Position Title:Consultant ENT Surgeon

Reviewed / July 2010
Review / July 2012

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title:Consultant ENT Surgeon

Reporting To:Clinical Leader, ENT

Location:DunedinHospital

Position Size:As per appointment letter

Overall Responsibility:

For the provision of ENT services to Southern District Health Board in conjunction with the present Consultants.

Key Result Areas

The key result areas for this position are listed below. For each area, the main activities contributing to successful performance are also identified:

1.Be responsible for providing a comprehensive ENT service to a high standard throughout for the Dunedin region. The Consultant will take a leading role in maintaining and enhancing the existing services and is expected to take an initiative in developing new services.

2.Be responsible for the following specific performance goals associated with providing a comprehensive ENT service:

• provide to patients a safe competent and respectful service in the management of their conditions according to their clinical priority;

• communicate adequately with patients on their condition and treatment, ensure that at all times patient rights are protected and all consents required are acquired before treatment;

• provide for comprehensive and appropriate records of patients seen and be responsible for ensuring that such records are available in accordance with normally accepted procedures;

• act as a member of the Consultant's team in providing suitable cover for Dunedin Hospital, requirements as well as additional services offered by Southern District Health Board at other locations;

• provide such tuition and lectures to Southern District Health Board staff as may be required by agencies such as the College Training Scheme fulfilment of Medical Council requirements and hospital training requirements and to instruct, monitor and advise those staff under the direct guidance of the Senior Medical Officer;

• report promptly to the Divisional Manager or Clinical Director any usual incidents or occurrence, especially those which may give rise to complaints or legal action against Southern District Health Board;

• ensure effective use of Southern District Health Board’s resources of staff and facilities, by the application of effective efficient and economical patient management techniques;

• ensure that the standard of service provided is commensurate with Southern District Health Board's duties and intentions and Southern District Health Board's business plan with cognisance of Southern District Health Board’s ByLaws;

• keep informed of developments in the area pertinent to speciality and maintain own skills and knowledge of speciality to professional college guidelines;

• provide speciality advice as requested by the Medical Advisors or Clinical Director;

• promote awareness in the community of health promotion activities and disease prevention within speciality by the provision of health education;

• actively participate in processes regulating performance and accountability which will include quality assurance measures, medical audit and medical peer review;

• identify from time to time research needs and in consultation with Divisional Manager –Surgical Services and with approval of Southern District Health Board Ethical Committee, conduct such research;

• ensure that supervision of Resident Medical Officers occurs to meet requirements of the clinical environment and statutory organisations, and that appropriate reports are provided to meet the requirements of the Medical Council’

• ensure that any lawful instructions of the Medical Advisors are carried out in a prompt manner.

3.The Consultant shall:

• share responsibility for the specialist physician assessment and care of patients at Dunedin Hospital, on a regular basis during regular hours and on a rostered basis outside average routine hours during the week, at the weekends and on public holidays;

• be familiar with appropriate modern techniques;

• continue to keep patient hospital stay to the minimum compatible with high standards of specialist ENT care;

• carry out a specified number of ward rounds per week during the average routine working hours;

• conduct outpatient clinics, seeing both new patients referred by General Practitioners or other Specialists, and those requiring follow-up, the ratio being dependent upon demand and the time available. Patients will be referred back to the referring practitioner as soon as practicable consistent with the delivery of a high standard of care. During the hospital involvement the Consultant surgeon will keep the referring practitioner well informed as per the Ministry of Health service specifications;

• provide early advice for those patients referred for a Consultant surgeon’s opinion by hospital specialist colleagues. He will also provide advice for General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers.

Resource Responsibility

• be responsible for the clinical and educational management of Resident Medical Officers, and various Trainee Interns/Medical Students attached to the Surgical Department.

Direct Individual Patient Contact

The Consultant will ensure the following:

• that all letters of referral are vetted at the earliest possible opportunity, prioritised, and allocated to an appropriate outpatient clinic;

• that patients are seen in priority order in the clinic, assessed and decisions regarding management made;

• that further investigation of the patient, where appropriate, is arranged and monitored for accurate diagnosis and treatment requirements. These investigations may include: histology, biochemistry, haematology, radiology;

• that special investigations are arranged as necessary and proceedings are initiated for their conduct. These may include: bronchoscopy, electromyography, and pulmonary function tests, CAT scan, ultrasound, exercise test, echocardiography, organ biopsy, Holter monitoring;

• that the patient is fully informed of his/her condition and clinical managements including therapeutic options;

• that, where appropriate, the patient is admitted to hospital or placed on a waiting list according to condition severity and priority.

