Physician Associate

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board; Worthing; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Physician Associate to join their mental health service in Worthing. The role emphasizes clinical assessment, independent decision-making under supervision, and inter-disciplinary collaboration.

You will undertake physical and mental health evaluations, contribute to care plans, and support service development through audits, CPD, and teaching activities. A commitment to high-quality patient care is essential.

Qualifications

• PGDip in Physician Associate Studies and GMC registration required.
• UK National PA exam or MSc in Physician Associate Studies demonstrated.
• Undergraduate life science/healthcare background desirable.

Responsibilities

• Perform clinical assessments of new referrals and reviews.
• Maintain accurate service user records and contribute to discharge summaries.
• Provide health promotion and disease prevention advice to service users.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Empathy & reassurance

Team collaboration

Risk management

Education

PG Dip in Physician Associate Studies

Registration with GMC

UK National PA exam or MSc in Physician Associate Studies

Undergraduate degree in life sciences/healthcare

CPD commitment

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

The Physician Associate or Physician Assistant (PA) will be accountable for ensuring that high quality patient care is always delivered, where they can be a source of continuity for service users by monitoring physical as well as mental health requirements. The PA will support the effective functioning of the multidisciplinary team and wider service developments through developing knowledge of assessing and managing mental disorders, undertaking quality improvement (QI) work such as clinical audit, gaining knowledge about psychotropic medication and taking a lead role in the physical health of service users. The PA will have regular supervision (for both clinical and professional supervision) from a designated Consultant, with regular meetings to support on-going development within the role, as well as attending regular continued professional development (CPD) sessions., To provide clinical assessments of new referrals & reviews of existing service users under the care of the service the PA works for. To use medical & psychiatric history taking, physical examination, mental state examination, problem solving and clinical decision-making skills in carrying out this work. To formulate differential diagnoses and management plans with input as agreed by the supervising Consultant. The final or working diagnosis for a service user will need discussion at an appropriate time interval as agreed with the supervising Consultant. Maintain service user records i.e. record test results, patient contacts. Review and summarise patient notes for the purpose of contributing to discharge summaries and reports. Assist the consultant by writing letters, chasing referrals/treatments and preparing medical notes. Carry out agreed diagnostic and therapeutic procedures which will include (but not be limited to), To provide clinical assessments of new referrals & reviews of existing service users under the care of the service the PA works for. To use medical & psychiatric history taking, physical examination, mental state examination, problem solving and clinical decision-making skills in carrying out this work. To formulate differential diagnoses and management plans with input as agreed by the supervising Consultant. The final or working diagnosis for a service user will need discussion at an appropriate time interval as agreed with the supervising Consultant. Maintain service user records i.e. record test results, patient contacts. Review and summarise patient notes for the purpose of contributing to discharge summaries and reports. Assist the consultant by writing letters, chasing referrals/treatments and preparing medical notes. Carry out agreed diagnostic and therapeutic procedures which will include (but not be limited to): Electrocardiogram (ECG) Venepuncture Interpretation of blood results Mental state examination and psychiatric history taking Cognitive assessment Provide health promotion and disease prevention advice for service users, including those relating to smoking, drugs and alcohol. Liaise with external (primary care and relevant secondary health care providers) and internal teams/departments relating to a service user's care or treatment needs. Liaise with pharmacy regarding issues relating to medication. Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, building good working relationships. Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, handovers and other relevant clinical meetings. To receive and communicate very sensitive, complex condition related information with service users, carers & relatives. The post holder will need to use a high degree of empathy and reassurance. To address any barriers to understanding resulting from the person's illness. Examples of this include: explaining to a service user the outcome of an initial assessment, including both physical health & mental health reasons relevant to their presentation (including any interplay between the two, such as in Delirium), any further investigations needed and treatment that will be offered; being able to adapt their approach depending on the service user's presentation (e.g. if the patient is cognitively impaired or acutely distressed); appropriate involvement of the service user's relatives and carers in discussions about their care, including considerations of the service user's consent and capacity to make decisions about this. To manage exposure to occasional highly distressing or highly emotional circumstances. Exposure to hazards, including those of working on acute mental health wards. Support newly qualified PAs and the allocation of student PAs placements Contribute to the development and education of the PA role at Sussex Partnership, including educating other staff groups on the role of a PA. Contribute to the training of doctors in training as part of the regular National rotations. Respond in a timely way to requests to assess or review service users physical and/or mental health and provide advice to staff on further management/investigations/ interventions. Undertake assessment and assistance to ward staff in the event of medical emergencies. Provide psycho-educational support to service users and carers/families. Support proactive screening and interventions with regard to the physical health of service users. Take a lead in planning service user care programmes as well as organising and coordinating of case conferences and multidisciplinary teams or activities. To be seen as the clinical practitioner specialising in their specialty (i.e. CAMHS, Liaison, etc) and accountable for their own professional actions within their team. Service Development: The post holder will be expected to participate in research/audit/QI opportunities. Be responsible for the dissemination of new or updated clinical practices. Support the placements of nursing, medical and PA students on placement. Participate in undergraduate teaching and develop teaching and training sessions for staff and professionals on specialist subject areas relevant to care group. Support resident doctors on placement. Support the development of skills in the wider team and the organisation. To implement local & trust wide policies, procedures, guidance and protocols relevant to their practice in their own area of work. To develop (along with Trust managers and other Trust PAs where required) policies, procedures, guidance and protocols for their specialist area and/or specific to the work of PAs. To contribute where required to Trust policies and procedures beyond their own area of activity. Contribute to the development of physical health competencies in mental health staff in a range of settings. To develop service pathways for clients in care group and contribute to ongoing development of service. The post holder will be expected to support the further development of governance and educational structures for PAs working in the Trust, in keeping with requirements by the relevant regulatory body. Research and Development: To undertake research, service evaluation and clinical audits. To use research in practice and developing research work from ones own practice Governance including quality, standards, documentation & ethics. To ensure that up to date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance with Professional and Trust standards and to provide specialist reports relevant to practice setting. To keep accurate and timely electronic records of each contact, using the Trust electronic clinical record system and other software programmes used by the Trust. Complete outcome measures as required. To adhere to the General Medical Council's professional standards and ethics and comply with local and national standards of practice. To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of clients and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs. To contribute to the Trust and professional clinical and social care governance arrangements and quality agenda, including the setting and monitoring of practice standards. To be aware of and work to the policies and procedures within Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. To apply national guidelines/ legislation relating to health and social care in mental health service provision. To participate in clinical and social care governance care group forums as required. To ensure performance targets and standards are met. To complete clinical outcome measures as required To ensure that professional PA standards of practice are maintained within the clinical setting. To ensure that professional standards of practice are maintained amongst junior staff. To seek and attend monthly supervision and participate in annual appraisal.

