HealthJobsUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Purpose:

To provide safe and effective care to patients, relatives and significant others.

To provide clinical leadership to other grades of staff, to ensure the care you provide is of a high clinical standard and to ensure that you encourage others to set high clinical standards when treating patients.

To carry out daily vehicle checks in accordance with the Trusts Standard Operating Procedure, ensuring the vehicle is fully stocked with appropriate consumables, all equipment is in working order, and is safe and ready to use. Checking that all drugs (including controlled drugs) are stocked and stored as per trust policies and guidelines.

To ensure any trust vehicle that is to be used is roadworthy and available to respond to any category of call from the commencement of the shift.

To respond to emergency and urgent patients using advance driving skills and utilising visual (blue lights) and audible (sirens) warnings. To transport patients, relatives and carers to other care providers whilst driving at both normal road speed and/or emergency conditions.

To work as part of a crew or as a solo responder (meeting essential local training and experience criteria.), initiating high quality assessment, treatment (including drug therapies) and patient care ensuring patients, relatives and carers are consulted at all possible opportunities and feel that they are at the centre of all decisions made.

To act in accordance with EMAS clinical policies, procedures, protocols and patient group directives. To adhere to and promote EMAS values whilst dealing with patients, carers, relatives, ambulance service colleagues and colleagues from other emergency services.

COMMUNICATION:
To ensure you effectively communicate with patients, relatives, carers and stakeholders.

To receive and react to sensitive and distressing information e.g. as per the diagnosis of death procedure and to share that information with patients, relatives, carers, colleagues and other health care professionals in a calm and reassuring manner.

To ensure that patients, relatives, carers and colleagues are treated with dignity, empathy and respect in accordance with EMAS values at all times.
To communicate information relating to patient condition, assessment and treatment to relevant persons in situations where there may be communication barriers or an emotive environment.

Where appropriate, and following a full assessment of the circumstances, report all safeguarding issues regarding children and vulnerable adults as per the EMAS safeguarding policy e.g. where any form of physical, mental, financial or sexual abuse is suspected.

To confidently make clinical decisions around patient disposition, including the safe referral of patients on to other agencies using locally agreed alternative pathways, or Emergency Department alternatives for follow up care and input. This will also include safeguarding concerns raised via the safeguarding line as per the trusts safeguarding policy.

Carries out daily vehicle and equipment checks ensuring any defects are promptly reported in line with locally agreed policies. Ensures equipment stock levels are within trust guidelines and that equipment is safe and ready to use. Ensure all drugs that the post holder is responsible for are in date and sealed and that all paperwork is filled out correctly. Any discrepancies should be reported to a line manager as soon as is possible dependant on operational demand.

To maintain personal competency in using all trust equipment and to report any concerns regarding new equipment to line managers.
To take responsibility for the security of patients possessions whilst in your care and to correctly hand that equipment over to the following care provider. This includes controlled drugs and prescription only medicines.
Accurately complete all EMAS documentation, including confidential and/or sensitive details as required by the service. And on occasions may be expected to give evidence to HM Coroner or Crown Court. This includes use of ePRF, Paper PRF’s, Diagnosis of Death Forms, medicines management paperwork as per local policies and procedures.
Ensure all patient identifiable information records are kept confidential and stored safely including within the vehicle until such time as records can be safely filed on station as per local policy.

To work a range of shift patterns and rotas covering a 24/7 period over 365 days a year, including bank holidays, as dictated by the demands of the trust.
To ensure that health and safety advice is followed as per local guidelines so that all attendees at an incident are safe.
To undertake Dynamic risk assessment of each and every environment incident attended to identify hazards to all persons in attendance and to formulate plans to mitigate those hazards.
CLINICAL DUTIES
To use a holistic assessment process, comprising several components e.g. use of 12 lead ECG, to identify straightforward or complex information and then use clinical judgement to determine correct and safe emergency treatment options. Where required use alternative care pathways e.g. admission to stroke units, PPCI utilisation and admission to level 2 and level 1 trauma centres.
Use locally agreed Emergency Department alternative pathways to safely refer patients on scene (see and treat) and to ensure appropriate safety netting is in place. Utilise non conveyance methods through the use of available alternative pathways.
To be proficient in advanced clinical skills e.g. drug therapy, IV cannulation, and I-Gel intubation, fluid replacement, needle cricothyrotomy and needle thoracentesis whilst adhering to local policies and procedures.
To perform advanced skills whilst travelling in a moving vehicle to a high standard ensuring the safety of the patient, yourself and significant others at all times.
To determine all patient care needs following a full assessment using local and national guidelines. To produce and implement emergency and non-emergency care autonomously ensuring that these are specific to patient needs.
May occasionally volunteer to participate in clinical trials and equipment testing as and when required.
When indicated, use your own significant clinical judgement to administer a wide range of treatments following a full clinical assessment. To independently decide on further treatment, transport or referral options.
To respond to a varied portfolio of patients suffering from a variety of medical and traumatic conditions.
To ensure continuous monitoring of all patients and be able to react appropriately to any unpredictable changes in the patient’s condition within the scope of practice of the post. To safely and confidently communicate these changes with significant others
Frequently deal with unpredictable, aggressive and distressed patients and members of the public who could pose a risk to themselves and others.

To be accountable for your clinical practice, employing all training and experience, whilst treating a patient as either a solo responder or as part of a crew.
To have an understanding of complex medical and social needs in a specialised pre-hospital environment and to be accountable for safe clinical care within that environment.
To act as an autonomous practitioner as per section 4 of the HCPC standards of proficiency and to assess and determine patient treatment options as per JRCALC (2016) national guidelines, and by utilising underpinning theoretical knowledge
OPERATIONAL DUTIES
To respond to all level of calls as instructed by EOC utilising either emergency or non-emergency driving skills. To adhere to all local and national policies and procedures related to driving emergency vehicles including claiming exemptions whilst driving under emergency conditions.
To act as scene ‘bronze’ commander when first on scene at multi agency or multi patient incidents until relieved by a member of staff of higher ranking grade.
To manage the workload of yourself and others when it is required e.g. at the scene of a multi-patient incident.
To operate in both internal and external environments that could pose a risk to staff, patients, relatives, carers and other agency personnel. This includes inclement weather (extremes of heat and cold), unpredictable terrain and various degrees of light and dark.
MANUAL HANDLING
Moving and handling patients (including bariatric patients) using a range of ambulance equipment on a daily basis. This will include the use of carry chairs, stretchers and extrication equipment (Scoop, spinal board).
Moving patients every shift from a range of environments including extrication from vehicles, moving down the stairs ensuring colleagues and patients safety at all times and employing all trust training techniques.
Ensure compliance with all relevant policies and procedures regarding manual handling techniques.
The post holder must keep up to date with any changes in legislation that affects manual handling within the workplace.
TEACHING/TRAINING/MENTORING
To take clinical responsibility for the supervision and mentoring of new or lesser qualified staff as per local guidelines and section 4 of the HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics. To ensure the continued supervision of new or lesser qualified members of staff undertaking tasks that you have delegated to them.
To communicate effectively with all education providers to ensure that trainees/students are effectively managed. To provide tasks that benefit the trainee/student/trust and to ensure that students who require further assessments are signposted to the most appropriate resource.
As a senior clinician to lead by example and to foster and promote the trusts values in all grades of staff.
To promote adherence to all trust policies and procedures i.e. effective IPC compliance and ensuring timely availability of resources.