| Individual Placement Description | |
|---|---|
| Placement | General Practice - Skerryvore Practice and the Balfour Hospital, Orkney |
| Year | F2 |
| Region | North |
| Hospital(s) | Balfour Hospital |
| Main Duties of Placement | This General Practice (GP) post is shared between the host practice, Skerryvore, and the Balfour Hospital. Work commitment will be approximately 50% GP and 50% hospital. Skerryvore is a nine partner teaching practice based in the hospital in the main town of Kirkwall but covers rural locations and has a patient population of nearly 9000. Work in General Practice will involve consulting with patients in the community who present with a wide range of acute and chronic problems in independent surgeries. This work will be supervised and supported by a GP partner. You will also have the opportunity to assist in covering on the day demand for home visits alongside the on call doctor. The hospital component will be based on our Assessment and Rehabilitation ward (Inpatients 2), where you will contribute to the multi-disciplinary care and rehabilitation of patients admitted with a variety of medical (such as Stroke) and surgical problems (such as fractures). This will include participating in ward rounds, the ward MDT, reviewing new admissions and assessing patients with acute complaints on the ward. You will be supported by a GP with a specialist interest, a Clinical Teaching Fellow based on the ward, and the hospital Consultants. The Inpatients 2 (IP2) ward also incorporates our MacMillan unit, and you will also contribute to the care of these patients, including palliative care. |
| Typical Work Pattern | The rota will average a 40 hour week with some additional OOH work based in secondary care at weekends (no nights). |
| Learning Opportunities | This post will allow an immersive primary care experience and the opportunity to work with a multi-disciplinary team of GPs, ANP, Practice nurses, district nurses and pharmacists. You will see and manage both adults and children in this post. We meet for 30 minutes every morning as a team to discuss cases and share learning as well as an MDT with the hospital Macmillan team once a week. We provide cover for a local care home and the complex needs of residents with both physical and mental frailty on an as required basis, as well as in a weekly planned 'ward round'. Complementing these primary care experiences will be the opportunity to contribute to the multi-disciplinary care of patients on our IP2 ward. On IP2 you will encounter frailty, multiple co-morbidities and long term conditions, rehabilitation and palliative needs, which will require the multi-disciplinary team to work together to address problems holistically. There will often be the chance to follow patients from first presentation in primary care, through to hospital treatment and rehab stay. |
| Teaching | Skerryvore is a teaching practice and hosts GPST1 and GPST3 trainees as well as a ScotGEM third year medical student. The practice will provide your Clinical and Educational Supervisor and will provide individual and combined trainee tutorials. Your clinical supervisors in hospital practice will also be able to contribute to your learning by providing supervision, feedback and workplace based assessments. The IP2 ward hosts 4th year University of Aberdeen students, facilitated by our Clinical Teaching Fellow, and there will be opportunities to get involved in medical education. You will be able to attend NHS Orkney’s weekly Clinical Education Meeting, and also NHS Education for Scotland’s Rural General Hospitals Grand Round (Teams). Foundation teaching is organised by the ‘North region’ team, these are twice monthly 2 hour sessions, trainees in Orkney will attend via MS Teams. |
| Unique Selling Points | This post offers experience of practice in a Rural and Remote setting, with our unique challenges providing best care to patients who don’t have immediate access to the range of specialists and facilities typical at a larger District General or Teaching Hospital. The post also provides a unique experience of two different approaches to the care of patients who use both primary and secondary care services, during their healthcare journey. Working as part of a small team, whom you will get to know well, will be an opportunity to hone your team working skills. |
| It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change. | |
