Physician Associate

To provide clinical assessments of new referrals & reviews of existing service users under the care of the service the PA works for. To use medical & psychiatric history taking, physical examination, mental state examination, problem solving and clinical decision-making skills in carrying out this work. To formulate differential diagnoses and management plans with input as agreed by the supervising Consultant. The final or working diagnosis for a service user will need discussion at an appropriate time interval as agreed with the supervising Consultant.

Maintain service user records i.e. record test results, patient contacts.

Review and summarise patient notes for the purpose of contributing to discharge summaries and reports.

Assist the consultant by writing letters, chasing referrals/treatments and preparing medical notes.

Carry out agreed diagnostic and therapeutic procedures which will include (but not be limited to):

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Venepuncture

Interpretation of blood results

Mental state examination and psychiatric history taking

Cognitive assessment

To provide clinical assessments of new referrals & reviews of existing service users under the care of the service the PA works for. To use medical & psychiatric history taking, physical examination, mental state examination, problem solving and clinical decision-making skills in carrying out this work. To formulate differential diagnoses and management plans with input as agreed by the supervising Consultant. The final or working diagnosis for a service user will need discussion at an appropriate time interval as agreed with the supervising Consultant.

Maintain service user records i.e. record test results, patient contacts.

Review and summarise patient notes for the purpose of contributing to discharge summaries and reports.

Assist the consultant by writing letters, chasing referrals/treatments and preparing medical notes.

Carry out agreed diagnostic and therapeutic procedures which will include (but not be limited to):

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Interpretation of blood results

Mental state examination and psychiatric history taking

Cognitive assessment

Provide health promotion and disease prevention advice for service users, including those relating to smoking, drugs and alcohol.

Liaise with external (primary care and relevant secondary health care providers) and internal teams/departments relating to a service user's care or treatment needs.

Liaise with pharmacy regarding issues relating to medication.

Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, building good working relationships.

Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, handovers and other relevant clinical meetings.

To receive and communicate very sensitive, complex condition related information with service users, carers & relatives. The post holder will need to use a high degree of empathy and reassurance. To address any barriers to understanding resulting from the person's illness. Examples of this include: explaining to a service user the outcome of an initial assessment, including both physical health & mental health reasons relevant to their presentation (including any interplay between the two, such as in Delirium), any further investigations needed and treatment that will be offered; being able to adapt their approach depending on the service user's presentation (e.g. if the patient is cognitively impaired or acutely distressed); appropriate involvement of the service user's relatives and carers in discussions about their care, including considerations of the service user's consent and capacity to make decisions about this.

To manage exposure to occasional highly distressing or highly emotional circumstances.

Exposure to hazards, including those of working on acute mental health wards.

Support newly qualified PAs and the allocation of student PAs placements

Contribute to the development and education of the PA role at Sussex Partnership, including educating other staff groups on the role of a PA.

Contribute to the training of doctors in training as part of the regular National rotations.

Respond in a timely way to requests to assess or review service users physical and/or mental health and provide advice to staff on further management/investigations/ interventions.

Undertake assessment and assistance to ward staff in the event of medical emergencies.

Provide psycho-educational support to service users and carers/families.

Support proactive screening and interventions with regard to the physical health of service users.

Take a lead in planning service user care programmes as well as organising and coordinating of case conferences and multidisciplinary teams or activities.

To be seen as the clinical practitioner specialising in their specialty (i.e. CAMHS, Liaison, etc) and accountable for their own professional actions within their team.

In keeping with General Medical Council guidance, the post holder will be responsible for their own practice but working under the supervision of a Consultant Psychiatrist. The supervising Consultant does not need to be physically present when the PA is carrying out their duties but must always be available for consultation if required. There will also be regular supervision meetings to support the PA's ongoing development in the role; the level of supervision will be agreed between the post holder and supervising Consultant but will not be less than monthly in frequency.

Qualifications

Knowledge & Experience

Desirable: - Experience of working within a mental health environment; - Lived experience of mental health issues

Skills

Abilities

Approach & Values