Position Description
Designation: Director, Acute Mental Health
Classification: Staff Specialist or Visiting Medical Officer
Award: Health Services Act 1997 and Public Hospitals (Visiting Medical Officers Sessional Contracts) Determination 2014
Department: Adult Psychiatry
Location: Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), Mental Health
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES
Senior Medical Staff are expected to provide admitting, consultative, diagnostic, procedural, outpatient and on‐call specialty services as determined and required by the facility. Appointees may be required to participate in other on‐call rosters at nominated facilities within Western Sydney Local Health District as determined by clinical operations.
Reporting to the Executive Medical Director, Mental Health, the Director Adult Inpatient Services is part of the Mental Health Services (MHS) Executive Leadership team and is expected to ensure the delivery and ongoing development of a clinical environment/care that provides high‐quality, person‐centred, recovery‐based care through the provision of clinical excellence and best practice across the service with support from the Heads of Department, across the Western Sydney Local Health District's Mental Health Service.
The incumbent is the professional and operational leader of the supporting Clinical Directors. They provide expert advice to the Executive Medical Director MHS, General Manager and Service Executive on strategic planning, financial performance, policy, governance and workforce matters.
Provide leadership for quality and clinical governance, manage inpatient services medical workforce, develop and build strong networks both within MHS and the broader WSLHD to ensure collaborative working partnerships, and provide professional oversight of the services responsibilities to the Health Education and Training Institute and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) for the maintenance of standards and accreditation of pre‐vocational and vocational training programs.
Other responsibilities include undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, research and supervision.
The Senior Medical Practitioner is also responsible for the maintenance of quality with all aspects of their service delivery and the efficient use of resources within Western Sydney Local Health District.
LOCAL BACKGROUND & ENVIRONMENT
Western Sydney Local Health District is responsible for the provision of health services to the local government area comprising Auburn, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Holroyd, and Parramatta and tertiary care. These services are provided through a number of hospital and community‐based facilities located strategically across the District.
The District is committed to achieving continuous quality improvement in client services within a Quality Management framework, with a supporting Strategic Plan aimed at the continuous improvement of all facilities.
All hospitals provide a range of both inpatient and outpatient services to clients both from within the boundaries of the District and cross‐border flows. In addition to this, there are a number of facilities strategically located across the District that provide primary health care services to the community.
The primary goal of Western Sydney Local Health District is: To improve the health of, and ensure comprehensive health care services for, our community.
PROFESSIONALISM AND RESPECTFUL CONDUCT
Senior Medical and Dental staff at WSLHD take a collective responsibility for the provision of excellence inpatient care, teaching and training of health professionals and trainees, and conducting research reflecting the highest standard of professional care and conduct.
Senior medical and dental staff are required to commit to creating a workplace culture that supports positive and respectful behaviours, high performance, and accountability.
The Senior Medical Staff Charter outlines behaviours expected with interactions with patients, colleagues, and the Western Sydney Local Health District.
REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
This position reports directly to the Director of Clinical Services, and also has professional accountability to the Executive Director of Mental Health Services.
KEY INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS
* Executive Medical Director, Mental Health
* Director of Medical Services
* Mental Health Services General Manager
* Mental Health Services Executive Facility Executive Unit Directors
* Staff Specialists within MH
* Executive Director of Medical Services, WSLHD
SUPERVISION ARRANGEMENTS
Fulfil responsibilities as a mentor for medical students and Resident Medical Staff assigned to the department as required. This includes participation in staff appraisal at regular intervals, particularly in relation to Junior Medical Officers and Resident Medical Staff.
Supervise Junior Medical Staff and provide regular teaching and education in accordance with the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) and Training Guidelines. Provide supervision and support for Fellows and Trainees in post‐graduate medical programmes including University programmes, Colleges and the Western Division of General Practice.
CHALLENGES / PROBLEM SOLVING
Managing complex community population with psychosocial challenges and co‐morbidities.
MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES
* Clinical privileges will be exercised within the scope of practice granted by the Medical & Dental Appointments Advisory Committee (Credentials Sub‐Committee).
* Provide high‐quality care for patients and their families/significant others.
* Ensure adequate communication occurs between clinicians within the organisation.
* Ensure detailed patient care treatment plans are in place to support the timely management of patients.
* Maintain a high standard of clinical record documentation, including utilisation of paper‐based systems and electronic mail compatible with hospital systems, and keeping appropriate databases up‐to‐date.
* Ensure effective patient handover and transfer of care.
* Ensure appropriate communication occurs with medical practitioners external to the organisation regarding patients under their care, including providing detailed discharge summaries as indicated.
* Provide reliable and responsive on‐call services (when privileged to do so). Attendance when requested is to be within thirty minutes of call, or otherwise within a timeframe consistent with the needs of the specialty as determined and approved by the facility.
RESEARCH AND TEACHING
* Maintain an intellectual environment within the Department conducive to high‐quality medical research.
* Apply principles of evidence‐based medicine to clinical practice and contribute to the advancement of medical practice.
* Participate in research projects, implemented within the Department or in collaboration with research staff external to the Department, which have been approved by the Clinical Director and the appropriate regulatory committees.
* Encourage peers, registrars and resident medical officers to participate in research projects.
