05.01.17
East Sussex trust pioneers new doctors’ assistant role
A new doctors’ assistant role is being pioneered at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust following the trust’s successful bid for Health Education England (HEE) funding.
Six new doctors’ assistants have started in their roles after the trust was given £80,000 by HEE to run a six month pilot of the role.
The role, which will see the assistants undertaking admin work and essential duties alongside doctors, has been praised for freeing up junior doctors’ time so they can complete more vital tasks.
National studies have shown that doctors in their first four years of training spend around half their time on administrative duties rather than treating patients.
Scarlett McNally, the consultant orthopaedic surgeon running the project at the trust, said, “This is exactly what the busy doctors on-call need – someone able to do simpler tasks when they are so busy.
“That’s got to be better for patient care. I think this model should be the blueprint for the NHS.”
The new assistants have been recruited from the trust’s existing set of healthcare assistants and have experience in working in clinical areas along with additional qualifications and skills.
They will help junior doctors with core tasks to free up their time but will have no responsibility for medication or independent decision-making.
The assistants will now have a two week induction and undergo a weekly learning scheme with a senior doctor as their supervisor.
Three of the assistants will work in the emergency surgery department at Conquest Hospital near Hastings and three in acute medicine at the trust’s Eastbourne District General Hospital.
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