Associate Specialist Community Paediatrician

at  Medway Community Healthcare CIC

Are you an experienced paediatrician ?
Are you looking for a new challenge within the children’s sector ?
Do you have excellent interpersonal skills?
If you answered yes, we’ve got the perfect role for you!
MCH children’s services provides an innovative multi disciplinary service in the Medway area. The post holder will work in the neurodisability service and the diagnostic service leading the medical care within the MDT. Working in partnership with other professionals is key to the success of the pathways to ensure full multidisciplinary working that improves the patient experience.
The post holder will be a crucial part of the multidisciplinary team and will be expected to work on their own for individual assessments but also to work as part of the MDT attending joint clinics and producing joint reports and patient plans.
MCH was awarded the children’s community health contract in June 18 which has bought together 19 children’s community health services. Delivery of care is through the rainbow model (below) and the post holder will work violet neurodisability service and the indigo diagnostic service leading the medical care within the MDT. Working in partnership with the therapists and nurses is key to the success of the pathways to ensure full multidisciplinary working that improves the patient experience.

So what else?

• This is your chance to join a progressive and innovative service in a social enterprise that is patient and staff focused - you’ll even have the opportunity to become an MCH shareholder.
• We encourage staff to get involved in exploring new ways of working and service development.
• We’ll provide well established, in-service training, one to one supervision, and appraisals with regular support.
• You’ll be able to develop your skills in a friendly and supportive team.

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important work life balance is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

The small print

• Informal visits can be arranged on request.
• We will offer you the choice of two pension schemes; the NHS Pension scheme and the scottish widows group pension scheme.
• MCH encourages all staff to be double COVID vaccinated to protect themselves, their colleagues, their family and their patients.

1.Responsibility for client care

The successful applicant would be expected to lead in or contribute as needed to the following clinical areas:

• Working within the Violet pathway to assess children with developmental delay and disability.
• Working within the Indigo MDT Diagnostics service with children who present with a range of neurodiversity presentations.
• Contribute to holistic multidisciplinary and multiagency management plans.
• Provide medical advice as part of the EHC assessment process.

2.Communication and relationship skills

• Work with clinical colleagues, medical secretaries, administrators and managers.
• The post holder will be expected to take an active role in training that includes the whole team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills required with the ability to chair family meetings.
• To provide, receive and organise information (which may be complex/sensitive) liaising with other teams, internal and external agencies
• To motivate and lead through staff involvement and development to ensure clinical excellence and parity of service for all children on the caseload
• To work proactively with the wider team to achieve service objectives.
• Partnership working and excellent communication with tertiary and secondary centres for the management of children requiring additional specialist interventions

3.Knowledge, training and experience

• Experience working within community paediatrics
• Experience of supervising and supporting less experienced staff and the ability to work in conjunction with nurses and therapists to develop the pathway
• To keep up to date with statutory and mandatory training.
• To be able to demonstrate high quality evidence-based practice in the field of neurodevelopmental and neuro disability childhood conditions.
• Ensure compliance with national guidelines, and to develop collection and use of outcome measures.
• To ensure appropriate clinical leadership, supervision, and development arrangements are in place.
• To promote a culture of continuous quality improvement and participate in the Trust Quality Improvement programme.
• To carry out investigations of and implement recommendations following incidents and complaints.
• To ensure the service operates in accordance with MCH priorities, policies and protocols.
• To ensure the development and review of clinical Policies and Procedures and responses to reports/audits by external groups and agencies.
• To ensure sound leadership in the area of safeguarding attending meetings and submitting timely reports as needed.
• An active role in the departmental postgraduate programme is expected.
• The post holder will be subject to annual enhanced appraisals in line with Trust policy and with GMC Revalidation requirements. Job plans are subject to review once a year by the post holder and the Lead Consultant

4.Analytical and judgement skills

• Excellent decision making and diagnostic skills required
• Responsible for differential diagnosis through a range of appropriate tests (formal and informal)
• Liaison with primary, secondary and tertiary care is expected.
• Liaison with social services, education and the local authority is required
• Ability to assess children when there are child protection concerns and experience of providing safeguarding/child protection supervision.

5.Planning and organisational skills

• Responsible for prioritising and managing own workload and being able to work under pressure in order to meet tight timescales and deadlines whilst managing conflicting demands.
• Support and undertake audit and research projects
• Lead on service planning and development jointly with the wider team.

6.Physical skills

• Ability to travel between diverse sites across Medway.
• Strong IT skills

7.Responsibility for policy and service development implementation

• To follow and implement organisational policies and procedures.
• To develop and propose changes to service model to ensure on-going best practice
• To be an active participant within the medicine’s management team.

8.Responsibilities for financial and physical resources

• To demonstrate and apply a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and risk management to the work situation and manage clinical risk within your own caseload and that of less senior staff.
• To be aware of Health and Safety Policies with the Medway Community Healthcare CIC and other areas of work and propose changes to service model to ensure on-going best practice

9.Responsibilities for human resources (HR)

• To share specialist knowledge through training for the workforce in children’s services

10.Responsibilities for information resources

• Regular requirement to operate IT systems to monitor caseloads, maintain clinical records and report as required
• To support the Head of Service by providing accurate and regular reporting of incidents, risk and compliance outcomes

11.Responsibilities for research and development (R&D)

• To lead and participate in research and audit opportunities within specialist area of knowledge around paediatric conditions, including contribution to national research programmes. The departmental audit programme is organised on a 12 monthly cycle.

12.Freedom to act

• Works on own initiative, guided by defined parameters, and manages and priorities own work
• Works within GMC, BACCH and RCPCH code of conduct and best practice guidance
• Follows organisation policies and procedures.

8.Responsibilities for financial and physical resources

• To demonstrate and apply a sound understanding of Clinical Governance and risk management to the work situation and manage clinical risk within your own caseload and that of less senior staff.
• To be aware of Health and Safety Policies with the Medway Community Healthcare CIC and other areas of work and propose changes to service model to ensure on-going best practic

9.Responsibilities for human resources (HR)

• To share specialist knowledge through training for the workforce in children’s service

10.Responsibilities for information resources

• Regular requirement to operate IT systems to monitor caseloads, maintain clinical records and report as required
• To support the Head of Service by providing accurate and regular reporting of incidents, risk and compliance outcome

11.Responsibilities for research and development (R&D)

• To lead and participate in research and audit opportunities within specialist area of knowledge around paediatric conditions, including contribution to national research programmes. The departmental audit programme is organised on a 12 monthly cycle