Job title:                             Paramedic Practitioner

Hours:                                 37.5 hours per week

Salary:                                     Indicative Agenda for Change Band 7

Job Summary

You will be required to work autonomously across the PCN in general practice, care homes and in the community, providing a range of services including participating in the MDT meetings using your enhanced clinical assessment and treatment skills, to assess and manage patients presenting with acute and chronic presentation This would include assessment, diagnosis, treatment, telephone triage and referring patients appropriately. You would also be involved in pro-active prevention work.

Training requirements

1. You will be engaged to work in primary care under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. You must:

1. 1. be educated to degree/diploma level in Paramedicine or equivalent experience
   2. be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
   3. have completed your two-year ‘Consolidation of Learning’ period as a “newly qualified paramedic”
   4. had a further three years’ experience as a band 6 (or equivalent) paramedic
   5. be working towards developing Level 7 capability in paramedic areas of practice and, within six months of the commencement of reimbursement for that individual (or a longer time period as agreed with the commissioner), have completed and been signed off formally within the clinical pillar competencies of the Advanced Clinical Practice Framework.

Primary Responsibilities

The paramedic practitioner will work within their scope of clinical practice to:

• Assess and manage patients presenting with acute presentations which include minor illness or injury, abdominal pains, chest pains and headaches.
• Participate on the delivery of MDT meetings on behalf of LMN PCN in conjunction with the Lead Clinician for each care/residential home
• Support the delivery of ‘anticipatory care plans’ or ‘treatment escalation plans’ and lead certain services (e.g. monitoring blood pressure and diabetes risk of elderly patients).
• Undertake Home Rounds as part of the MDT team liaising with the lead GP/Practice
• Support the PCN Clinical Pharmacists and other clinicians to deliver the PCN requirements of the PCN DES
• Link with the MDT teams (KCHFT, Frailty Team, Mental Health, Social Care)
• Identify, signpost or refer patients at risk of developing long-term conditions, preventing adverse effects on the patients health
• Provide routine care to patients as required in accordance with clinically based evidence, NICE and the DES
• Examine, assess and diagnose patients and provide clinical care/management as required as well as the completion of an appropriate care plan for each patient
• Triage patients and provide the necessary treatment during care home/home visits
• Collect pathology specimens as required
• Maintain accurate clinical records in line with extant legislation
• Ensure that read codes are used effectively and records updated in EMIS
• Ensure continuity of care, arranging follow-up consultations or reviews as necessary
• Review the effectiveness of the treatment provided, making changes where necessary to improve patient outcomes
• Chaperone patients where necessary
• Prioritise health issues and intervene appropriately
• Act as the lead clinician when dealing with clinical emergencies
• Recognise, assess and refer patients presenting with mental health needs
• Support patients in the use of their prescribed medicines or over-the-counter medicines (within own scope of practice.)
• Liaise with external services/agencies to ensure that the patient/care home is supported appropriately (vulnerable patients, etc.)
• Adhere to the relevant patient group directives and local clinical pathways at all times
• Support the clinical team with all safeguarding matters, in accordance with local and national policies
• Understand practice and local policies for substance abuse and addictive behaviour, referring patients appropriately.

Secondary responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the paramedic practitioner may be requested to:

• Support the PCN/Practice audit programme, undertaking audits when necessary
• Attend PCN Meetings regularly
• Support junior members of the team, providing guidance when necessary
• Participate in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care
• Support and participate in shared learning within the practice
• Continually review clinical practice, responding to national policies and initiatives where appropriate
• Take personal responsibility for own learning and development, including the requirement to maintain currency, achieving all targets set in own Personal Development Plan (PDP)

There may be on occasion a requirement to carry out other tasks; this will be dependent on factors such as workload and staffing levels.