JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title: Specialist Triage GP
Location: Remote (Home or NHS Facility)
Reporting to: GTD Clinical Lead – Triage service
Accountable to: GTD Clinical Lead – Triage service
Hours: Flexible – dependent on numbers of referrals
Salary: £2.50 per referral (OTC £25,000)
Job summary
To function as part of a healthcare team, providing a comprehensive clinical triage and assessment service to referring General Practitioners and patients, resulting in safe and appropriate clinical decision making at all times.
To facilitate the provision of accurate healthcare information, health advice and guidance or where applicable, referral to the most appropriate health care service.
Provide communication to referrers and onward referrals competently, on time and complete the required data entry fields.
Scope:
The triage clinician will work within a wider team consisting of other triage clinicians, clinical leads, PBC leads, and lead managers, to achieve a more efficient use of NHS resources. The triage clinician will support Manchester General Practitioners to make the best decisions for patients, and ensure that they are seen and treated in the right place, by the right person and at the right time.
The triage clinician will be required to use a multi skilled approach to make clinical decisions; by using the available technology, agreed protocols and pathways, effective communication skills and reference to clinical literature.
Key duties and responsibilities
1. Service Delivery
a. The triage clinician will work under the supervision of GTD clinical lead with responsibility for the triage service.
b. Referral triage and assessment will be undertaken electronically and will not involve patient contact.
c. The triage clinician will be required to:
- Validate referrals against the Manchester list of low priority treatments/non commissioned procedures.
- Validate referrals contain sufficient information to enable decision making on appropriate referral pathway.
- Ensure the level of urgency of referrals are appropriate and escalate said urgency levels where appropriate.
- Ensure referring GPs have followed best practice clinical management guidelines as set out in designated clinical pathways, and provide advice accordingly.
- Determine most appropriate pathway for referral considering alternative range of available services.
d. Ensure wherever possible that referrals placed on the triage work queue do not exceed 48 hours waiting. Where necessary, ensure any potential delays are communicated in advance and as early as possible to enable alternative triage support to be provided.
e. Refer to peers/colleagues as necessary for advice but maintain accountability and responsibility for decisions made.
f. The triage clinician will be required to record the clinical decision on the electronic referral template before sending it back electronically to the Integrated Care Gateway.
g. The triage clinician will be expected to maintain collaborative, inter-professional links with colleagues and other health care professionals.
h. Maintain up to date knowledge of services across the City of Manchester using a variety of information sources, utilising the most appropriate path for the referral.
i. Work collaboratively with service providers and referrers about patient care.
j. Discuss with the referring clinician and where appropriate upgrade the referral to suspected cancer (HSC 205).
k. Maintain up to date knowledge of the NICE Guidelines for Specialty, Cancer Guidelines and NICE Quality Standards.
l. Liaise with and provide advice and guidance to referrers as and when appropriate.
2. Governance
a. Take part in the annual appraisal process with the GTD clinical lead for the service. Comply with the GTD complaints procedure.
b. Participate in Root Cause Analysis and Serious Untoward Incident investigations as and when required.
c. Maintain a log of significant events and any learning evaluation.
d. Report any perceived under performance of a referring GP to the GTD clinical lead.
e. Participate in evaluating the effectiveness of the role and the provision of ongoing reports.
f. Participate in the investigation of incidents and complaints as required.
3. Development and training
a. Reflect on and contribute to feedback, using this information as a method to identify areas for continuing professional development (CPD).
b. Develop and maintain expertise, practice and competence in the role of triage clinician.
c. Actively participate in the audit process to maintain an up to date knowledge and develop individual performance.
PERSON SPECIFICATION: Specialist Triage GP
Domain / Essential / Desirable / Evidence collected
A medical practitioner whose name is included in the General Practitioner Register under article 10 of the General and Specialist Medical Practice Order 2003. Registered with a licence to practice. / Yes / Application
Not subject to suspension under section 41A of the Medical Act 1983 / Yes / Application
Qualified General Practitioner (completed certificate of Completion of Training – CCT) / Yes / Application
Currently on a PCT performers list and not suspended from that list or from the medical register / Yes / Application
Accredited as a member of the Royal College Of General Practitioners (MRCGP) / Yes / Application
Be compliant with the Professional Code of Conduct for the medical profession – Good Medical Practice / Yes
5 yrs experience as a GP with a demonstrable commitment to quality practice / Yes
Additional qualification in triage speciality area or minimum of 6 months working within the clinical specialty within past 5 years / Yes
Accredited GP with a special interest (GPwSI) / Yes (Speciality specific as per NICE Guidelines e.g. Dermatology, Cardiology) / Application, and evidence of it being current, copy of certification
EXPERIENCE
Domain / Essential / Desirable / Evidence collected
In practice as a General Practitioner / locum practitioner / Yes / Application
Regularly undertaking more than 4 non-locum sessions per week / Yes
Commitment to and experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary and skill mixed team environment / Yes / Application & interview
Experience of using data and information resources to formulate decisions and recommendations / Yes / Application & interview
Experience of working to protocols and evidence based guidelines / Yes
Experience of supporting service change / Yes / Application & interview
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES
Domain / Essential / Desirable / Evidence collected
Knowledge of up to date pathways, protocols, research and guidelines / Yes / Application, presentation & interview
Commitment to and evidence of personal and professional development / Yes / Presentation & interview
Commitment to education and training / Yes / Presentation & interview
Excellent verbal and written communication skills / Yes / Application & interview
Strong interpersonal skills / Yes / Application
Strong leadership skills / Yes / Application & interview
Excellent record keeping skills / Yes / Application & interview
Understanding of the current issues and challenges (health and economic) facing primary care locally / Yes / Application & interview
Imaginative approach to problem solving and provision of services / Yes / Application & interview
Strong IT skills. / Yes
Be conversant and compliant with the NHS Information Governance – Guidance on Legal and Professional Obligations.
Good time management skills / Yes
Confidence to manage conflict and disagreement constructively / Yes
High level of ability to work under own initiative, but ability to acknowledge limitations and recognise when further guidance is required. / Yes
Ability to work under pressure / Yes
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