Clinical Triage Clinician

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Functions

To signpost, refer and support access to out of hospital services, primary and secondary care.

To clearly identify urgent and non-urgent referrals and allocate patient to the appropriate pathway as appropriate.

To interrogate the Trusts Information systems with the purpose of eliciting patient information to support the decision-making process.

To liaise with relevant Health Care Professionals and Carers (with appropriate consent) to elicit relevant patient information which supports the decision making process.

To work collaboratively with colleagues to provide a high-quality clinical triage service to the Trusts other Health care Professionals.

To build close working relationships with the referral sources by assisting in   the development of pathways from the Clinical Triage team to other providers and agencies to ensure that effective sign posting, and pathways are maintained.

Act in accordance with current local Warwickshire Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Trust guidelines/policy to protect vulnerable adults.

Act within the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and/or another Professional Group.

Communication

Develop and maintain effective communication networks including within complex situations, with service users, health care professionals and other statutory and voluntary organisations.

Receives highly sensitive information on a daily basis from a variety of referral sources both external and internal.

The post holder will communicate effectively by telephone, letter, email and fax.

Communicates effectively at all levels.

Clinician is responsible for gathering and imparting information at all levels.

Use effective communication skills, both oral and in written format, to communicate complex, sensitive and often contentious information to a wide range of people including, clinical and non-clinical staff.

Analysis and Judgement

Promotes and maintains accurate record keeping and conforms to SWFT policy, professional group policy and data protection legislation.

Uses resources effectively and being aware of budgetary constraints including ordering of equipment.

Planning and Organisational Skills

Supervise and direct work undertaken by other members of the skill mix team on a daily basis.

Direct responsibility for the day to day peer supervision and performance of the clinical triage team.

Responsibility for Patient Care

Acts as patient’s advocate where appropriate.

Be proactive in offering health promotion and participate in health promotion activities where appropriate.

Policy and Service Development

Understanding of national policy and guidance with the ability to interpret and implement at service level.

Participate in and contribute to service redesign and policy development to benefit patient care.

Responsibility for Human Resources

To identify workforce planning issues and actively participate in the recruitment, selection and retention of clinical staff.

Ensure team members are up to date with mandatory and statutory training.

Responsible for Performance Development Reviews for staff within the team.

Professional Responsibilities and Freedom to Act

The post holder will be expected to undertake Clinical Triage and make decisions based on good Information and thus will be responsible for information gathering.

The post holder will be expected to make complex decisions on the information gathered.

The post holder will have sole responsibility within agreed guidance regarding decision.

The post holder will be supervised by a designated Team Manager.

The post holder will be advised by the Team Manager.

The post holder is an autonomous clinician and will work within the local and national guidelines expected for the position.

Undertakes clinical assessments.

Interpret national guidance on NMC guidelines and/or other Professional Groups.

Promote and participate in clinical supervision.

Maintain clinical and professional competencies in accordance with relevant statutory legislation and guidance relevant to health professionals and their services.

Responsibility for Research & Development

Ensure standards, protocols and policies are evidence based and applied to practice.

Keep abreast of current clinical issues thus always promoting best practice.

Critique and use research to inform practice.

Participates and leads when appropriate in clinical audits.

General

The Trust endorses the principle of whether people smoke or not is a matter of personal choice but where they smoke is a matter of public concern. The policy on smoking and health protects non-smokers and requires that all Trust premises are smoke free.

Physical and Mental Effort

The post holder may be required to operate as a lone worker in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

The post holder will be required to concentrate for prolonged periods of time.

The post holder will be required to work at a pace to manage periods of high volume of calls as required.

The post holder will be required to complete clinical triage process with the ability to focus on multiple computer systems in tandem.

Organisational Responsibilities

Information Security and Confidentiality

During the course of your employment you may have access to, see or hear information of a confidential nature and you are required not to disclose such information, particularly relating to patients or staff.  All person identifiable information must be held in the strictest confidence and should be disclosed only to authorised people in accordance with NHS Confidentiality Guidelines and the Data Protection Act 1998 unless explicit written consent has been give by the person identified, or where information sharing protocols exist.

Standards for Better Health

The Standards for Better Health works as a framework for continuous improvement in quality of the care that people receive. As an employee you will be expected to work within this framework and assist with the process of ensuring that the Trust offers effective and high-quality services.

Risk Management

Staff at all levels has a responsibility for ensuring that risks are managed at work group and local level.  This process will include the assessment and effective control of all acceptable risk situations.

As an employee you will be expected to maintain a high level of awareness and assist in the process of reporting incidents, assessing risks and reporting unsafe occurrences and co-operate with any investigations undertaken.

Employees will be required to adhere to all Trust policies and procedures and attend statutory and mandatory training.

Equality & Diversity Aims

As a member of staff at the Trust you have a personal responsibility to ensure you do not discriminate, harass or bully or contribute to the discrimination, harassment or bullying of any colleague(s), patients, carers or visitors or condone discrimination, harassment or bullying by others.

Standards of Business Conduct & Conflict of Interest

The NHS Code of Conduct and Standards of Business conduct for NHS Staff require all employees to declare all situations where you or a close relative or associate has a controlling interest in a business [such as a private company, public organisation or other NHS or voluntary organisation] or in any activity which may compete for any NHS contracts to supply goods or services to the Trust.  All such interests must be declared in WCH’s register of interests either on appointment or when such interests are gained.