Physician Associate Band 7 - 12 month Fixed term Contract

Physician Associates play a key role in the management of patients and to support the effective functioning of the Great Yarmouth Acute Service comprising the Inpatient Ward and the Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team (CRHT) and contribute to wider service developments. The post holder will be accountable for ensuring that high quality patient care is delivered at all times. The Physician Associate will be supervised by a designated consultant with regular meetings to support on-going development within the role. The Physician Associate will attend regular CPD sessions to support on-going development.
Main duties of the job

They will be based at the Great Yarmouth Acute Service, which is situated at Northgate Hospital. This team looks after people aged 18+ with acute mental health problems either at home (CRHT) or in hospital (Inpatient Ward) where they may be voluntary (informal) or detained under the Mental Health Act.

They will be expected to work flexibly and co-operatively with other members of the clinical team and will be required to cover for colleagues during periods of absence. They will complement other roles and strengthen the multi-disciplinary team. They will have continuing responsibility for patients in association with others in the clinical team. They will ensure accurate records are maintained.

They will be supported to undertake mandatory training and other training specific to their role in conjunction with the Medical Education Department.

They will undergo an annual PDR or appraisal.

Physician Associates will be provided with a weekly timetable outlining fixed clinical commitments. They will have time for undertaking roles related to their skill set in the clinical setting as detailed below. They will be expected to respond to clinical demands and play a role in prioritising clinical and other needs.

Physician Associates will be expected to register with the Physician Associate Managed Voluntary Register (PAMVR) run by the Royal College of Physicians and be expected to keep up to date with necessary professional development.
About us

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Job description
Job responsibilities

• Practice under the supervision of a Consultant Psychiatrist
• Conduct initial psychiatric assessments, take patient histories and perform physical examinations
• Establish differential diagnosis, making appropriate treatment plans under supervision of the Consultant Psychiatrist
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, handovers and other relevant clinical meetings
• Treat patient and their family members using a high degree of empathy and advanced communication skills
• Respond in a timely way to requests to assess or review patients physical and / or mental health
• Record clinical notes about patient contacts and provide advice to staff on further management / investigations / interventions
• Review and summarise patient notes for the purposes of contributing to discharge summaries and reports.
• Undertake assessment and assistance to ward staff in the event of medical emergencies
• Work collaboratively with the relevant team i.e. Psychiatrists, Junior Doctors, Senior Nurses, Nursing Staff, Support Workers, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists to ensure good working relationships
• Liaise with primary care and relevant secondary health care providers relating to a patients care or treatment
• Liaise with community teams about a patients on-going care and treatment needs
• Support health promotion activities including those relating to smoking, drugs and alcohol
• Provide psycho-educational support to patients and carers / families
• Support proactive screening and interventions with regard to the physical health of patients.
• Liaise with pharmacy regarding issues relating to medication
• Contribute to the development of physical health competencies in mental health staff in a range of settings.
• Carry out procedures which will include (but not be limited to):
• ECG
• Venepuncture
• IV cannulation
• Interpretation of blood results
• Mental state examination
• Cognitive assessment
• The post holder will be willing and encouraged and supported to participate in research/audit/QI opportunities as they arise
• Be responsible for the dissemination of new or updated clinical practices
• Support the placements of nursing, medical, physician associate and other students on placement
• Participate in undergraduate teaching
• Support junior doctors on placement
• Support the development of skills in the wider team and the organisation

Assist with the development of, and implementation of, local and trust wide policies, procedures, guidance and protocols.

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!

Some of the benefits you can expect:

• NHS pension
• a comprehensive in house & external training programmes
• career progression
• starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
• staff physio service
• NHS discounts and many more

Interview dates are yet to be set you will be contacted via email and invited to book a time. These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.

Please visit our Facebook and Twitter page @NSFTjobs

Person Specification
Skills
Essential

• Ability to liaise with colleagues at all levels both inside and outside the organisation

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working within a health setting

Desirable

• An understanding of the current NHS environment, particularly in relation to reforms, legislation and issues

Qualifications
Essential

• PG Diploma in Physician Associate Studies or equivalent
• BA/BS Degree in relevant subject
• Membership of UKAPA

Employer details
Employer name

Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust
Address

Northgate Hospital - Acute ward

Great Yarmouth

NR30 1BU

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

246-GYW5548121-A