Physician’s Associate - Virtual Hospital Service

Band 7 Physician's Associate for Virtual Hospital Services This is an exciting opportunity to join the RBFT’s Virtual Hospital Services (VHS) directorate, which is at the forefront of delivering new models of care through its Virtual Ward, named the Virtual Acute Care Unit (VACU). Our services care for patients with a variety of conditions, including those with respiratory conditions, general medical conditions and infections, who would otherwise be in a hospital setting. This care is provided to them in the comfort of a place they call home using personal remote monitoring equipment and daily consultations that enable them to safely leave the hospital setting sooner or provide an alternative to a tradition in-patient admission. Our service works across many specialties and departments, and is integrated with our Acute Medical team and microbiology services where we provide a Virtual Clinical Infection Service, the COVID Medicine Delivery Unit (CMDU) and looking to expand into providing IV therapies remotely. Point Of Care Testing (POCT), and in-particular Point Of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) and pathology, is an enabler for our pathways, and is an essential component in our service where we look to optimise diagnostics and earlier intervention at the bedside and in time in their home. Training and experience in this area will be offered and supported. A specialist Physician Associate within the Virtual Hospital Service and a member of a multi-disciplinary team within the Urgent Care Group. Provides holistic care for patients suitable for Virtual Acute Care management, making clinical diagnosis and decisions, within scope of practice, based on clinical examination skills, evidence-based practice and Trust protocols. Utilises Point Of Care Tests, including the use of Ultrasound, to support patient management and extended clinical skills. To work across both sites and outreach into to patients homes. To develop and maintain supportive working relationships with multidisciplinary colleagues in order to ensure continuity and quality of care for a caseload of patients. To assist the Virtual Hospital team in the development of the service. NHS England and NHS improvement have asked for virtual services to be extended across the country; our service is expanding, where we seeks enthusiastic clinicians whom wish to support this expansion through shaping its design and service development. Come and join a friendly innovative team where we aim to try new ways of working, and use technology to our patients advantage. We offer training and support, and can help maintain clinical skills and build new ones, whilst being exposed to our partner departments. Please note, despite the Virtual nature of this role, staff are required to work on the acute site at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, at the spoke site based in the University of Reading and undertake assessments in patient's homes. There will be opportunities to work remotely from home following a successful probationary period and in discussion with the line manager. The Virtual Hospital Service directorate, formed in 2022, was created following the pandemic as a result of an innovative service that supported COVID patients to be managed at home. The goal of our service now is to manage a range of patients that would ordinarily be in an acute hospital bed. This is achieved through providing admission alternatives and facilitating early transfer to the Virtual Acute Care Unit, also known as the place they call home. We have closes links with Wards and departments, especially our ambulatory and same day emergency care teams. Whilst under our care, patients are managed remotely with the use of virtual and remote technologies. We assess, make a management plan and titrate treatments. Our service is expanding, and now includes our Clinical Infection Service, as well as our proposed hospital at home arm. The service is managed by a multidisciplinary team, which includes, Nurses, Physician’s Associates, pharmacists, clinical administration and medical teams.