Acute GP – Gateway and Integrated Virtual Ward

Job overview

Join our diverse and dynamic team to drive better care at the interface between the hospital and community.  We have availability in a front door clinical role with the opportunity to develop skills and drive development of future healthcare.

The Acute GP Service is based on the Medical SDEC (Same Day Emergency Care) Unit and works alongside acute physicians to support access to urgent care for people with medical problems.    We link with community GPs, SWASFT and community services to facilitate hospital admission and alternatives to hospital care.

We provide clinical cover for our Integrated Virtual Ward to provide high quality, patient-centred care in the comfort of their own homes, reducing hospital admissions and length of stay in hospital and enhancing overall well-being through enhanced care co-ordination.    This can involve working within a Livewell Community Hub.

This role maximises the impact of skilled GPs with the ability to deliver holistic and flexible care, accessing the resources of the acute hospital with opportunity to promote mutual learning and understanding.  We use the SystmOne clinical system to coordinate care. The roles include paid non- clinical time and an expectation to participate in governance activity.

We provide a 7 day service  with the aim of the unit opening from 08:00 – 23:00 hrs, 7 days a week.

Main duties of the job

• Taking referrals from clinicians in the footprint of the acute hospital for a variety of specialties and appropriately exploring the request for admission from those clinicians
• Taking an active part in accepting referrals and communicating with the Emergency Department
• Taking an active role in accepting referrals and providing clinical management for Integrated Virtual Ward patients.
• Appropriately redirecting the patient if admission is not required by taking all relevant details and facilitating appropriate care elsewhere
• Clear intended management plan for the patient once a referral has been accepted, and agreeing the onward care plan
• Offering an on-site assessment facility for selected patients where they may require further investigation and diagnostics
• The GP would take a history, perform an initial examination and request any pertinent diagnostic tests, following which if admission was required, the relevant information would be passed to the receiving clinical team
• Communicating with other members of the MDT and planning for discharge at the point of admission
• Maintaining high clinical standards
• Maintain a professional image of the organisation
• Work with colleagues to improve non-elective care pathways in the hospital
• Working with colleagues to develop new pathways of care within the community as alternatives to hospital admission
• Contribute to the development and teaching

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Working alongside the acute physicians on the Medical SDEC: a dedicated space for patients to be appropriately assessed, close to the Emergency Department and with strong links with health and community services
• Working alongside the Integrated Virtual Ward team to provide an holistic approach to patient treatment planning and care.  Providing a dedicated frailty service enabling multi-professional and inter-agency assessments of needs of people with complex needs and frailty.
• Support an MDT approach to urgent care to provide a better experience for the patients
• Deliver advice to enable ongoing care in the community and support discharge from the Emergency Department
• Support the advanced care team in community Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs, includes Cumberland, Tavistock and Kingsbridge) to develop and deliver care in line with published guidance
• Medical SDEC aims to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and to get patients back home/into the community
• Reduces unnecessary delays and create better flow
• Reduces overcrowding in the Emergency Department
• Support delivery of medical treatment of Ambulatory Care specific conditions
• Work to develop new pathways to optimise patient experience of same day emergency care