* Organise, deliver, or participate in education sessions within the Department.
* Teach and train effectively at all levels of undergraduate and postgraduate education where required.
* Provide "on‐the‐job" training of registrars and resident medical officers during ward rounds, outpatient clinics, operating/procedural sessions as appropriate to the specialty.
QUALITY
* Strive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work and that of colleagues, mindful of priorities and high standards.
* Actively support a "no‐blame" culture throughout the organisation.
* Undertake clinical governance activities, risk management and audit in order to improve the quality of service provision.
* Participate in all aspects of the clinicians' toolkit to assess the quality of service being provided, view to maintaining, assessing or improving standards of care, teaching or research. These quality improvement or other Departmental and Hospital processes may include, but are not limited to, Peer review; Morbidity & mortality meetings; Adverse and near‐miss events monitoring; Clinical risk management and Root cause analysis.
* Assist the Department Head to implement and develop appropriate clinical outcome measures.
* Actively participate in clinical practice improvement projects as identified through peer comparisons aimed at improving quality of both service delivery and patient care within the department.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
* Participate in the Western Sydney Local Health District Performance Review and Management Framework for Senior Medical Practitioners. This is mandatory for all Senior Medical Practitioners in Western Sydney Local Health District as outlined in the Staff Specialist's (State) Award and PD2011_010 for Visiting Medical Practitioners.
* Demonstrate clinical competency within the clinical privileges granted by Western Sydney Local Health District.
* Provide satisfactory demonstration that quality assurance, quality improvement and risk management obligations are met.
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
* Attend and contribute to department/business meetings.
* Participate in activities within the facility or network especially in relation to the departmental specialty.
* Participate with the Department Head in strategic planning for clinical service provision in the Western Sydney Local Health District, as appropriate.
* Participate in strategic planning for Research and Educational activities at the University of Sydney and its Western Clinical School, as appropriate.
* Ensure that the Facility Managers, Clinical Directors and Department Heads are carefully informed in a timely fashion of any known circumstances relating to matters within the Department, or any other activities of staff there of, so they are aware early of incidents leading to adverse publicity or legal action against staff of the Western Sydney Local Health District.
* Provide appropriate, timely returns to the Department Head indicating external funding, research output and publications, external consultation, professional work and liaison activities and Quality Assurance activities, as required by these bodies.
* Provide responses as required in respect to internal hospital enquiries relating to the carrying out of these duties, patient complaints, Health Care Complaints Commission matters, and medicolegal requests.
* Assist the Department Head in recruitment activities as required.
SKILLS & ATTITUDES REQUIRED FOR PRACTICE AS A SENIOR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER SKILLS
* Have the breadth of knowledge and skill to take responsibility for safe clinical decisions in their specialty.
* Be able to communicate effectively with patients, including the management of difficult and complex situations with patients and their families, to advise them appropriately and to manage complaints effectively.
* Be skilled in building relationships of trust with patients and their families/supporters, through effective interpretation skills, a courteous and compassionate approach, and respect for their privacy, dignity and cultural and religious beliefs.
* Have effective interpersonal skills that bring out the best in colleagues, resolve conflicts when they arise, and develop and maintain productive working relationships within the team.
* Have capacity to work cooperatively with other staff and practitioners and support teams in a complex multidisciplinary team environment.
* Capable of judging competence and professional attributes in others.
* Demonstrate skills and strategies in the process of feedback to colleagues and trainees, ensuring positive and constructive outcomes.
* Demonstrate the potential or capability to teach and train effectively at all levels of undergraduate and postgraduate education where required.
* Able to take responsibility for clinical governance activities, risk management and audit in order to improve the quality of service provision.
* Have the self‐awareness to acknowledge where the limits of competence lie and when it is appropriate to refer to others or senior colleagues for advice.
ATTITUDES
* Support teams that bring together different professions and disciplines and other agencies to provide high‐quality healthcare.
* Strive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work and that of colleagues, mindful of priorities and high quality ethical care and standards.
* Have the ability to comply with the service objectives of Western Sydney Local Health District.
* Cognisant of the need to implement cost‐effective therapies and evidence‐based practice into daily work.
* Act in personal and professional life to maintain public trust in the profession.
* Promote behaviour within the Department which is respectful of all clinicians.
* Promote behaviour within the Department which is respectful of the individual patient, their family, and their rights.
* Act quickly and effectively if there is reason to believe that their own or a colleague's conduct, performance or health may put patients at risk.
* Commit to own relevant professional and self‐development.
* Commit to clinical research and quality improvement.
* Commit to education, training and the career development of junior medical staff and other undergraduate and postgraduate clinical staff.
EEO RESPONSIBILITIES
* Must adhere to the EEO policies and procedures of Western Sydney Local Health District.
WORK HEALTH & SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES
* Demonstrate commitment to WH&S through personal involvement.
* Do not put yourself or others at risk and cooperate with the employer.
* Follow the employer's reasonable instructions concerning health and safety in the workplace.
* Participate in WH&S education and training.
* Report any workplace hazards.
* Assist in the WH&S risk management process, by being actively involved in the identification, assessment and control of hazards and associated risks in the workplace.
* Assist managers in establishing and monitoring WHS Consultation in the workplace.
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