Physician Associate Urgent Care

The Mental Health Urgent Care Department (MHUCD), is an innovative service that has been commissioned to provide urgent mental health care in the Mid and South Essex ICS. The service will cater to adults over the age of 18, who are experiencing a mental health crisis and will be based in a new, purpose built department based at the Basildon Mental Health Unit on the Basildon Hospital site. When the service is fully functional it will cover the councils of Basildon, Brentwood, Thurrock, Chelmsford, Braintree and Maldon. The department will offera therapeutic mental health setting to assess urgent mental health presentations which might otherwise have been seen in the A+E department. The service will offer a comprehensive assessment and onward care planning through a diverse and highly skilled mental health workforce incorporating support workers, peer coaches, social worker, nurses and doctors. The service will work closely with existing urgent mental health care pathways and other appropriate services in the local health and social care system, including voluntary care sector organisations, to provide holistic and person centred care. The service will also be working closely with the Basildon A+E department in being able to offer a limited range of physical health interventions in the department itself and if appropriate for onward referral to relevant specialties in the general hospital.

The post holder will be accountable for ensuring that high quality patient care is delivered at all times. The Physician Associate will be supervised by a designated consultant with regular meetings to support on-going development within the role. The Physician Associate will attend regular CPD sessions to support on-going development. They will be set clear objectives and will be assessed against them by the end of the first year. General Requirements Physician Associates will be based on the MHUCD at the Basildon site psychiatric inpatient wards at EPUT but may also be asked to undertake work in conjunction with Crisis or other Community teams. Physician Associates will be expected to work flexibly and co-operatively with other members of the clinical team and will be required to cover for colleagues during periods of absence. The Physician Associate role will complement other roles in the team and strengthen the multi-disciplinary team. They will have continuing responsibility for patients in association with others in the clinical team. They will ensure accurate records are maintained. Physician Associates will be supported to undertake mandatory training and other training specific to their role. They will undergo an annual PDR or appraisal in relation to the agreed objectives in advance.