RCGP Scotland Interface Groups Primary Care Clinical Lead

In April 2018, RCGP Scotland received funding from the Scottish Government and embarked on the delivery of the three-year Primary and Secondary Care Interface Groups Project. The aim of this was to offer support to Health Boards and Integration Authorities in the creation or further development of primary-secondary care Interface Groups. The project aimed to improve efficiency, build and enhance professional relationships, address local relevant factors and, ultimately, improve the quality and safety of patient care. RCGP Scotland have now been granted a further three years of funding by the Scottish Government to build on the first phase of the project as well as to explore and improve wider interface working with the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD).

RCGP Scotland is looking to appoint a primary care Clinical Lead to effectively deliver this project and the wider interface work with the CfSD. The primary care Clinical Lead will be in post for approximately three years and will be guided by the co-Chairs of RCGP Scotland. The postholder will also work closely with the RCGP Scotland Officers and support for the project and Clinical Lead will be provided by the Senior Projects Officer at RCGP Scotland.

The role consists of four sessions per week, with two sessions to directly focus on aims of the Interface Groups project, and two further sessions to focus on projects arising from related interface scoping work with the CfSD. The role could be adapted to be a job share opportunity with two sessions per Clinical Lead per week.

Interface Groups project (2 sessions/week)

Key tasks

1. Provide ongoing mentorship and troubleshooting support to existing Interface Groups as required, including through an interactive shared learning group using Microsoft Teams.
2. Connect with Health Boards who do not have a dedicated Interface Group and support them either to develop a Group or to use their existing structures to ensure that there is a space for dealing with interface issues and improvements.
3. Continually develop and update resources and materials to support Interface Groups or to support the establishment of new Groups.
4. Work closely with CfSD to promote and encourage secondary care clinician involvement within Interface Groups with the goal of ensuring effective representation from both primary and secondary care.
5. Work confidently across the interface including with Group Leads, Patient Forums, Health Boards, statutory bodies and other roles within primary care.
6. Identify requirements for a well-functioning and sustainable Interface Group and establish a standardised model. Work with Scottish Government and relevant stakeholders to scope ways of encouraging Health Boards to support these requirements and investigate whether a mandated model is required to be delivered to Health Boards. A developed model can then be rolled out during the lifespan of the second phase of this project.
7. Scope where Interface Groups sit within existing structures of individual Health Boards and the communication channels connecting them. Support them to be recognised as an integral part of the Health Board structure to support service delivery re-design and act in an advisory capacity to other groups.
8. Use case studies and information gathered from the first phase of the project to scope a model of collaborative working for culture change using education models, work shadowing, joint learning, and coaching.

Wider interface working with CfSD (2 sessions/week)

Key tasks:

1. Work collaboratively across RCGP Scotland, CfSD, Scottish Government Primary Care Division, Health Board Interface Groups and with other relevant stakeholders
2. Help scope potential areas of person centered pathway redesign work relevant to the primary / secondary care interface working.
3. Help identify new opportunities for the redesign of ways of working that can be applied nationally to challenges across the interface, focusing for example on areas such as referral guidelines, IT, CTAC and unscheduled care.
4. Look at systems for shared learning and develop case studies of patient-centered redesign within the continuum of care.
5. Provide Clinical Leadership input as needed to the development, testing, evaluation and implementation of redesigned ways of working / pathways.

Essential Attributes

• Significant experience in General Practice
• Strong experience of Interface working
• Data gathering, report writing and data analysis
• Excellent knowledge of designing and developing support materials
• Excellent networking and relationship building skills
• Excellent communication and influencing skills
• Background knowledge of current healthcare structure in Scotland

Desirable Attributes

• Experience of effective partnership working between organisations
• Ability to innovate and manage change within and across organisations

Time Commitment

Four sessions per week (46 weeks per annum). This role can be offered as a job share, split in to two sessions per week each. Performance reviews will be conducted annually with the Chair of RCGP Scotland.

Location

The RCGP Scotland administrative team will be based in Edinburgh. The post holder will be required to travel to other areas in Scotland. Additional contact will be required via email with some remote/home working also required.

Remuneration

RCGP sessional rate – £227.02 per session for 2021/22 Travel and subsistence expenses are available in accordance with the RCGP Travel, Subsistence and Expenses Policy and payable on receipt of an RCGP Scotland claim form which must be submitted monthly.

To apply

Please send a CV and covering letter explaining your suitability for the role to susan.galbraith@rcgp.org.uk by 12.00 noon on Monday 7 February 2022. Please indicate in your application if you are applying for the complete role (4 sessions per week) or as a job share. If you are applying as a job share, please indicate your preference for 2 sessions per week for the Interface Groups project or, 2 sessions per week for the wider scoping with the CfSD. Interviews will take place online on the afternoon of 17 February 2022.