The opportunities and benefits of becoming a community general practitioner (GP) in Derby and Derbyshire are being promoted by Team Up Derbyshire.
The innovative role provides the chance for GPs to develop flexible, portfolio careers working alongside their health and social care colleagues in multi-disciplinary teams in the community.
A number of individuals have already begun working as community GPs in primary care networks (PCNs) in areas such as Chesterfield and Derby, and within Derbyshire Community Health Services, but there are vacancies for more to join, with the opportunity of selecting sessions to fit in with other career commitments.
The role is being promoted by Team Up Derbyshire, an ambitious local programme that aims to create one team across health and social care who see all housebound patients in a neighbourhood. The overall aim is to keep people safe at home and provide the best, most seamless, care, keeping people out of hospital wherever possible.
A community GP oversees a team of community-based professionals who provide personalised care to the housebound, carrying out some visits themselves and supervising the visits of their colleagues. It is both a clinical and team leadership/supervisory role.
Dr Amy Lampard, a community GP with Chesterfield and Dronfield PCN, said: “This model of working allows the community GP and team members to take a more holistic view of the person they are caring for and allows for greater continuity of care. The care provided tends to be more joined up between disciplines, where you can really get to know the patient, and often by doing so, we can anticipate the individual’s care needs before any concerns escalate.
"Historically, with patients registered to the GP practice, we would be rushing out to see them at lunchtimes, with limited time and it felt very much like a firefighting process. Now, as a community GP, I feel I have the time to take a more personalised approach, to work up a care plan with the patient which all colleagues can adhere to.”
Dr Anne-Marie Spooner, a GP partner with Inspire Health, and GP clinical lead and chair of Chesterfield Place Alliance, believes the community GP role would be attractive to existing GPs who might be seeking a diverse career portfolio, as well as trainee GPs and possibly hospital clinicians specialising in frailty who have some experience of working in the community.
Anyone interested in becoming a community GP would need to be able to commit to at least two sessions per week. Applications for full-time positions are welcomed.
For further information on the role of community GPs and local opportunities, please email anne-marie.spooner@nhs.net or amylampard@nhs.net.