MORECAMBE BAY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST

FURNESS GENERAL HOSPITAL

Trust Grade - ACCIDENT & EMERGENCY

The Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust was established on 1 April 1998, following the merger of the Furness Hospitals NHS Trust, the Westmorland Hospitals NHS Trust and the Lancaster Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The new merged Trust provides an extensive range of acute, emergency and continuing care services to the population of South Cumbria and North Lancashire.

1. THE HOSPITAL

The Furness Hospitals Unit provides acute and continuing care services to a population of approximately 150,000 based in the Furness peninsula and the surrounding part of South Cumbria. There is good access to the M6 motorway and a direct rail link to Manchester and London. The area is one of outstanding natural beauty with excellent recreational facilities, particularly related to the sea, lakes, fells and countryside.

The hospital regularly receives casualties injured in climbing or walking accidents in the Lake District National Park, and has a helicopter landing pad for this purpose.

The Furness Hospitals Unit consists of 2 hospitals. Furness General Hospital is a modern District General Hospital which opened in 1984 and is situated in a green field site on the edge of Barrow in Furness. Ulverston Hospital is also part of the Unit and is situated in the heart of the historic market town of Ulverston providing accommodation for elderly patients as well as outpatient services.

The bed complement is as follows:

General Surgery/Urology 77

General Medicine/Elderly 180

Orthopaedic and Trauma 45

Obstetrics 29

Gynaecology 22

Paediatrics 13

Ophthalmology 11

ENT 11

Day Case Unit 19

SCBU 7

ICU 7

TOTAL 421

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Ulverston Hospital (44 beds) has a long history of providing care and rehabilitation services for the elderly. A modern day hospital was developed within the unit in 1985, and a full range of outpatient services is provided in a purpose-built development.

The Dane Garth Mental Illness Unit was opened on the Furness General Hospital site in 1993. This unit is managed by the Bay Community NHS Trust and provides 46 adult inpatient beds for both acute and EMI patients. The unit also provides an acute Day Hospital with up to 25 day places for patients living in the community.

The Furness Hospitals Unit is managed on the basis of a Clinical Directorate structure, with A&E as a separate Directorate. The other Directorates are:

Anaesthetics & Theatres

Surgical Services

Medical Services

Women and Children's Services

Radiology Services

Pathology Services

and Pharmacy and Paramedical Services

2. CLINICAL DUTIES See APPENDIX I

3. MAIN CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

a) The post is whole-time and is covered by the current national agreements and such local conditions of service as may be determined by the Trust.

b) The post is resident at Furness General Hospital. Single accommodation is available and it may be possible to offer rented married accommodation.

c) The salary scale is up to Point 6:- £47,610 per annum depending on experience for 12 sessions. 10 Clinical sessions, 1 session for anti-social hours and 1 for audit/CPD. The latter covers appraisal and the bi-monthly Staff Grade WGH meeting when the doctor may be “off duty”.

d)  Annual leave entitlement is 6 weeks a year plus Bank Holiday lieu days. (see below)

e)  The Trust Grade will work 4 x 9 hr shifts (36 hrs) weekdays 0900-1800 hr when not covering for colleagues. Up to 7 weekends worked in the 26 week period.

f)  The sessions worked will be flexible in nature to allow for the cover of annual leave of the Staff Grade doctors and study leave / sickness of medical staff. The post-holder will be expected to do the first week of nights 1900-0800 in each 6 mth cycle (Wednesday-Sunday), with time off in lieu.

g)  Occasional duties on the WGH and RLI sites.

SHO 5 person rota on Band 1A with no annual leave 11 weeks

SHO A / SHO B / SHO C / SHO D / SHO E
Monday / 1900-0800 / OFF / 0800-1600 / 1300-1900 / OFF
Tuesday / 1900-0800 / OFF / 0800-1600 / 1300-1900 / OFF
Wednesday / 1900-0800 / 3 hrs teaching / 1300-1900 / 3 hrs teaching / 0800-1700
Thursday / 1900-0800 / OFF / 1300-1900 / OFF / 0800-1600
Friday / 1900-0800 / 0800-1600 / OFF / 1300-2100 / OFF
Saturday / 1900-0800 / 0800-1800 / OFF / 1300-2200 / OFF
Sunday / 1900-0800 / 0800-1800 / OFF / 1300-2200 / OFF
Hours / 91 / 31 / 28 / 41 / 17

Total 208 hr divided by 5 = 41.6 hrs per week

11 such weeks in 26 week cycle 11 x 41.6 = 457.6

Rota for Holiday weeks. Each SHO gets a 2 week and a 1 week holiday period pre-booked on appointment

SHO A / SHO F / SHO G / SHO H / Holidays
Monday / 1900-0800 / OFF / 1300-1900 / 0800-1600 / Holidays
Tuesday / 1900-0800 / OFF / 1300-1900 / 0800-1600 / Holidays
Wednesday / 1900-0800 / 3 hrs teaching / 0800-1700 / 1300-1900 / Holidays
Thursday / 1900-0800 / OFF / 0800-1600 / 1300-1900 / Holidays
Friday / 1900-0800 / 1300-2100 / OFF / 0800-1600 / Holidays
Saturday / 1900-0800 / 1300-2200 / 0800-1800 / OFF / Holidays
Sunday / 1900-0800 / 1300-2200 / 0800-1800 / OFF / Holidays
Hours / 91 / 29 / 49 / 36

Total 205 hr divided by 4 = 51.25 hrs per week

15 such weeks in 26 week cycle 15 x 51.25 = 768.75

NB teaching session during 1300-1700 period.