The Consultant will ensure the following for acute patients:

• participation in a roster to provide internal medicine cover for the reception and management of patients presenting with an acute complaint;

• when rostered be available to advise the doctor managing the patient and assume ultimate responsibility for that patient;

• on telephone contact decide if the patient can be safely managed without personal intervention.

The Consultant will ensure the following when managing inpatients procedures/day case investigations:

• that appropriate investigations are arranged and all necessary steps are taken to determine condition and diagnosis;

• all patients are properly and adequately informed about the treatments and procedures and consent procedures are carried out;

• that special procedures and investigations are carried out by self or by a member of the team under supervision of a degree deemed appropriate by the Consultant;

• that all necessary forms, reports and documentation are completed;

• that post procedure/investigation management of patients is appropriate and efficient and all appropriate information is relayed to patient, caregiver and General Practitioner.

The Consultant will ensure the following when managing all inpatients:

• that inpatient management is appropriate and efficient. This will be facilitated by ward rounds, attendance in the wards at other times and consultation with other staff;

• that where there are inpatients regular ward rounds are conducted with pertinent patient care team members;

• that the consultant will be available for consultation by the team members;

• that discharge is determined according to appropriate criteria and requirements for discharge are carried out promptly, including communicating with the General Practitioner to facilitate proper ongoing care after discharge;

• that organisation of community support services is initiated;

• that follow up outpatient clinic patient visit occurs as necessary;

• that where possible patients are assisted to retain maximum possible fitness when incurable; and appropriate support and comfort is provided when they have a terminal condition.

Indirect Patient Work Remote

The Consultant will ensure:

• that other supportive functions to the core clinical task such as report writing, letters to General Practitioner on patient condition and treatment, discharge summaries, data collation and interpretation are carried out;

• that from time to time consultation occurs with other specialist colleagues including the Consultant Radiologist, Consultant Pathologist, and other health professionals to facilitate the management of patients, within and outside Southern District Health Board as well as undertake book research into unusual conditions as appropriate;

• his/her availability to give advice and assistance with patient management to other specialists and General Practitioners;

• appropriate supervision of General Practitioners using restricted drugs when necessary.

Patient Communication

• that patients receive an appropriate level of information regarding their condition and its management;

• that patients are counselled regarding their condition as appropriate;

• that meetings and telephone calls are conducted with families as appropriate.

General Administration

The Consultant shall:

• attend and contribute to Southern District Health Board meetings as requested/approved by the Divisional Manager –Surgical Services;

• keep up to date with Southern District Health Board matters and read such papers as necessary;

• prepare reports as required.

Clinical Supervision of Staff

The Consultant will:

• delegate tasks and responsibilities appropriately to medical staff assessing task complexity against assessed skill levels of individuals;

• provide guidelines for the management of patients to junior medical staff;

• ensure that the performance of Resident Medical Officers is monitored and where necessary implement corrective measures;

• ensure that reports on staff to the Board, the Medical Council, and other bodies are prepared as required.

Self Education

• participate in regular clinical meetings with other members of medical staff. These meetings include the Friday Grand Round;

• remain conversant with current by regular reading of medical journals, books and other relevant literature and may attend a journal club weekly to assist with this;

• attend conferences and courses directly related to clinical interest attendance at medical conferences specialist societies and college, as approved by the Divisional Manager –Surgical Services;

• meet pharmaceutical representatives relevant to their sphere of responsibility as appropriate.

Education of Others

• conduct formal and informal teaching of medical staff to enhance their knowledge and clinical skills;.

• contribute to case review sessions and other activities;

• conduct formal and informal teaching for other professional groups, including nurses, management, ambulance drivers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, as requested.

Public Education

• advise individual patients regarding preventative aspects of health care;

• liaise with community support groups as appropriate.

Research and Review

• identify research needs and priorities, undertake research relating to field of expertise when appropriate, and publish the results;

• obtain approval from the Dunedin Ethical Committee for specific research projects.

Quality Improvement

• provide a high standard of specialist care for the community of Dunedin;

• contribute to and monitor standards;

• maintain records for the purpose of medical audit and attend audit meetings for the presentation of medical audit findings.

• take part in Southern District Health Board's credentialling processes as set out in the Credentialling policy for Senior Medical Staff.

The intent of this position description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by staff in this job classification. Staff Members may be requested to perform job related tasks other than those specified.

Agreed by:

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