Locum Consultant in Acute and General Medicine UHL

Job overview

We are looking to recruit one full time General / Acute Medicine Locum Consultant. This post is aimed at maintaining and developing the Acute medical service and will assist with the expansion of acute medicine and Same day emergency care services. We would be willing to accommodate candidates with specialist interests to complement our current existing team.

The acute physicians will spend the majority of their direct clinical care, and supporting professional activity time, working on the Acute Medical Unit, where they will lead the multi-professional team in the management of the acute medical patients. It is expected that they will lead ward rounds, direct the management of patients, assess patients, perform practical procedures, teach both junior medical and other staff, attend multidisciplinary meetings, take part in the governance activity of the department, participate in the management and administration of the service and liaise with other professionals both within and outside the trust as required.

If the successful candidate has a particular specialty interest there may be scope to accommodate this within the job plan, subject to the needs of the Acute Medicine service and negotiation with the Clinical Director and Divisional Director.

Main duties of the job

The role of the Acute and general Medical Locum Consultant is to undertake front line work in the Acute Medical Unit providing high quality, acute care to patients,  overseeing the medical take, performing post-take ward rounds, making specialty referrals, caring for short-stay in patients for up to 72 hours on AMU, facilitating timely discharge and follow up  plans and where required following patients up as ambulatory care patients.

It will include supervision of junior staff both within AMU, but also  Same Day Emergency Care.

Same Day Emergency Care has a primary purpose of diverting ambulatory patients from the general medical take, reducing the number of admissions. This takes place by taking referrals from GP’s, LAS and 111 via consultant connect. Patients are also streamed to SDEC via the Emergency Department.

The successful candidate will lead development of protocols for the care of expected medical patients, those referred from the Emergency Department, admission avoidance, reduction of length of stay, optimisation of clinical guidelines, auditing patient experience and improved services in collaboration with current  post holders.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Clinical Responsibilities

• The support and further development of the initiatives within the Department of Acute Medicine (as described above).

• To respond to inpatient and outpatient referrals from other specialties

• To provide direct clinical care on the Acute medical ward and SDEC

• To lead ward rounds and direct the management o patients

• To assess patients and perform practical procedures whilst teaching other staff

• To attend MDT meetings

• To provide prompt advice for General Practitioners

• To participate in educational and audit meetings

• To meet CPD and revalidation requirements

• To provide cover for Consultant colleagues during periods of leave

• To support the Hospital’s Clinical Governance Strategy

• To contribute to all other aspects of the Directorate and trust affairs

• Medical Education & Teaching

• Contribute to the weekly programme of educational activities, including foundation year and core medical training teaching programmes.

• Volunteer as an educational supervisor for doctors in training.

• Provide teaching and training to undergraduates and medical students both on the ward and in the outpatient department.

• Clinical Audit and Clinical Governance

• Take an active role in audit and governance projects to further the development of the service.

• Participate in the department’s monthly governance meetings which provide the opportunity to share audits, journals, latest evidence, serious incident reviews, morbidity and mortality reviews and other similar activities.

• Continuing Professional Development

• Participate in continuing professional development at local and national level

• Implement audit and research findings as appropriate in clinical practice

• Prepare and participate in an annual appraisal in accordance with Trust policy

• A willingness to undertake additional professional responsibilities at local, regional or national levels

• Policy, Planning and Management

• Support the Trust to deliver quality patient care

• Contribute to the development of clinical and organisational protocols and guidelines

• Assist in the development of the Annual Service Plan for the Directorate and Division and participate in the strategic planning of the service

• Comply with all Trust policies