Croydon Health Services NHS Trust

Croydon University Hospital

SENIOR HOUSE OFFICER/TRUST GRADE IN ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY

CROYDON HEALTH SERVICES

Croydon Health Services is one of the largest provider units in the South West Thames Region. It serves a population of 340,000 people living and working in the London Borough of Croydon and its surrounding areas.

It provides acute health services, family care services (including community midwifery services), diagnostic services (including CT scanning), acute care of the elderly with some long stay and respite beds and non-clinical support services as well as community.

CROYDON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Croydon University Hospital is an acute General Hospital with 740 beds. It is the main District General Hospital for Croydon, with a 24 hour Accident and Emergency Service providing major accident cover.

The Hospital provides facilities for all the major specialities, in addition, specialists functions provided include a Cardiac Unit, Child Assessment Unit, and Infectious Diseases Unit. All the Pathology Laboratories are situated at Croydon University Hospital providing services for the District and also for the Environmental Health Services. The Hospital also accommodates the Croydon Eye Unit and the Croydon Chest Clinic, and provides Audiometry, Speech Therapy and EEG Services to other Hospitals within the District.

There is a modern Post Graduate Centre with its own Library, Lecture and Tutorial Rooms. Croydon University Hospital takes part in training of undergraduate medical students from King’s College Hospital Medical School, St. George’s Hospital Medical School, Charing Cross and Westminster Hospital Medical School, as well as Middlesex Hospital Medical School.

The Hospital is situated in the North of the Borough, and is about a mile from the centre of Croydon with its extensive shopping and entertainment complex. The Hospital is also very close to the Centre of London, with easy access especially with frequent trains leaving the Croydon Central Station with an average journey of 15 minutes.

THE ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

There is a major Accident and Emergency service available on a 24 hour basis at Croydon University Hospital. This Department is the busiest in the South West Thames Region, seeing over 110,000 patients per year, a significant proportion of which are classified as majors. The Department is computerised and has its own X Ray Unit, Plaster Room and theatre. There is a 5 bedded Resuscitation Area. The department has recently opened an eight bedded Clinical Decision Unit and a four bedded Rapid Assessment Unit. There are four Physicians Assistants working in the department who provide a phlebotomy service.

The Department has an excellent library and receives:

• The British Medical Journal
• Archives of Emergency Medicine
• The Journal of Hand Surgery
• Injury
• Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
• Quarterly Journal of Emergency Medicine Clinics
• Pre-Hospital Immediate Care Journal
• Resuscitation

The Departments runs a daily Review Clinic, and a twice-weekly Acute Hand Clinic, and in addition has access to two operating sessions per week in the Day Care Surgical Unit.

The Department has a satellite Minor Injuries Unit in New Addington, which is nurse lead and managed by a team of Emergency Nurse Practitioners.

Staffing

The medical team consists of:

• 3 Consultants (Mr K. Hashemi, Mr C J Blakeley and Dr K Channing)
• 4 Specialist Registrars on the South Thames Rotation
• 3 Clinical Fellows
• 1 Trust Registrar
• 2 Staff Grades
• 16 Senior House Officers/Trust Grades

There are also ENPs working within the department. The majority of the nursing staff have extended skills and are able to compliment the treatment administered by doctors. Both the Physiotherapy Department and the Occupational Therapy Department have very close links with the working of the A&E Department. There are also Community liaison team members located in the Department.

Duties of the post

The role of the Senior House Officer/Trust Grade will primarily be clinical.

1. Clinical

   The Senior House Officer/Trust Grade doctor will work under the direct supervision of the middle grades and consultants, there is middle grade presence within the department from 08.00 – 02.00 each day including weekends. The appointee will take part in a 16 doctor rota.

2. Teaching

   The department runs a comprehensive teaching programme for SHO and Trust Grade doctors, who will be expected to attend their weekly teaching sessions.

3. Research and Audit

   The department is actively involved in various short and long term research projects, and the Senior House Officer/Trust Grade are encouraged to get involved with on-going projects, and can also embark on new research projects with the advice and co-operation of the consultant.

The Department also runs regular monthly audit meetings involving all the medical staff, and at present plans are at hand to expand this to include the rest of the staff, as well as other departments. Each Senior House Officer/Trust Grade will be given an audit project to complete within their six months under the supervision of their middle grade mentor.

Clinical Development

Croydon University Hospital runs both ATLS and ALS courses on a six monthly basis. The Senior House Officer/Trust Grade, along with all other medical staff, will undergo regular appraisal based upon the Foundation Year 2 guidelines.

Emergency Duties

The rota is of a Full-shift pattern and currently is paid at band 1A.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE AND TRUST POLICY

All appointments in the National Health Service are subject to conditions set out in the handbook – Terms and Conditions of Service for Hospital Medical and Dental Staff – which should be read in conjunction with General Whitley Council Conditions of Service. Copies of regulations can be obtained from the Medical HR Department.

REGISTRATION

It is a condition of your appointment to be registered with the General Medical Council and maintain this registration

It is your responsibility to present certificates to the Medical HR Department on an annual basis. Failure to maintain registration could lead to disciplinary action being taken against you.