• Undergraduate degree in a life science and/or a significant background in healthcare.
• PG Dip in Physician Associate Studies from a recognised UK training programme and evidence of successful completion of the UK National PA exam (or equivalent) or an MSc Degree (or equivalent) in Physician Associate Studies or Medical Sciences
• Registration with the General Medical Council
• Pass in Physician Associate Registration Assessment
• Evidence of ongoing CPD, Able to work with the clinical team to manage a caseload of service users with complex mental health needs
• Comprehensive knowledge of interventions specific to service area
• Knowledge of national and local guidance for the role of a Physician Associate
• Awareness of Trust policies and service specification, Experience of working within a mental health environment
• Lived experience of mental health issues, Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills with staff, service users, families, carers and professionals
• Able to establish links with other services and professionals
• Communicate and receive very sensitive, complex condition related information to service users, carers & relatives, using a high degree of empathy and reassurance and address any barriers to understanding.
• Able to effectively manage risk
• To have a good knowledge of service objectives
• Ability to assess and interpret complex needs for service users and taking appropriate action.
• To be able to provide highly specialised advice concerning the care or treatment of service users
• Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Able to manage and delegate tasks
• Participate in service development
• Able to participate in clinical discussions in the team
• Leading on the planning of care programmes, case conferences and multidisciplinary teams or activities
• Able to undertake audit activity
• Ability to work using own initiative to manage own workload.
• To help develop training sessions for staff, students, doctors in training, professionals and agencies
• Awareness of service operational policy
• Understand team dynamics
• Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Able to use Trust IT systems to enter service user information, case notes, risk.
• Able to produce documents and reports using Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Communicate to service users and professionals using letters and templates
• Physically fit to undertake duties related to service area - there is a frequent requirement to exert light physical effort for several long periods during a shift
• Awareness of Prevention Management of Violence & Aggression (PMVA) interventions
• Knowledge of administration of injections and venepuncture, Frequent concentration required to undertake clinical assessments (history taking, physical examination, mental state examination) including assessment of complex patients such as those presenting with both physical and mental health issues
• Prolonged concentration where the PA carries out clinics
• Able to prioritise work and meet deadlines
• Planning and organising diary
• Able to manage distressing or emotional situations involving staff and service users as they arise
• To participate in relevant staff support sessions
• Awareness of policies relevant to workplace, i.e. lone working (frequent)
• Based in a locality and able to travel to other locations as part of clinical role (frequent)
• Competent skills in use of PC for daily administrative tasks (frequent)
• Exposure to hazards, including those of working on acute mental health wards (frequent)
• Exposure to body fluids, faeces, vomit, smells, foul linen (occasional), Demonstrate support for the values and beliefs of the Division and those of the Trust
• Demonstrate an understanding of the practices of Human Rights in the delivery of this role
• Team working
• Ability to help shape and embed an inclusive culture
• Punctual and flexible across hours of work when required