Specialist GPinGillinghaminGillinghamPUBLISHED FRI 7 FEB 2025

Due to retirement, our community orthopaedic clinical assessment service is looking for a specialist GP with experience of orthopaedics and MSK to join the team. The post is for 1-2 days a week (2-4 sessions), working in a community setting within Medway and/or Swale. You will work alongside a large group of senior AHP staff from a range of professional backgrounds. You will contribute to the triage, clinical assessment, pathway management and treatment of patients.

You will need experience of peripheral joint and soft tissue injections and a willingness to learn or complete ultrasound guided injections and basic diagnostic screening.

• To offer high quality, complex MSK assessment to the population of Medway and Swale
• To practice in accordance with the GMC's code of professional conduct and within the local policies and pathways of Medway community healthcare
• Have a lead role in the development, implementation and evaluation of the clinical elements, acting as an expert MSK resource.
• To provide clinical leadership to other practitioners (eg nurses or other advanced practitioners) to ensure OCAS offers a safe, quality service to patients at all times
• To provider clinical supervision for other staff members and the act as the lead prescribing clinician within the team.

About us

1. Knowledge, training and experience

Ability to liaise effectively and collaboratively with a multi-disciplinary team.

A medical practitioner currently practising within primary care.

Holder of vocational training qualification in general practice and evidence of special interest in MSK medicine.

Good IT knowledge and skills are required as the practice is fully computerised, and previous experience of an electronic patient record clinical system is essential.

Responsibility for ensuring continuing professional development in line with current research and evidence-based practice.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to form a therapeutic rapport with patients and to interact with and motivate staff from diverse backgrounds, in both verbal and written formats.

2. Analytical and judgement skills

To undertake the comprehensive highly specialist assessment and differential diagnosis of spinal and peripheral MSK conditions including those with diverse or complex presentation, multi-pathology and co-existing psychological conditions.

To appropriately request investigation and interpret results including imaging e.g. x-ray, ultrasound, MRI and biochemistry, haematology tests to assist in the formation of a diagnosis and management plan.

Interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical data to formulate accurate differential diagnoses.

To use advanced analytical and clinical reasoning skills, interpretation of test results to and transfer care onto Orthopaedic consultants and/or refer on to another appropriate services.

To assess patient understanding of treatment proposals, gain valid informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework.

To analyse a variety of information from both clinical assessment and diagnostic tests to write up specialist programmes of care and reports.

Using clinical judgement to refer onto other professionals e.g. consultant rheumatologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, for opinions, operations and further specialist management.

To re-evaluate the patient condition which may change as a result of pathological processes, growth, maturation, aging and the effects of treatment.

Post holder will advise less experience members of staff on best practice and treatment plans to follow.

Post holder will be involved in the assessment of staff competency, facilitating supervision of non-medical prescribing and injection therapy skills.

To be responsible for the diagnosis and care planning of complex MSK presentations.

To understand complex presentations and information and use judgement skills to formulate solutions, recommending / deciding on the best course of action / treatment.

Planning and organisational skills

To plan and prioritise own and others workload, balancing the demands of patient care, support and guidance of carers and professionals

To maintain and promote the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the GMC

Physical skills

To have highly developed computer skills to maintain patient records, prepare reports, prepare and deliver presentations, clinical audit, research and to support other organisational need and clinical practice.

Responsible for own safe and competent use of all gym and electrical equipment, patient appliances and aids from own caseload.

To be responsible for equipment used in carrying out duties and to adhere to departmental policy, including competence to use equipment and to ensure the safe use of equipment by others through teaching training and supervision of practice.

To accurately administer corticosteroid and/or local anaesthetic injections to joint or soft tissues.

To assess, measure accurately and provide patients with required orthotic devices or braces.

Keyboard skills with an understanding of various software packages, including the intranet and internet and the formulation of spreadsheets. Updating all relevant records on the patient record.