Total working week over a 26 wk rota is 457.6 + 768.75 = 1226.35 or 47.16 hrs a week. Currently under review for European Working Time Directive.

Staff Grade Rota

A B

Monday 12 – 9 9 – 6

Tuesday 12 – 9 9 – 6

Wednesday 9 – 6 12 – 9

Thursday OFF 12 – 9

Friday 9 – 6 OFF

Week day sessions 9 per week. 1 session for anti-social hours. 1 for audit/rota.

Weekends

Weekends 18 hours on 1 in 5 no holidays to be taken when on duty for weekend.

Hours 10.00-1900.00 Saturday and Sunday = 1 session a week.

4. STUDY LEAVE AND TRAINING

a) It is the Trust's policy to support approved courses related to the training requirements of the post.

b) There are excellent library facilities at Furness General Hospital and also an extremely active postgraduate centre.

c) There are weekly departmental postgraduate meetings and general medical meetings on Wednesday lunchtimes.

d) There is 24 hour computer access to Toxbase and other medical information

services.

e) There is a bi-monthly teaching / audit session for A&E Staff / Trust Grades based at WGH, Kendal. The staff from Lancaster, Kendal and Barrow attend these meetings.

5. CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT

a) It is a requirement of employment within the post you are to occupy that you are vaccinated for Hepatitis B before commencing your new post.

b) As you may come into contact with children, it is the Trust's policy that police clearance is received before commencement of employment.

6. NO SMOKING POLICY

a) The Trust actively encourages a non-smoking working environment as part of its Health Promotion activities. As a result, all departments operate a No Smoking Policy and the postholder will be expected to comply.

7. HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK POLICY

a) In accordance with the Trust's Health and Safety at Work Policy, it is each

member of staff’s responsibility to observe all rules relating to health, safety and conduct of work and to use any equipment provided in a safe and responsible manner.

NOTE

This job description is not intended to be a complete list of duties and responsibilities but is a guide for information to the job. It will be periodically reviewed in the light of developing work requirements in the department. The officer in post will be expected to contribute towards that review.

APPENDIX I

A. RELATIONSHIPS

The Department is managed by Dr Ray McGlone, Consultant in Accident & Emergency.

Daily staffing is managed by 2 Staff Grades, 1 Trust Grade and 5 Senior House Officers.

A full SHO shift pattern is in operation with a working week of 48 hours. Band 1A is payable.

The Department is exceptionally well equipped and designed. It has total attendances of over 25,000 new A&E patients and also acts as an admissions unit for most of the hospital. Although not responsible for seeing and admitting these referred patients, the A&E doctor is able to see a wider range of conditions being managed by colleagues in other surgical specialties within the department.

There is a Consultant-led trauma rota and the Department is part of the Trauma Audit and Research Network (formerly MTOS-UK).

B. DUTIES OF THE POST

1. Resuscitation of major trauma and other critically ill patients.

2. Initial treatment, investigation and referral of patients who require admission or follow up.

3. Definitive treatment of minor injuries.

The Trust Grade Doctor will be assisted in the above by:

1. Close support from the Consultant and Staff Grades within the Department.

2. Close working relations with the rest of the hospital with good support from staff at all levels in the acute specialties.

3. Adequate training in Accident & Emergency medicine and surgery.

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C. The doctor accepts that he/she will also perform duties in occasional emergencies and unforeseen circumstances at the request of the appropriate Consultant.

APPENDIX II

THEATRE, ICU AND SUPPORT FACILITIES

The theatre complex contains 7 excellently equipped theatres. There are 2 designated theatres for General Surgery, 1 for Trauma and Orthopaedics, 1 for Gynaecology, 1 for Obstetrics, 1 for ENT and Ophthalmology and 1 emergency theatre. The recovery ward adjacent to the theatre suites is staffed during working hours.

There is an excellently equipped intensive care unit with 4 ICU beds and 3 Surgical HDU beds. This is run jointly by the Anaesthetic Directorate and by other clinical consultants. The unit has a computerised monitoring system, including a patient data management programme as well as arrhythmia detection and analysis.

Furness General Hospital also has full laboratory and support services, outpatient suites and a rehabilitation department (including a hydrotherapy pool). In addition to the CT scanning suite which is situated within the X-Ray Department, the hospital also provides access to MRI scanning on a fortnightly basis using a mobile facility.

A self-contained inpatient private unit with 14 beds was opened on the Furness General Hospital site in January 1991. This unit is managed by Abbey Hospitals Ltd, who contract with the Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust for the provision of theatre facilities and diagnostic services etc.