CONFIDENTIALITY

All personal matters relating to patients’ diagnosis and treatment and personal information relating to members of staff are strictly confidential and under no circumstances is such information to be divulged to unauthorised person(s). Breach of this condition will result in disciplinary action including dismissal. A breach of confidentiality may also result in a civil action for damages.

REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS

This post is not protected by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, Exemption Order 1975. All matters relating to all convictions in a court of law, excluding minor road traffic offences, must be disclosed to the Trust no matter when they occurred. The Employee will immediately inform the Trust if the Employee is charged (and convicted) with any criminal offence, other than minor motoring offences. The failure to disclose previous and current convictions may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal.

PERFORMANCE/CAPABILITY

Continuation of your appointment under this Agreement is subject to satisfactory performance. Your performance and progress in relation to agreed standards will be reviewed at regular intervals with your Head of Department/Supervisor.

Unsatisfactory performance could be considered as grounds for action under the Trust’s Disciplinary/Capability Procedures.

IT REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL MEDICAL STAFF

It is a condition of employment that all medical staff comply with the Trust’s IT policy in respect of secure use and safeguarding confidentiality.

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust IT Policy for medical staff

It is a condition of employment that the post holder:

• Attend and satisfactorily completes training on Trust’s clinical IT systems as they relate to the medical care and management of patients
• Conforms to the Trust’s IT security policy, which includes:
  • Safeguarding the confidentiality of his/her password
  • Not allowing the use of his/her password by anyone else
  • Logging off promptly at the end of each task
  • Not using other people’s passwords
  • Not misusing the Internet facilities available through the Trust’s IT system
  • Safeguarding patient confidentiality
• The Trust will require all medical staff to hold the European Community Computer ‘Driving License’ as soon as this becomes a requirement for continued registration with the General Medical Council.
• The Trust will provide adequate IT training.

The Trust monitors the use of its IT facilities, passwords, e-mail and Internet traffic.

Failure to comply with the Trust’s IT security policy will be taken seriously and may result in formal disciplinary action and has resulted in dismissal for severe offences.

ANNUAL LEAVE

Your entitlement for this appointment will be 14 days.

Application for leave must be applied for, giving six weeks’ notice. The application must be signed by a Consultant member of the Department and forwarded to the HR Department.

If leave forms are not received in Human Resources or if they are not completed appropriately, the leave request will be declined.

Annual Leave application forms can be obtained from the Intranet or via Human Resources.

Study Leave Guidelines

Completed application forms should be handed in to the Centre Manager, PGMC, at least 6 weeks before the requested study leave. Plan Ahead! Please discuss all aspects of forthcoming study leave requirements with your educational supervisor and college tutor soon after taking up your post so that it can be properly planned and coordinated.

NOTE: Late or incomplete applications may be rejected. Retrospective applications will not be considered. Please read the guidelines attached to the application for further information.

Study leave allowance is 30 days per annum for SHO, and SpRs and not more than half will be allowed per six months. One weeks study leave is considered as 7 days (Monday to Sunday) irrespective of on-call duties.

The study application form is obtained from Postgraduate Medical Centre.

SICKNESS REPORTING

If you are unable to work due to sickness you must notify your Consultant and the HR Department giving details of nature of illness and expected period of absence. It is not sufficient to leave a message with a colleague or details on a voice mail. Failure to do this will result in nil pay.

Locum cover can only be approved by the General/Business Manager of the specialty.

A Trust self certificate is required for all days up to 7 days of absence. [including any day from Monday to Sunday]. Absence beyond 7 days requires a medical certificate obtained from your doctor and sent to HR Department. Sick leave cannot be paid without the completed Trust certificate having been returned to HR.

You will be subject to the Trust’s policy of Sickness Absence.

ROTA CHANGES

If you decide to swap on-call with a colleague you must discuss it with your Consultant, notify Switchboard and HR. If the person you swap with goes off sick, then you will be responsible for the cover.

DIARY CARDS

Diary Cards will be undertaken for at least one, two-week period during your appointment. You are required to complete these on a daily basis and return to Human Resources. This is part of your Educational Contract with the Postgraduate Dean and Contract of Employment with Croydon Health Services NHS Trust.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Trust is committed to the concept of Equal Opportunities, which is detailed in the organisation’s Equal Opportunities Policy. You are required to fulfil your responsibilities under this Policy and to ensure that no individual receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of their gender, sexual orientation, martial status, disability, religion, creed, colour, race, ethnic, national origin, HIV status, age, social background, trade union membership or non-membership and is not placed at a disadvantage by requirements or conditions which cannot be shown to be justifiable.

A&E Person Specification

	Essential Criteria	Desirable Criteria
EDUCATION / QUALIFICATIONS	Batchelor of Medicine Batchelor of Surgery	Life Support courses / training
FURTHER TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE		Personal experience of audit
APTITUDE AND SKILLS	Enthusiastic, hard-working
EXPERIENCE	Satisfactory completion of Pre-registration year or FY1
PERSONALITY AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES	Good member of team