Job Description
The Emergency Practitioner will be registered healthcare professional from a nursing, paramedic or physiotherapy background. They will hold experience and skills in minor injuries and or illness. They maybe a prescriber or have the capability to use our extensive patient group directives.
The Emergency Practitioner will be responsible to the Non-Medical Consultant or their nominated deputy and assist with service delivery within the Emergency Department and Medical division.
The role incorporates a 24 hour clinical care rota promoting safety and quality care to those who present to the Emergency Department. The post holder will be a role model and support direct clinical care by working as a autonomous practitioner to patients who present with minor injuries and minor illness.
The post holder is required to hold a professional registration with the NMC or HCPC and maintain standards in accordance.
The Emergency Practitioner will assess, investigate, treat and either refer or discharge patients who present with minor injuries and illness across the age spans (adults and pediatrics). You will be expected to be able to use electronic patient records (Sunrise) and interpret investigations such as X-Rays and pathology results.
You will be expected to perform a range of procedures inclusive of reduction of fracture/dislocations and close wounds with varied techniques. Utilizing patient group directives, or practicing independent prescribing you will be expected to administer and supply medications.
The Emergency Practitioner service is a essential part of the Emergency Department and so you will be looked at as a role model and be expected to support the department in meeting reportable targets and be flexible to support varied roles.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the largest employer in the county and with over 8,000 staff, we are one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK. We offer a generous annual leave allowance, excellent bank rates, access to the excellent NHS Pension Scheme, discounts for local shops, restaurants and services, access to our health and well-being hub, access to our two on-site nurseries, flexible working options, discounted public transport, reward and recognition schemes, exercise and activity classes and membership to our popular hospital choir.
Clinical responsibilities
- Highly visible, accessible, authoritative and influential figure on whom staff, patients, families and carers can rely, to ensure the fundamentals of care are delivered effectively and efficiently.
- Facilitate the assessment, investigation, management and either refer or discharge patients.
- The post holder will be required to take deliver quality and safety in operational clinical practice.
- Provide clear clinical support for Emergency Department team, working flexibly as a member of the Emergency department team to ensure standards are being maintained, evaluated and where necessary improved.
- Using advanced history taking skills, obtain a patient history in a systematic manner including pertinent physical, social, emotional, psychological or environmental factors.
- Requests and interprets appropriate laboratory and radiology investigations in order to distinguish between normal and abnormal findings on history and physical examination and relates these findings to possible diagnosis.
- Makes clinical decisions using analytical and judgmental skills to reach a diagnosis and effectively communicates the information regarding these decisions, care pathways and policy to the patients/carers and the multi professional team.
- Develops and implements a plan of healthcare management which will include any necessary treatment and appropriate referral for further evaluation or follow up care to any member of the multidisciplinary team. Takes clinical responsibility for the diagnosis, management and discharge/referral/transfer of the patient and offers health promotion strategies where appropriate.
- Ensure interventions are undertaken in line with best practice guidance.
- Undertake advanced skills appropriate to the role, ensuring clinical competencies are maintained in accordance with the Trust framework for practice.
- Perform, unsupervised, procedures under local and regional anaesthesia (including inhalation analgesia), e.g. closed manipulation and reduction of fractures and dislocations.
- Routinely perform advanced ophthalmic procedures under local/topical anaesthesia.
- Undertake routine forensic examination of alleged criminal injuries..
- Contribute to the coordination and effective management of the admission and discharge process..
- Undertake annual audit of prescribing practices.
- To identify and act upon situations which may be detrimental to health and well-being of patients for example identification and management of the vulnerable adult, safeguarding children issues, domestic violence
- Prepare accurate and concise reports both verbally and written.
- Communicate the needs of the client groups effectively within the MDT and the Trust.
- Deploy effective communication strategies to ensure that information and knowledge is imparted sensitively according to the needs of patients, staff and students in training.
- Continually review and evaluate own role and clinical practice informing the annual review process with the Clinical Nurse Manager.
- Be an active member of relevant Trust committees and groups contributing to developing/implementing local/national strategy.
- Plan and manage their own workload and the workload of the ENP service, in a flexible manner, ensuring that service provision meets the needs of the patients.
- Keep relevant records and submit reports in a professionally acceptable manner.
- Promote a positive relationship with all stakeholders within the service.
- Contribute to the clinical governance process, including adverse incident reporting/investigation and the management of complaints, as appropriate.
- Collect and collate data as required by the area of expertise in order to inform internal and external professional and operational bodies.
- Relate complex communication processes to individual situations.
- Be involved in peer review of own practice and that of others.
- Is aware of professional limits in clinical skills and knowledge, referring patients on to definitive care as appropriate.
- To undertake appropriate health promotion and referral on to specialist practitioners such as alcohol brief intervention, domestic violence workers, drug specialist nurses, smoking cessation services.