Provide a range of interventions and assessments in relation to MSK care therefore a high degree of dexterity is required.

3. Responsibility for patient / client care

Develops specialist programmes of care following an advanced clinical assessment of patients with complex musculoskeletal presentations.

To undertake injection therapy for patients (peripheral joints and soft tissue) ideally this would include the ability to complete guided injections under ultrasound.

To review and make appropriate prescribing decisions within the remit of the service i.e. managing pain and MSK conditions.

To adhere to the local clinical pathways, and to work within the prescribing formulary taking account of the minimum recommended length of prescribed treatment.

To maintain a high degree of clinical knowledge and skill, supported by evidence based practice.

To be responsible for following up all diagnostic tests requested and determining a suitable care plan based on results and the initial assessment.

4. Responsibility for policy and service development implementation

The post holder will be responsible for development and implementation of policy and/or services improvements as required within MSK services. This will include making recommendations to decision makers and wider system partners when appropriate.

To ensure they adhere to organisational policies and professional body guidelines.

Responsibilities for financial and physical resources

Ensure that MCHs therapy services are at the forefront of practice and service developments within the management of musculoskeletal conditions, working openly with others at a local and national level to share knowledge and skills.

Work with the medical, nursing and therapy leads to ensure that the service responds to local and national initiatives and policy such as national service frameworks, strategies and NICE guidelines.

Use the best available evidence and expert opinion to evaluate current practices in own work and that of the team, and to ensure that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually monitored and improved.

The post holder is responsible for the safe use of equipment and to highlight in the event of equipment failure.

To ensure best use of resources within the service and to ensure best use of system resource through appropriate diagnostic requesting and onward referrals.

Responsibilities for human resources (HR)

Create a positive learning environment for therapy staff.

Be an expert educational resource providing specialist teaching and instruction, and assist or support colleagues undertaking higher education and audit projects.

Promote the sharing of expertise and influence the development of practice.

Responsible for maintaining own competency to practice through a variety of CPD activities.

Participate in peer review through active membership of appropriate clinical networks and participate in supervision and individual performance review processes as both appraiser and appraisee.

The post holder will have no direct reports but will have responsibilities for supervision, coordination, teaching, training and development of employees, students/trainees and others.

The post holder may be involved in recruitment and selection, mentoring and coaching.

Responsibilities for information resources

Post holder follows organisational and professional standards relating to record keeping when collecting any patient information

To ensure the effective collection and timely submission of clinical information and data to support decision making and the management and delivery of care

The post holder will complete all documentation within an electronic patient record and will ensure these are completed in line with professional guidelines.

Responsibilities for research and development (R&D)

Undertake quality research into defined aspects of research into musculoskeletal condition management.

Disseminate the results of research/audit/expert practice at local, national and international level.

Actively participate in clinical audit and clinical governance activities to enable a high quality of service and promote service development.

To maintain your own continuous professional development (CPD) and contribute to your own enhanced personal development performance through continuously developing your own knowledge and skills to meet the current and future requirements of the job and respond to the learning needs of the service.

To participate in relevant training and mentorship, including to remain up to date with statutory and mandatory training.

To attend weekly supervision meetings with the whole team and to help facilitate discussions, especially in relation to any medical elements of presentations.

Freedom to act

Ability to work on own initiative and accept personal accountability

Responsibility for implementation of research based clinical practice raising quality standards of clinical care and to ensure that this is reflected within the written clinical protocols

Plan your own workload. Escalate concerns to senior managers guided by defined policy and procedures

To be a fully autonomous clinician accountable for own actions and clinical decisions, working within the pathways agreed within the Medway and Swale locality.

Physical effort (refer to effort factor questionnaire)

Areas of the role which may require physical effort either as a sustained or sudden requirement. The frequency should also be given, ie as an occasional or on-going requirement. Moving / transferring patients / clients, moving equipment, long periods of driving or inputting at a keyboard should also be identified.