GP Cardiologist

Integration between primary and secondary care is widely acknowledged to bring advantages to patients and their families through, increased accessibility and improved patient experience; to health care economies through enhanced cost-effectiveness and better value; and to practitioners who may experience opportunities for enhanced professional satisfaction.

OUH seeks to appoint several GP-Cardiologists to develop our services to patients closer to home. Our approach to Community Cardiology is to recruit and train a of motivated, high-caliber general practitioners, who are committed to seeking high standards of patient care for those with known or suspected cardiovascular disease, and who are committed to enhancing both the patient experience of care, and the value created by the healthcare system.

The aims of the posts are

The GP Cardiologist will be responsible for assessing, analysing and forming a diagnosis and management plan for patients with known or suspected cardiovascular disease attending the Community Cardiology Clinic.

Assessments will include a history, physical examination and interpretation of an ECG in almost all cases, and may include the integration of data from echocardiography, exercise testing, heart rhythm monitoring, and more specialized imaging, although a provisional report will be provided by the physiologist in all cases.

The GP-Cardiologist will make a diagnosis, and communicate this to the patient and carers / family, and will make recommendations concerning, for example, lifestyle modifications, medications, need for further investigations, and need and location for follow up (whether with own GP, in community cardiology, or in secondary care).

The GP Cardiologist will communicate the outcomes of the consultation to the GP and to secondary care, and will complete all necessary administration relating to the consultation and to the service, including requesting, reviewing and endorsing all results of investigations.

GP Cardiologists will be responsible for triaging all cardiology GP referrals. These may be triaged directly to the community cardiology service, or to specific services within OUH. Where the referral can be managed without a face-to-face consultation, the GP will write to the referring GP with advice.

GP Cardiologists will contribute to the management, organisation, governance, educational and academic programs of the clinical service unit. GP Cardiologists will attend and contribute to teaching sessions; will contribute to the intellectual development and academic activities of the department, and may contribute to teaching and training.

Qualifications

Essential: - GMC Registration with licence to work; - MRCGP; - MB BS or Equivalent

Desirable: - Post-graduate exams relevant to Cardiology e.g. MRCP, and / or Post-graduate Diploma in Cardiology

Experience

Skills and Knowledge

Desirable: - Demonstrable commitment to cardiology, e.g. posters, presentations, audits, abstracts, papers, research projects, publications relevant to Cardiology

Other

Essential: - Full Registration with the GMC and a License to Practice; - Able to commit to at least one session per week; - Able to travel to community cardiology clinics

Desirable: - Able to commit to more than one session per week