Acute GP – Gateway Hub

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 in the Gateway Hub and works alongside specialty 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 Acute 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 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 .

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 Acute 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

The Acute GP service aims to support people with non-elective care needs to get the right care, in the right place and at the right time.

The purpose of this post is to ensure that patients who might have been admitted to Hospital or the Emergency Department are managed in the most appropriate setting.   This is done through a process of assessment, negotiation, treatment and signposting, and through the development of new patient pathways as an alternative to hospital admission.

• Working collaboratively alongside secondary care Consultants, to support an MDT approach to urgent care to provide a better experience for our patients.
• Accepting referrals and providing clinical management for patients on the Acute Virtual Ward.
• Deliver advice to enable ongoing care in the community and support discharge from the Emergency Department
• Support the advanced care team in community Minor Injury Units and Urgent Treatment Centres (Cumberland, Tavistock and Kingsbridge) to develop and deliver care in line with published guidance.
• The Gateway Hub 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
• 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