrangements as required. Provide training, supervision and peer support for team members as required. Travel between named practices, SDHC premises, extended access service hubs and meetings across the patch as required. Work alongside other SDHC teams as required to ensure seamless patient care. Work with internal and external stakeholders to help PCN and practices achieve local and national targets.

Other Duties

You will be expected to provide cover for other team members as appropriate to ensure an effective service is always provided and to carry out any other duties as determined and requested by the organisation. This job description is not a definitive or exhaustive list of responsibilities but identifies the key responsibilities and tasks of the post holder. The specific objectives of the post holder will be subject to review as part of the individual's performance review/appraisal.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of prioritising work and meeting deadlines
• Understanding of office systems such as diary management, rota management, bring forward systems, computer filing systems.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally both face to face and on the telephone with people at all levels
• Demonstrated high standard of written and verbal communication
• Demonstrating persistence in finding ways to overcome obstacles
• Ability to deal with patients in a professional and compassionate manner
• Can demonstrate understanding of Information Governance, Patient Confidentiality and Data Protection requirements
• Ability to anticipate barriers and issues and take action to mitigate risks
• Previous experience of working in a primary care setting
• Experience of using electronic systems/databases to ensure efficient management of processes
• Knowledge and understanding of the NHS and the challenges facing Primary Care

Qualifications

• GMC Registered, not subject to suspension
• Qualified General Practitioner (minimum of 5 years post CCT)
• Currently on performers list

Other Requirements

• Must be able to drive, have access to a vehicle to use for work and have business use included on your vehicle insurance
• Proven record of good timekeeping and attendance
• Your working pattern will be discussed and agreed with you
• Ability to show understanding of issues relating to equal opportunities

Personal Qualities

• Shares SDHC's values
• Works well within a team
• Capable of working with tact and diplomacy
• Approachable, adaptable, supportive, self-motivated

Skills

• High level of competence in Microsoft Office packages (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as a minimum)
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Highly organised and able to work on own initiative, in line with agreed parameters/procedures
• Ability to resolve conflicting diary appointments and schedules
• Time management and prioritisation skills
• Analytical and problem solving skills

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.